Through the midst of applications, high school seniors are applying to college in hopes of acceptance. After getting accepted, these seniors are filled with joy, excitement, and… worry?
An unfortunate, but common, situation that occurs is that many high school students have to go to a different college simply because they are not able to afford the high-cost of prestigious, upper-class universities. Even in financially stable households, tuition fees can feel like a heavy blow. Tuition fees at most universities, that are not in-state, often rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars for 4 years. With the cost of staying on campus, the hefty textbooks, and the living fees added on, it’s no wonder why it’s simply out of reach for a lot of families.
It is true that a university needs money. Money to support the campus, pay the many professors, and many other necessities. But when a child who is perfectly capable at a university has to withdraw their admission due to the sole fact that they cannot afford to attend this university, it simply doesn’t feel fair. Only scholarships and financial aid help to ease the financial burden.
No matter what your household income may be, financial aid is offered to a large group of families. Some types of financial aid need not be paid back after granted, but other types of financial aid, such as loans, are required to be paid back. And with interest fees, the numbers may get larger and larger the longer it takes to pay back a loan.
An applicant's best bet is to apply for scholarships. A scholarship is given based on needs or merit. It can range from a few thousand a year to enough to afford a full ride for all four years at a university.
One of the not so fun parts of applying to college, is the actual cost of applying to college. Sending in an application costs as much as eighty five dollars! The fact that applicants are spending hundreds, even thousands of dollars applying to colleges and universities, when they will only end up going to one, is devastating. Not to mention, it does cost money to send in transcripts and scores to certain colleges.
Moving away from the physical cost of college, there are also the mental costs. Meaning, the abundance of stress some applicants may feel when applying to college. It may be the fear of the admissions decision, or simply the large amount of questions and essays to complete. Many seniors feel the need to lock themselves in their rooms and not have any fun until the applications have been submitted. Their parents and relatives may also be on their case to only work on applications and apply to more universities.