This year is my senior year of high school; therefore, I have to consider what I want to do after graduation. I, of course, want to go to college. However, there are many things to consider. What do I want to major in? What type of degree do I want? Where do I want to go to college? Let’s not forget one of the other most important questions: how much will it cost? This question can be daunting for some people. Some colleges can be expensive while others can be fairly affordable. Let’s face it, though, the price we pay for an education in America is expensive. Why do we have to pay thousands of dollars to take classes to learn how to talk in public and how to understand the fundamental theorem of calculus? We all have our own answers as to why we’ll pay this money, but why are colleges allowed to charge us so much? It’s not like there is a set fee for college. Each college is priced differently, and they have several individual fees that you have to pay. There is a tuition fee that covers taking your classes, but you’re going to have to pay a separate fee for the books and supplies you’ll need for those classes. Also, if you are staying on campus, then you are going to have to pay room and board fees. Next you’re going to need to pay for personal expenses like food, clothes, and any other costs associated with how you’ll be taking care of yourself in college. Transportation is a varying cost, but it can affect some people greatly. Each of these costs can quickly add up. You have to pay for every single one of these costs each semester too.

I believe that everyone deserves a shot at an education, and price should not become an issue. Scholarships can help, but not everyone can qualify for scholarships. In my personal opinion, I believe that athletes have an easy shot at getting scholarships. For some athletes, their scholarships are full-ride. However, are these athletes going because they want to continue their education while also participating in a sport or do they just want to make college all about their sport while taking a few random classes every now and then? These two options are really different. One is all about sports while the other one focuses more on education. Isn’t college about continuing your education though? There are other options if you care more about athletics. Academic scholarships, on the other hand, can be quite difficult to get because there are a lot more factors that come into play. Unless you are the valedictorian or salutatorian, it’s not easy. Scholarships or financial aid, in general, do help with college, but many people are forced to attend with little or no financial aid. This means people graduate with tens of thousands of dollars in student debt. The most recent data tells us that the total amount of student loan debt in America is $1.48 trillion. That is a huge number. So I’ll ask once again, why is college so expensive?