By: Teresa Finucane
Are you looking for college debt?
Seems like a weird question because the obvious answer should be no. The forever pit of sacrifice in applying for colleges that one would fall into is highly undesirable. Counselors warn us of what life is going to be like, telling us that we’re ONLY going to eat microwaveable food on top of the fact that it is truly probable, that you may not have a microwave at all because of the dump you’re going to be living in. Debt causes stress and makes you over-emotional and highly sensitive to anything regarding a dollar sign. The list goes on and on…you won’t be able to travel at all and finding a job to try and pay off that debt? Forget it. It is just not going to happen. Choose the less expensive school; it is safer and overall, smarter. So then why would I ever ask if you were looking for debt in the first place? From a philosophical standpoint, chances are that if you’re reading this, you go to Texas Christian University. If you go to TCU then you, at some point, saw how much it costs to attend. Therefore, you are aware that this is an expensive school. While not a sound argument (due to everyone’s perception of wealth being subjective), we can all for the most part say that TCU requires some cash to attend.
Which carries me to again propose the question, are you looking for college debt? While there are many of us that have scholarship, financial aid, and/or their parents have the means to pay sticker price, that does not speak for those who either do not have enough of these options, or don’t have them at all. For those of you who don’t have those listed options and could have gone elsewhere, I hope you answered yes to my question and here’s why. No matter where you go, , the website College Access and Success reports that 66% of graduates from public colleges and 75% of graduates from nonprofit colleges had student loans. This is happening everywhere. And while it is a burden, the choice to go to college and endure that debt, is a success. Your happiness and future is well worth the investment. College is definitely about learning and growing, in your major, but even more than that, it is learning to deal with living on your own, making decisions that create moral character, and finding a way to MAKE IT WORK. These are things you may not have gotten if you went to the less expensive school. Why? Because it’s not the school you really loved! Wherever you are, debt or no debt, it is important to remember that the money you are paying now and the money that you are without a doubt going to have to pay later, is going to change your life and for the better. Your college debt isn’t going to define your success and even more than that, it shouldn’t define your future. College is four years of much more than the money we signify it by.