Is college for me? Is college worth the money or the time? Do I need to go to college to succeed in life? These are all questions that many juniors and seniors are currently asking themselves, and most of them don’t know the answers yet. For a decision as big as whether or not to go to college, there are many factors that come into play when making that choice.
As a staff, we believe that the process of applying for college is more complicated than it should be and is expensive, lengthy and can be a stressful undertaking.
Despite the difficult and tedious process, over 66% of graduating high school students in Indiana go to college after high school, according to the Indiana Commission of Higher Education. Even though getting there is quite an undertaking, there are many positives to attending college, like potentially making more money in the workforce, gaining life skills and experience, and exploring one’s options in their early adult lives. Now, some of the benefits of college aren’t always guaranteed once a student graduates, though. According to CBS News, over half of college students end up going into jobs that weren’t a part of their field of study in college.
Attending college also can help prepare young people for the real world besides earning a degree. It can teach them how to survive on their own and juggle everything they may be involved in. Living on a college campus can help young adults take on more responsibility and allow them to take care of themselves.
Despite having benefits, college – especially the process of preparing for college – also has some negatives too. One, if not the biggest, example of a negative is the high price tag. Even public colleges can cost an arm and a leg, which makes some rising high school juniors and seniors question if it’s worth the money.
For example, colleges like Ball State, Indiana University and Purdue cost over $20,000 a year. Not to mention private colleges like Butler, Marian and University of Indianapolis cost over $50,000 a year. The cost won’t stop there though. In recent years the cost of college has increased significantly and will only continue to rise.
Another difficult part of preparing for college is the application process and the need for student loans, grants and scholarships. The application process consists of many long and drawn out steps, and the first one is signing up for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
FAFSA is a tool for students who are applying to college to potentially receive financial aid. After the long process of filling out the FAFSA forms, then a student can start applying to colleges. Depending on the college they apply to, the amount of steps or requirements to apply may vary. Most college applications ask that students write essays, which makes the process take even longer. On top of applying for college, they will also have to apply for scholarships, loans and grants to help pay for their education, which also adds more steps to the process.
High school graduates have many different paths and opportunities they can follow to either enter the workforce, enlist in the military or work toward a higher education degree. Anyone who wants to follow the path to college should be able to access their higher education plan without the overly complicated, stressful process that it takes to get there.