Is college for all of us?

We are all familiar with the words “Don’t you want to go to college?” Whether it be from a family member, teacher or friend, there is no surprise to why they would like to know if we want to go to college.

As high school students, we have come to grip with reality that once we leave school and our homes we need to pave our own path. College is too expensive and could end up costing people a fortune. There is a small percent of people who either have enough to pay for it or get the benefit of receiving a full-ride scholarship.

My mother was one of those people who benefitted from getting a full-ride scholarship to the University of Southern California. She grew up in a one bedroom apartment, but due to her self-motivation to make sure she graduated, she had the ability to apply for a full-ride.

My father on the other hand did get to go to college, but had to drop out because he had to start providing for his family as soon as he could. My father dropping out was probably one of his best mistakes because he ended up working full time for UPS instead of staying stuck inside a classroom as a History teacher.

He always says he got lucky he got such a good job. They have both reminded me from time to time that college is not what it used to be like it was for them.

Over the course of time, the economy has gotten a lot tougher and so has the need to pay for college. Many believe that going to a community college for a year or two will help benefit them so they do not need to pay that much when they go to a college.

In truth not that many people end up leaving community colleges because of the amount of time they take off from school. Most people that decide to stay in a community college for a year often end up deciding to take a break and go for two years, then three years, then four, and the years keep stacking up one at a time

Lately, college is seen by some to be an unnecessary path to take in life because no one wants to pay so much money just to study for four years. Although, studies have shown more and more people are getting into college there is a good chunk that decide to drop out entirely from the college they were so eager to be in when they once joined.

These students tend to drop out because they can no longer keep up with the amount of payments they would be making in their future. Not that many people end up staying and graduating because staying could financially hurt them in the long run.