As I have been looking at colleges to continue my educational journey, I have discovered how expensive college actually is. It was a wake up call after I calculated how much money it is going to cost me to attend the University of Pittsburgh. I expected after working hard my whole high school career that I would be getting scholarships left and right. Unfortunately, the reality is even with my impressive transcript I wasn’t able to get as much as I wanted, and I still have to pay over $128,000 for my education. 

That’s okay, though, because my family and I can fill out the FAFSA and qualify for federal aid. Except, since FAFSA was delayed this year, we still have no idea how much money we are getting, which is most likely going to be nothing. But there is so much scholarship money that goes untouched, right? Well even with researching different scholarships online, it is hard to tell which scholarships are actually real or a scam. I have attempted to apply to scholarships online and instead of getting money, my emails are filled with constant spam. The only chance to get any money is from local scholarships, which I am very grateful for. Although students have the opportunity to apply for these scholarships, we have to fill out applications and write 20 essays in a short amount of time. This just adds to the stress of seniors trying to enjoy the last few months of their childhood, figure out what they want for their future, and everything else that is going on. 

With all of this being said, the government needs to either put laws in place that make it so colleges are unable to charge students over a certain amount or provide all students with federal aid. It’s really scary that society has normalized teenagers picking a random major and selling their soul to thousands of dollars worth of debt. Education should be a basic right that people should be able to receive without making loan payments for 40 years. Adults in my life keep asking me if I am excited for college and the future. I am excited for certain aspects of college, but I am anxious that I will never be able to travel around the world or do certain things because I am stuck in a corporate job paying off debt. All and all, hopefully colleges and the government work together to be able to offer students with equitable pricing.