Everyone always says things like “children are our future,” or “education is the most important thing you need to prepare for in life.” Wouldn’t you think it would be a lot more accessible, then? I mean, the average cost of going to a private school is around $30,000 a year! Nobody just has that kind of money lying around, so obviously you have to take out loans, which charge interest. Then you have to worry about paying for meals and textbooks. Plus you have to factor in the cost of toiletries and going out with friends. It all adds up.

My problem with this is that it completely screws over the students. If we are the future, why are we getting buried so far in debt that we’ll still be paying it off in our late 30s? How do the older generations expect us to thrive if we have college loans looming over our heads?

Not to mention that almost everything on college campuses is overpriced.  How do they expect us to pay for food and supplies when more than half of us barely have jobs? I work part time and take five classes, yet I still feel like I have to worry about how much I spend. I find myself eating less because I don’t want to spend that much money on food. Not to mention I have to worry about gas and parking on campus. Then they want us to show school spirit and buy their incredibly overpriced apparel. I can’t buy clothes unless I have a 30 percent off discount at Kohl’s, let alone buy sweatshirts for more than 50 bucks.

It’s as if every person sees students as a way to make money. We’re just little piggy banks to them, slowly building more and more debt until we finally get out of college and then they expect to cash in on us. With the job market as poor as it is, where are we supposed to get the money to pay them back? It’s as if the entire system is built around squeezing the life out of every student possible. When did college become a business rather than a place for people to get a higher education?

Colleges need to understand that they do not need half of things they put money into. I’ve heard of colleges paying thousands of dollars so that they can put pretty trees everywhere.

Also, there needs to be some sort of reform for paying back loans. I understand that it is the state’s money we are using, but paying that back right after college is almost impossible, especially in this job market where finding a job even with years of experience is hard. We are supposed to be the future and they need to stop ruining it for us.