If macroeconomics taught me anything last semester, it’s that nothing in life is free, including college education. However, that doesn’t mean it needs to be as expensive as it is now. Our country prides ourselves on how educated our citizens are, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.                          

    College for our parents used to be much cheaper. However it’s so expensive now, that in 2018, over 44 million people held $1.5 trillion in student debt. And, Texas was ranked second in student loan borrowers.

   As I completed my college applications I realized how much a college education is going to  cost. Applications ranged from $50-$100, and on top of that, I had to pay Collegeboard $12 every time I sent my SAT scores to a college, and pay Parchment $3.75 every time I sent my transcript.     

    To help pay for the costs, students are recommended to apply for FAFSA and scholarships. Although these are supposed to be helpful resources, I didn’t see that. Many scholarships required me to set up own account with the website, but that was multiple passwords to remember, for a scholarship I might not even get. Also, there were scholarships within the school I applied for, but those were only available if I was accepted into the school, and only if not many people applied for the same scholarship.

    As for FAFSA, I don’t think it should be about need-based, because students all need money to help pay for college. With this in mind, I think the money should be divided as equally as possible.

    I know an easy way to make college more affordable is to go to a community college. It’s a smart way to go, but that isn’t for me. Growing up in a household with strict rules about where I’m going after high school has led me to believe going to a community college could be the wrong choice. I’m also the type of person who travels away from home, and I know I’ll feel trapped if I stay in Texas.  

    The U.S. education system has stated that college education is more expensive than ever before. With jobs that can go anywhere, education will make a person and a nation more successful. Because of this, a student’s best investment is college.

    In fact, those who earn a bachelor’s degree typically earn 66 percent more than someone who has only a high school diploma. And, by 2020, about two-thirds of jobs will require post-secondary education or training. The good news is more people are beginning to realize this and are getting a post-secondary education, but, what worries me is the price students have to pay for it.

    The U.S. should open their doors to people who strive for post-secondary education. There are people who want to learn, and right now, the complaints about student debt make learning less achievable.