Alicia Seewald

By Alicia Seewald (Whetstone Staff Writer)

When you’re little you cannot wait to grow up; the vision of the future is instilled in your mind by the adults around you.

“I’m gonna be a doctor or an astronaut,” you tell them. “I’m gonna have a three-story house and it’s gonna be on the top of a mountain.”

Then you start college and reality hits. These dreams cost money, a lot of money.

When I received my acceptance letter to Wesley, I was thrilled. Admissions had offered me a nice scholarship, and for once I could see my future finally coming together.

However, I had no idea tuition went up every year.

I did not think about the inflated prices of textbooks, or that they could take a third of my scholarship away  – because I don’t live on campus – after reeling me in as a freshman.

The truth, I’ve discovered, is that students are customers. College provides an opportunity for you to look attractive to employers.

Yes, you are there in order to learn, but if college was not a necessity to obtain a decent job, more than half the students at Wesley would not be here.

Do students really have to pay the price of a house to get a diploma?

As an English major, I should not have to constantly pay fees for a lab I don’t even go to.

As a commuter, I should have the right to decide whether or not I want to go to events around campus without feeling the need to go because my money helped pay for it.

The cost of college is hindering me, but it is not stopping me from reaching my goals.

However, many do not have the choice to stay in college long enough to graduate because they cannot afford putting off the grueling debt growing in a bank account.

College is expensive, I get that.

What I do not understand is this: Why offer students money to draw them in but take it away when they need it the most?