School Costs: Then and Now

By Jacqueline Rochonchou on May 17, 2012

I was sitting in class the other day being lectured by one of my favorite Penn State professors, Dr. Stephen Browne. Dr. Browne has written books on a number of subjects, and is one of the most intelligent and passionate professors I have ever had. I’ve had the pleasure of having Dr. Browne twice now, and I hang on every word he says in class even though I am used to hearing the same stories repeated. He shared a bit of information I had yet to hear the other day, that not only was he a triple major in his undergraduate studies, he went to the prestigious Oxford in England for his graduate level classes. Yes that is surprising and impressive, but it wasn’t what truly stuck with me. What shocked me the most regarding his statement was that he had enough financial aid, grants, and scholarships to not pay a dime for his education.

If I had a triple major from a big west coast university and then a graduate degree from Oxford England I would be looking at a bill that resembled OJ Simpson’s lawyer fees. It seems strange that we are living in the generation where college is basically a necessity nowadays to get a well-paying job, and yet we are the generation reveiving not enough financial aid and student loans to help put us through it.

The more successful your family is, the less you qualify for aid. It seems to many that success is being punnished in this case, while it seems to others that it is fair. And the more you borrow in loans the more you need to pay back later, which simply means that you are starting your life out in debt once you graduate. I’ll stray away from bringing politics into this on behalf of not wanting to stir up a political debate, but times are harder than ever. College has never been more necessary and yet money is even more difficult to come by.

It seems we are in a vicious cycle, but grants and scholorships might be the way to go in this case, above student loans. Many recent college graduates have trouble finding a job right away, and the bank isn’t going to wait around for you to start paying them back on thier terms. Scholorships can be found for anything these days: being Jewish, being Hawaiian, being excellent at sports or a particular area in academics. Some grants favor the arts more than anything else if that’s more your style. It’s best to start looking and seeing what needs to be accomplished in high school, but that’s often too late for some. If high school has come and gone for you it might be too late for sports and academics, but it isn’t too late for the hidden scholorships that many do not know about.

I have included a link to a website that I found very interesting and helpful. It includes some myths about scholorships and seeks to affirm or correct them, and it also helps you find scholorships, and avoid the scams that some of them are. Good luck, start writing those essays, and quit that third job.

http://www.scholarships.com/financial-aid/college-scholarships/scholarship-information/scholarship-myths/

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