Can I just go off on a little rant about the idea of going to college? Okay, thanks. According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 66% of high school graduates continue with education and enroll in college. To be honest, I thought that number would be lower, but that's beside the point. For most people, what other choice is there after high school besides college? These days, it seems like the only way you can be successful is to go to college to continue studies in a more funneled and narrowed down way; and even then, about 17% of college grads are still unemployed. Why did these poor kids go through all the schooling and money just to end up unemployed? It makes me wonder (and I'm sure it makes them wonder) what the point of all that was.
There are seldom opportunities for success without going to college. It seems like the only way to be successful without a college degree is by learning a manual labor skill, like automotive technician, or getting lucky and hitting it big in Hollywood. Why is it so hard these days to find a stable job without excessive amounts of education? I know that education is key, that obviously you need the knowledge to do your respective job well. But still, why is it so hard to find something that 1) makes you happy but 2) still makes enough money for you to live well? Because let's face it: money is the driving force of any economy and without it, you won't survive for very long. My mom has told me that work places are raising starting to hire only those with a Master degree. The outrage! It really makes me sit down and think if it's all really worth it, if the money and the schooling is all really worth it. What is the world coming to when a college student has to pay about $20- to $30,000 for college that, even then, won't qualify him/her for a job after graduation?
Sometimes college seems less and less appealing when I think about the cost. It irks me that it costs so much; it aggravates me that each field is becoming more and more competitive, that I'll have to spend even more money on more schooling just to qualify; it angers me that I feel out of options, that college is the only path I can take to be successful.
And why is it so expensive? Why are books so expensive? Why is the actual tuition so high? Why can't the government help more to pay for all this? Why can't it understand that we need help and that by helping us, we can help the government in turn? Not to get too much into politics and economics, but the middle class really does suffer the most. We're too rich to get financial aid like the poor people, and we're definitely not rich enough to cruise by and pay full tuition like it's no big deal. (And the concept of lower class/ unemployment/ all the financial aid going to them is a completely different rant.) I'm sick and tired, as all other middle class citizens are, of getting the short end of the stick. I have such mixed feelings about college: should I go? what could I do if I didn't? it costs so much money, but it's worth it right? where would I go after high school if I didn't go to college? I don't know. Too many thoughts, too much stream of consciousness. I don't want to deal with this right now.
Now to get to the actual assignment :)
Scholarship: So... I found nothing. Sorry. I have a list of "scholarship websites" that I got from the college fair last year, so I went through that list, but most of it was very specific in its requirements. I got fed up and just typed in "college scholarships" into the search bar and yet, yielded no meritorious results. What a disappointment that further dampened my spirits on attending college. Most of the websites on the list I have are for students with Latino or Hispanic backgrounds, or are just futile and unrelated to college scholarships.
I need money for actual tuition and supplies. Books are expensive as are other necessary supplies. The school I want to go to costs about $23,000 which isn't terribly expensive. I have a job, and if need be, I can hold some bake sales and fundraisers throughout the year to help raise more money. To be quite honest, I feel disillusioned with the thought of going to college. The struggle and hassle make it seem not worth it. But what can you do? I shake my head of disapproval at my (and all other students') predicament.
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