Sept. 15, 2014
Scribe Staff
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College students have many mountains to climb: academically, financially and socially.
Nearly all the staff of The Scribe have a second job. It’s the nature of the beast; we are college students that require money, and lots of it. And if we don’t have it, we adjust.
College students learn the art of doing things on a budget: investing in lots of ramen noodles, getting a water cup when you go out to eat (and then perhaps getting soda anyway), finding coupons everywhere and not buying books from the bookstore are just a few tactics.
So, we become extremely flustered when we look at our bill for college.
The beef is this: why on Earth does it become more expensive for students to attend college when we become upperclassmen?
As a reward for our hard work through our first two years, we are shown that just because we may have shown promise doesn’t mean we’re good enough to receive help.
That’s like giving Tom Brady a pay cut after winning a Super Bowl.
That’s like telling Michael Jordan after a dunk he only gets to use one leg next time.
That’s like finding a parking spot and then having a tax levied on your car.
The Bursar’s office has this handy tool on their website that allows a student to estimate what their bill will be. We kept all outside factors the same (15 credit hours, Colorado resident, living off-campus and College Opportunity Fund available) and merely changed your classification as a student in the bill estimator.
Here’s what we found: Freshmen/Sophomore, fall 2014: $4,571.25 Junior/Senior, fall 2014, LAS: $4,871.25 Junior/Senior, fall 2014, Engineering or Business: $5,456.25 Junior/Senior, fall 2014, Beth-El: $6,251.25
While the discrimination amongst the colleges is troubling, it is not so pervasive as the general lack of concern shown for those who have already been successful at the college level.
That additional cost can be the difference between taking out a loan and not taking one out. In extreme circumstances, it could mean a decision to attend a cheaper institution. This at a time when you’re at least halfway to a degree that can change your life.
Success is a trait we all strive for, not matter our niche in life.
It is a rather rude awakening when your success is greeted with a taller mountain than you already have climbed.