Class Discussion on 2-11-13

Just now getting around to posting this, better late than never, I guess...

After discussing college admissions and financing a college education, I was very intrigued by the impression I got from some members of the class, particularly about scholarships.  This may be a bad impression, but I felt some students really felt victimized by the financial aid process and felt that it should've been easier to find a way to pay their tuition with scholarships or with grants at the very least.  I was very confused by this. It seemed that people felt that admission to college was where their responsibility ended, but I cannot agree there.  I think it's important to remember that most college students are adults by the time they begin attending college and as such, the responsibility lies with them to figure out a way to finance their future.  I realize this may be harder than ever with so many people competing for scholarships and the dwindling availability of grants, but this is why people must try harder to make the funding happen for themselves.  We must at some point accept that attending college is still viewed as a privilege and not a right, regardless of what one might think.  I really appreciated the viewpoint of one student in class, who voiced a very mature viewpoint: she didn't feel her parents should have to pay for her to go to college, even though they could obviously afford it--clearly she felt the sense of responsibility that others have struggled and failed to develop.  We're all adults now, and the sooner we realize it and shed that sense of entitlement, the better off we'll be when faced with more of the realities of post-college life and the shrinking job market.  I hate to say it: but job hunting will be harder than scholarship hunting, heads up, folks.

Also, I was impressed by one student's description of a College Summit class required at her high school that focused on college preparation. This class struck me as a fantastic idea and something that more schools should offer.  It would be a simple way to organize and empower students to face the process of getting into and paying for college, something that seems to constantly confuse and overpower students to this day.  I count myself lucky to have benefitted from an excellent guidance office in high school whose main focus was arming students with this crucial knowledge.  Even with all that, I still had difficulties navigating the FAFSA, but nothing's perfect.  It just seemed to me that this type of class would be a good use of class time, maybe in homeroom or study hall (if those still exist) or on an afterschool basis if time is not available in the regular class day.  Students need to be prepared for all that comprises college, and a class like this couldn't hurt.