About this time, students should at least be looking at colleges they might attend next fall. Many may already have made a decision as to which college they want to begin the next educational chapter in their life. I know when I was choosing a college, I wanted a place that would be somewhat like high school. I didn’t want a place where I would be surrounded by a sea of people, yet I wanted enough people to be in an atmosphere where there will always be an opportunity to make a new friend. Some people want to go to the type of school where they can drink their brains out and stay wasted all year. I’ve even had people tell me they just want to go to college to get away from home, parents, Searcy, etc.
While all these things are great to consider when choosing a college, I think the monetary aspect should also be a factor. Maybe, it should even be in the top five in a ranking of what’s important when choosing a school. Of course, everyone has friends whose daddy will pay every penny for their precious spawn to have the best college experience money can buy. But for the rest of us middle-classers, we have to find a way to not end up with student loans that could stack to the ceiling. So, is choosing a cheaper college smarter?
Well in my humble opinion, yes. It is definitely smarter to go with a school that you will have to pay less money for. Sure, the education may not be as ideal as a wealthier, maybe private, school; however, in the long run, I believe it is smarter to not sink yourself in debt before your life hardly begins. For all those who aspire to go on to graduate school or maybe even achieve a doctorate, good luck with the $50,000 you’ve already racked up in student loans just to learn to read a map at a fancy smancy private university. I do not mean to sound antagonistic towards preppy private universities. I, in fact, wanted to go to a prestigious school myself until I realized they did not want to pay for more than half of my tuition. That would have left me begging for student loans and I did not feel that getting a teaching degree was worth paying all that money when I could attend a public state university and feel just as qualified in my future career.
The other factor some of my peers concern themselves with is “What if I choose the wrong college and ruin my entire destiny?!” Ok, just stop right there. What are you going to college for again? Yes, a huge part of your life could be impacted by the school you attend. But you should ultimately choose a college that you can afford and that makes you feel you are receiving a good education. If you have the means, then I see no problem in attending an expensive college. But if you are a regular joe, think financially when looking at possible choices. Cheaper could potentially be smarter.
