Parental Influences On Your College Dream
The Question Mark?
With graduation on the horizon, many high school seniors think their year will be full of fun and a variety of activities; however, they will be disappointed to find out it is also full of applications, essays, and standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT. In addition to this, seniors can also look forward to the anxiety that comes with getting acceptance letters and finding out if they qualify for any scholarships or grants. For many, it can be devastating to receive the results of where they got accepted and what kind of aid they did or did not earn.
One thing that I have always wondered is who sets the qualifications and standards for who gets more financial help than others? I have always had a question mark over my head about why the government didn’t help myself, and countless others in my situation, out. My parents and I were born and raised in California, however when I applied for the California Grant I was denied because my parents made “too much money”. They couldn’t tell me what kind of aid I was eligible for until I submitted my parent’s income, leaving me to speculate if my 3.5 GPA and my accomplishments were even factors they considered while applying.
Do Not Limit Yourself
Really as a student, how much money your parents make is the major deciding factor that influences both acceptance and financial aid, not necessarily how smart or qualified you may be. If you are not wealthy and federal and state aid options are exhausted, this leaves the average parent paying out of pocket for college.
Personally, as a student I never thought it was my parent’s burden to pay for my tuition. I have always felt like this is my life, my goal for higher education, and my dream that I would do anything for, therefore I needed to take full responsibility for it. This is why my goal was ultimately for them to not have to pay for anything. In actuality they do help out with the loan interest rate and pay for food I need here and there, but for the most part I try to be as financially independent as possible.
I encourage others to hold themselves accountable and not limit themselves based on factors outside of their own control, such as their parent’s income. Despite the hardships many face when trying to figure out how to pay for college, there are also those who will never even really have to think about the cost of college because of their family income. For those who have parents that are wealthy, I’m not saying that financial independence is necessarily their best choice, by all means take do whatever your family is offering to help pay for your education, but for some this is simply not an option. I don’t want to make it the fault of the wealthy for the economic inequality, but why do they get more opportunities to get an education than the rest of us? There should be an equal opportunity to go to college not based on the economic status of the household you grew up in. Money should not determine your dream and limit your success.
The Mindset
Wealthy parents provide money for their children, just like any parents should, however, this can be a slippery slope. These parents also need to keep in mind that this can cause them to not think about to consequences of choices they make because in the end, “mommy and daddy” will cover it. In comparison, a student who provides for themselves will be forced to think of how the money they borrow may impact their future and will make them more responsible.
“There is no better teacher in this world than responsibility”
By giving everyone a “sink or swim” mindset everyone will have an equal opportunity in life to succeed. Having money to worry about will help hold students more accountable to keep their grades up, make sure they are saving some money for their future, and to be responsible and actually finish school. The reality is, if they don’t do these things it could result in debt for years to come, much more than if they had just simply paid for their degree out of pocket.
By allowing students to pay for their own college experience it shows them the value of a dollar, how to learn to live on their own, and promotes a better work ethic. Government surveys state 66% of graduates from public colleges, 75% of graduates from private nonprofit colleges, and 88% of graduates from for-profit colleges had student loans. In other words, over two-thirds of college institutions have graduates who have succeeded with student loans. So, for me, having the idea of money in the back of my head keeps me on track and helps me see the real end goals. It makes me realize that I have to give it 100% every time because I hold myself accountable for my dreams and what I want to achieve.
Finding A Way
Many people who rely on their parents do not seem to find self motivation until they learn the hard way. Just like in sports, the only way you will get better is if you put in the work. You can’t rely on others to go out and hit in the games or shoot your free throws, so why would you rely on your parents to bail you out of your issues in the real world? I believe that anyone willing to work hard should not be limited. If I hadn’t worked day in and day out for sports and got an athletic scholarship, I would be just another high school graduate who couldn’t afford to go to college. I had the intrinsic motivation to go out there and got it for myself. This type of work ethic is what I believe we need to teach many generations to come. That hard work counts for everything. Michelle Obama in the Bowie State Commencement Speech encourages people to be hungry for an education. She acknowledges that many parents strive to give their families a better chance for more opportunities, but why stop there? Let’s educate everyone and encourage anyone to go out and find more opportunities for themselves.
In other words, for those who don’t have the same intrinsic source of motivation that I do, we need to find a way to make them want to fulfill their dreams a little bit more. We need to encourage and educate people about giving things all of their effort and having the confidence to know they have what it takes to achieve anything they want. Many people where I come from play softball and they always want to know stories of how I got to be a Division 1 athlete. I always try to emphasize the fact I always did more than what was expected of me and worked outside of practice almost every day. Not to say that school is not important, but when you have finals and you have been studying for hours on end, outside activities, such as softball for me, can release you from that stress and help you to perform that much better in the classroom. Personally, I think it’s extremely important to have a clear cut goal for yourself and your future. When you have a dream you tend to tunnel vision on that one dream and will go to all costs to make sure your dream is on track.
Making The Change
By changing the qualifications and guidelines to attend college with financial aid, we would never have to limit future generations. For example, your parents income should not be one of the most important questions asked when applying for financial aid. It should not be dependent on what your parents have provided you financially, rather it should depend on what you have done for yourself in high school to get you into college. We would be providing everyone the same and equal opportunities to be who they want to be and achieve the goals they want instead of holding some back due to their inability to pay for it.
https://youtu.be/mSXnZOB4Q9s
Works Cited
Average cost of college
Income and Eligibility
https://www.edvisors.com/fafsa/forms/tutorial/parent-financial-info/#parent-financial-information
Qualifications and guidelines when applying
http://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/income-and-financial-aid-eligibility
Sink or Swim
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/sink+or+swim
“There is no better teacher in this world than responsibility”
They Say/I Say