As a senior in high school, I’m currently in the throes of college application season. The amount of essays and supplementals are at this point a rite of passage, but there is one thing I will never get over: financial aid applications.
Throughout the process, I’ve needed to apply to my schools through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) FAFSA application, but also am required to fill out the Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC) for my private schools. This, on top of school-based forms for privates like Fordham and USC make financial aid infinitely more challenging than applying to the schools themselves.
Not only is this process confusing for students, it places a financial burden on students who might not be able to afford the college of their choice. Students are not solely trying to aim for the best universities possible; they’re aiming for the best universities possible within their price range. This is extremely unfair for students who have worked diligently throughout their high school careers. Students who choose to pursue an education at their dream schools (albeit the high price) are left struggling with exorbitant amounts of debt after graduation, sometimes to predatory loan companies. There should not be a price associated with being educated, nor should students be penalized for pursuing higher education. College is intended as a tool for social mobility, not a way for individuals to get trapped in lifelong debt. In many 1st-world nations, higher education of all levels is free: countries like Germany, Brazil, Norway, Argentina, and more offer high-quality, tuition-free education. In America (often dubbed as the “land of opportunity,”), our students should not be focused on taking out loans or struggling to afford college. They should be applying for the colleges that interest them; ones that are best suited for their intellectual ability.
