Why Do I Deserve A Full Ride?

Too much income for federal help…not enough income to do it by ourselves. Welcome to the world of middle-class families. As time advances and the economy fluctuates, the price of college tuition continues to rise. However, the income of parents of soon-to-be college students does not. As a high school senior, I have been pondering my college options more often than not. One of the major deciding factors is of course, cost. As much as I don’t want it to be, college cost makes a big difference in whether or not I apply. I think it’s unfair that some students don’t get to attend their first choice college because of cost. I don’t want to be one of those students. That is why it is important for me to receive of full ride scholarship.

As my parents went to through the financial aid process with my older sister, I started to notice how difficult it was for her to receive need based scholarships. What I couldn’t understand is that where there was a need; it was not available because the need was not great enough. From that moment I realized that income really does play a major role in financial aid. I want a full ride because even though my parents are stable, they’re not in a position to pay my whole way through college. Another reason I want a full ride is because I deserve it. I have worked way too hard throughout high school to not be able to go to the college of my choice because my parents can’t pay for it. I am more than just an income. I am an investment.

Ever since I was young, my parents always taught me to plan ahead. For this reason, not only I am thinking about college, but I’m also thinking about my post-college life. Chances are, after college graduation, I will have an entry level position at some company with an entry-level salary. If I am living on my own, I will have bills to pay and groceries to buy. Once all of that is taken care of, my paycheck will be a little bit of nothing. Now imagine if I had student loans to pay. What if I decided to start a family? Or what if there was a sudden emergency and I didn't have the extra money to take care of it? With a full ride, I would never have to worry about student loans. As I get older, I realize that there are certain types of debt that I'm not going to be able to avoid. Why would I add student loans onto debt that I'm already subject to? I want a full ride because I can't see myself still paying off my student loans when I'm 40.

Senior year is one of the most stressful times for a teenager. What would make it even more stressful is if you finally get the acceptance letter from your dream college, but later decline the acceptance because of cost. I don't want this to happen to me. A full ride is not only what I want, but what I need and what I deserve.