College is intimidating, especially if you are a teenager. Not just the amount of intellectual hard work, but in navigating all the ins and outs of the bureaucracy which can determine whether or not you graduate with crippling debt, or whether you graduate at all.
The idea of "Help" and "Mentorship" needs to be formally institutionalized, to support those who need grants and scholarships the most. The top 1% already know how to navigate the economic system for all advantages; the rest of us need support and access to these same strategies. The designers of these processes themselves need to focus on helping out the neediest early on. College has turned into a "survival of the fittest", in terms of economic and social help, NOT academics.
College completion rates are stagnant, according to this NYTimes article. "Need-blind" admissions and increasing grants are wonderful, but the system breaks down on a deeper level. High schoolers are geared towards the goal of being admitted to the college of their dreams. Especially in a place like America, the narrative is about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.
People who are driven to excel understand that their future will be hard, but they are not told exactly what kind of "hard" they will have to face.
Especially if you are not born into a family in the top 1%, or even in the top 50%; you may not have the immediate mentorship-type support that helps you to consistently make the right choices when you are trying to enter a new arena. Deadlines are significant. Reach out to the institution for personalized help. Don't be afraid to ask. Don't let a setback stand in your way.
The struggle of getting into college (including the YEARS of test prep and homework) pales in comparison to the challenge of the Financial Aid Application Process. Money is the ultimate decider, especially for First Generation college students. If you take out a tremendous loan for your freshman year, how much confidence do you have in your future as you see the debt piling up?
This is an example of a huge clusterf*ck of a process. High expectations, early achievement, signing over your soul to the devil, huge default rate, declining faith in one's country, and ultimately-Depression , both economically and emotionally.
The idea of "Help" and "Mentorship" needs to be formally institutionalized, to support those who need grants and scholarships the most. The top 1% already know how to navigate the economic system for all advantages; the rest of us need support and access to these same strategies. The designers of these processes themselves need to focus on helping out the neediest early on. College has turned into a "survival of the fittest", in terms of economic and social help, NOT academics.
College completion rates are stagnant, according to this NYTimes article. "Need-blind" admissions and increasing grants are wonderful, but the system breaks down on a deeper level. High schoolers are geared towards the goal of being admitted to the college of their dreams. Especially in a place like America, the narrative is about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.
People who are driven to excel understand that their future will be hard, but they are not told exactly what kind of "hard" they will have to face.
Especially if you are not born into a family in the top 1%, or even in the top 50%; you may not have the immediate mentorship-type support that helps you to consistently make the right choices when you are trying to enter a new arena. Deadlines are significant. Reach out to the institution for personalized help. Don't be afraid to ask. Don't let a setback stand in your way.
The struggle of getting into college (including the YEARS of test prep and homework) pales in comparison to the challenge of the Financial Aid Application Process. Money is the ultimate decider, especially for First Generation college students. If you take out a tremendous loan for your freshman year, how much confidence do you have in your future as you see the debt piling up?
This is an example of a huge clusterf*ck of a process. High expectations, early achievement, signing over your soul to the devil, huge default rate, declining faith in one's country, and ultimately-Depression , both economically and emotionally.
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