BY MADDY FURDEK
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As the spring semester begins and seniors begin to receive the large, colorful vanilla folders in their mailboxes containing an acceptance letter to the university of their dreams, it’s hard to contain the excitement. Many students take the opportunity to share their news on social media so the world can partake in celebration over the fruits of one’s labors.
I am no different from any other senior going through this exhilarating experience and find myself guilty of posting snapshots of my acceptance letters on social media to share with my friends. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see anything wrong with this tradition – I feel an overwhelming sense of pride when I see people I know gleefully posting pictures of their college acceptances. I love seeing my peers enjoying the incredible feeling of relief that all high schoolers wait their entire four years for.
However, there are parts to these acceptances that seem unnecessary, and honestly, quite inappropriate to boast about on social media. More and more often, I see seniors posting not only about their acceptance to the college, but also, how much scholarship money they received from the college that accepted them.
I am all for celebrating good news with friends on social media, seeing an exact amount of how much money someone has earned from a college inflicts a feeling of discomfort for me.
It is a known fact that college in this day and age is more of a monetary investment than anything else and the game of numbers seems to ultimately become the deciding factor of where a student decides to study for their years after high school.
The unfathomable cost of a four year education forces many students to take the more financially savvy route of community college and while this is as good of a place as any to receive a degree, I think it’s a bit awkward to hear about the heaping sums of money my peers have earned when I also know plenty of people who have to work independently to pay for their college degree.
Money, as well as one’s financial situation, is an incredibly sensitive topic for people regardless of their status. It’s simply too personal a topic, and I believe that one’s tactic of paying for their college tuition should be private information. Nobody needs to know how anyone is paying for their degree, and while it is very exciting to watch my peers succeed in their goals, I feel it is simply nobody’s business what kind of financial assistance they’ve been offered.
