It costs university students $24,000 average in yearly tuition and $1,650 for books and materials? You've got to be joking. Unfortunately, this is what most expenses look like for us. Right when a new semester comes around the corner, the hunt for the best deal on Amazon, Chegg, etc., (you name it) begins. Not too long ago I was taking a class that was necessary for my major. Sure, textbooks here and there are required, but when my professor failed to tell the class it was about $300, it suddenly became out of the question. This then raises the question......why and how has "learning" become so expensive?

Frustration grows as I'm trying to find the right edition with the correct access code (which normally costs another $60) and whatever extras could be thrown into the mix. The total for this semester: $493.68. Just for books. Outrageous is what you could call it. Some have a few stronger words about the matter. I began to wonder if it was just me that thought that something just wasn't right.

"I had to pick up mostly 12-hour shifts just to pay off my books last year," said a fellow classmate.

"Yeah, I know we're all dreading graduation because that means loan payments are coming our way," exclaimed another.

To me, this makes me question if the deduction of my bank account is really paying for the right things. College tuition on average has increased almost a whopping 950 percent since the 1980s. We are here to learn, expand our knowledge of theories, foreign language, equations, chemical make-ups and overall, how to be a benefit to the world we love in. In what capacity does it make sense to make anyone pay over $100,000 for something it seems like we need?

After doing a little homework on the matter...get it ...I found that not too long ago Steven Cohen from The New York times suggested that payment plans that span over 20 years would make college more affordable for middle and lower income students. This would then make repaying the institution much easier due to the amount of time given. Also, the plan would be individualized according to the income you are or aren't making.

A European experience with higher education almost see,s too good to be true...if you just exclude the higher income taxes those countries face..it's just short of a dream. Germany has almost reached one of the best debt-free college programs in all the world. They also offer this luxury to foreign students as well. So it looks like the airport might be my first stop tomorrow morning.

I believe that outrageous price tags associated with obtaining something that is basically essential to succeeding in the "real world" makes absolutely no sense, and I'm sure you do too. As most of us anxiously await the products of this country's next four years, hopefully, a break in the education expenses gets a chance.