There is a huge controversy over the true value of college. People dispute over whether a college degree is really worth thousands of dollars being in debt in your early twenties up to the late thirties. Most people cannot afford college and that ultimately becomes the main reason as to why they decide on an alternate route. But for those who decide to take on the financial burden in their most youthful time to study for additional years of studying, is college really worth the huge risk? Do colleges really offer its consumers enough value to actually be worth it?

Like I’ve said, tuition is probably the biggest deterrent in higher education. Luckily for me, the first two years of my college was paid for. Tuition wasn’t incredibly expensive since I was able to get into a university within the state of my residency and I was also able to receive a small amount of financial aid through FASFA. Of course, there are many students around me, whose parents are able to afford paying tuition, room, textbooks and other necessities of a student. But I know many more around me, who are constantly worried about making their next payment to the school.

It’s pretty obvious now that education cost has been on a plane ride of inflation. It keeps climbing up, while the median income level is barely catching up to it’s toes. It’s quite hard to understand why cost of education continue to increase even though, the quality and the quantity is actually not increasing in proportion to its monetary value. Only a fraction of people attend college after high school and fraction of them actually end up getting a degree.

To really understand the value of college and the importance it has on young adults, we have to analyze all aspects of a university. From college sports to online databases, college is filled with resources that allow us to be successful. While the price may seem extremely steep, it’s for the students to really take advantage of the assets they are given and to utilize it to increase their chances of economic success. Maybe the reason why you find college so expensive is because you come to class three times a week, sleep, learn barely anything by the time you graduate. Maybe college would be paying close to what it’s really worth if you exploited all the things that it offers you. On an average college campus there is a counselor for personal issues, academic advisor for school and into the fields of your career, study abroad programs, bazillion books in the library, equipment you can rent, clubs you can join, network you can build, events you can attend, recreational activities you can enjoy, and the list goes on. If you really learned about all these assets that you have, and you actually learned to use it properly, college might not seem as expensive as before. However, to do all these things I listed above requires high productivity, diligence and a thorough understanding of all the resources that are available to you. In other words, taking advantage of college requires lots of time and effort.

One of the most helpful resources I found on my campus was the library online database. If you are big on research, or have an endless well of curiosity, the library database is the tool for you. It is ridiculously expensive to pay for it once you are out of school, so I would just start downloading all the PDF files on your computer while you can.

For students who understand the value of higher education than what is apparent, but continue to struggle in the payment of its dues, there are multiple possibilities to cut down costs. The first one are scholarships. Off the bat, they are extremely competitive. Anywhere from hundred to thousands of students can apply for the same scholarships. But if you are able to win the scholarship, it can grant you relief on payments and also give you something to write down on your resume. And while scholarships require preliminary effort in filling out the application, government aid like FASFA is something that is very accessible and easy to fill out. Of course, as you are placed into a higher income bracket, you will receive less aid from the government. However, it is still worth spending an hour filling out some of the most basic information you have so that you can save whatever amount of money.

If you live outside of comforts of your home, you can also apply for the RA position at the university dormitory. Most schools at least offer some form of discount if you are hired as the RA. This could save you couple thousand dollars so that you don’t have to live on the streets, or in a dirty Frat house, or in an overpriced apartment 3 minutes away from campus.

I talked about how to maximize your benefits as a college student in my previous paragraphs but now I want to talk about why I strongly feel that college is important. I think after you graduate from high school is when you start developing critical thinking skills. This skill is absolutely crucial in developing your life into something much greater than what you expect of yourself. Being enrolled in school while these skills are developing, is a perfect way to refine your abilities. Plus you got professors with all sorts of Masters, and Ph. D’s and certifications, talk to them and learn from them and not just in class but from their life experiences. You will find incredible life lesson from the conversations you have with your professors even if you don’t realize it right away. You will also have peers that are dedicated and motivated, so eager to succeed and when you surround yourself around people who are passionate, their fire will eventually spread to your kindling as well.

College is very expensive and it is very time consuming. In the end, it’s your choice whether you decide to go to college or not but know this; if you do decide to spend a lot of money for higher education, make the most of it. Make sure you capitalize on every single ounce of juice that you can squeeze out of what they give you in return. Stay in school as long as you can afford because it will help you do everything you can to survive in this world.