A few days ago, I read an article from another writer entitled "From The College Kid Without Student Loans." It was meant to be a list of things the writer wanted others to know about their experience and to provide advice. In my own case, it's too little, too late. I've already finished undergrad and owe quite a bit in student loans for it. However, I was fully prepared to share the article with some of my younger friends and perhaps take the advice into account when I apply to graduate school.

Then, I actually read the article.

The following image was my exact expression when I finished:

(Like Angelica Schuyler, I am ready to fight and/or school you. I'm going to go with school you, because my painfully indebted self doesn't have the funds to run off to Lincoln, Nebraska to challenge you to a duel.)

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I do not actually want to challenge you to a duel. In fact, I would like to say to Alexis Thrasher: congratulations. I'm glad you don't have to worry about student loans. They're confusing and stressful, and I get physically ill if I think about my own debt too hard. I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

However, it's a reality for 2/3 of the millennial generation, and the list of things you wanted your readers to know makes you sound out of touch at best and irritatingly sanctimonious at worst. Let's unpack the things you wanted readers to know:

1. The Scholarships Took Time

Yes, they did. I'm sure everyone in our age group remembers how much time and effort pursuing scholarships took. I also spent at least two hours a day researching and applying for scholarships, and I was chosen for six.

I still had to get student loans and so did a lot of other dedicated high school students.

2. The Hard Work Wasn't Easy

'"Well I filled out scholarships too!" But did you put in the hard work before senior year of high school? It took hard work to get good grades while also being a part of extracurricular activities during high school, but it is possible to succeed in both.'

You don't say?!

I doubt it was meant that way, but this section comes off as self-righteous and self-congratulatory. You think you're the only one who balanced extracurricular activities and academics through high school? You think you're the only one who realized how important they were for building up scholarship applications?

I hate to break it to you, but we poor, indebted slobs had guidance counselors too, and even if we didn't, 539,000 Google results offer the same advice you just did: work on extracurricular activities.

We get it. We did it. Most of us still had to get student loans.

3. There Was Time Outside The Classroom, Too

"Did you get really good grades without trying, but then didn't try with anything else either? That's probably why you didn't get that $500 scholarship over the quarterback who was on the honors list."

You basically repeated yourself here and implied that anyone who didn't get a scholarship clearly didn't put any work into getting it. That's presumptuous and, quite frankly, willfully ignorant. You were not the only one who worked hard in and out of the classroom. Everyone I know did, and I'm certain most of your friends and peers did too.

However, once again, 2/3 of us still had to get student loans.

4. No Loans ≠ No Work

No one implied that it did?

In fact, when a college student says they don't have any student loans, most people assume they work like a dog and sacrifice a lot. However, when you say it, and give examples of what you did with your earnings, it sure sounds like No Loans≠ No Work.

I don't mean to diminish your work ethic, nor do I presume to tell you how you should spend your money, because, honestly? I have a lot of respect for you. A lot of people I went to college with relied very heavily on their parents to pay for fun things. You, on the other hand, earned the chance to study abroad and buy some fun stuff once in a while. However, saying that's pretty much all you spent your money on doesn't really ingratiate you with the students who also work andstill have to sacrifice things like studying abroad and participating in some aspects of the college experience.

I finished high school with a 4.16 GPA. I was less than four-tenths of a point behind the valedictorian, and I missed being one of the top five students in my class by eight-hundredths of a point. I also did duel enrollment with a local community college and took Honors classes. I did all that while participating in marching and concert bands, envirothon, the environmental club, the Tri-M Honor Society and the National Beta Club. I also did community service projects with most of those clubs. In college, I worked two jobs and often spent pretty much the ENTIRETY of my paychecks on books. What little was left usually went to toiletries and food. I made a lot of sacrifices for my education.

The point I am trying to make is that you don't always get what you put in. Sometimes people put in a little and get a lot. More often, people put in everything they have and don't get enough back, because life isn't fair. In fact, life is pretty damn vindictive. In addition to not always giving back, it makes people stumble on articles that tell them that their best still isn't enough.

You didn't crack some kind of code that the rest of us were too ignorant to even consider, Alexis. You worked hard and made some good choices, but you also got lucky. You very easily could have been one of the 60 something percent of millennials who owe student loans.