Selling My Soul For College by J. S., Wilmington, DE

Being the good little junior I am, I have already begun to search for possible candidates for one of the biggest decisions in my life: where to go to college. I've started a list of schools to visit, along with those nearby that can be seen in a day. You would think that when considering what college you want to attend for the next four years, some of the biggest factors would be education, location, status and maybe fraternities. But recently, what has hit me as the most important is the COST of some of these schools.

As a resident, I could attend the University of Delaware as an in-state resident for a decent price. And even those who are out-of-state can still go with a couple of dimes left in their pockets. But when researching private colleges, I've realized I might have to sell everything I own, including my soul, just to study my brains out and take extremely hard tests for four more years.

My parents have told me they would love for me to be able to go anywhere that accepts me. But due to the lack of being a multi-billionaire, unless I receive a lot of financial aid or scholarships and grants, my local school is where I'm going to remain for my college education. Not that there is anything remotely bad about it, but it's really not fair that money is going to prevent me from the best education possible.

Where exactly does all of my $25,000 a year go at a private college anyway? Do gardeners really get paychecks of a quarter million dollars a year for trimming trees on the outskirts of a campus? Or does the cafeteria staff get paid by the billions for slopping mashed potatoes on a tray? I'm thinking that someone behind the scenes at the colleges is accumulating a nice little bank account for themselves, watching us suffer from afar. Or maybe it's even a plot, created by the government, to rob us of our money and worldly possessions and sell them at a flea market somewhere on Neptune.

Whatever the reason I will have to rely on the hope that a FAFSA form will bring me lots of money from the foundations that fund the Financial Aid program. And even though the chances that I will end up with some kind of aid and a scholarship are somewhat good, the cost really shouldn't be that unreachable for everyone in the country. Although college may be one of the most important times of your life, it should be affordable as well as possible. If teens have the desire to go to college, they should have that opportunity, whether they are accustomed to a Mercedes Benz and fine cuisine or a station wagon and TV dinners.