Ever since elementary school, I was told to prepare academically for college, so that’s just what I’ve done.  From simple things such as reading and creative writing transformed into annotations for dialectical journals and persuasive essays, if it’s college level and its scholarly, I’ve done it. But there’s one detail that I wish I’d known about a long time ago: The crushing reality of student loans and college debt.

As kids are being prepared for college, adults avoid telling them about the massive concerns over debt so they don’t tarnish the sunshine-and-rainbow image kids have about college. The reality is, each graduating class racks up more debt than the class before it.
The college graduates of 2015 are officially the most indebted class, but this is a title they will hold until 2016, if the current trend continues.

According to the graph made by Mark Kantrowitz, a nationally-recognized expert on student financial aid, scholarships and student loans, the average student debt increases with every graduating class.

With a college acceptance letter to University of North Texas in Denton, I know student loans and, ultimately, loan debts, are in my future. Not only will I be moving over five hours away from the place I called home my entire life, but I will be completely broke as well. Trust me, there is nothing more terrifying than knowing you are about to completely be thrown out of your comfort zone without a dollar to your name.

The United States is constantly aiming to be the best country, which means having well educated citizens who will advance technology, medicine, and other ideals. However, many students can’t attend college or have to drop out due to the financial burden.

Sure, people argue about financial aid and scholarships to help students, but if the national student debt rises each year, obviously something isn’t working out. Scholarships only manage to help a few students out of the millions out there, and financial aid doesn’t consider all aspects of a person’s life. We aren’t just statistics to be compared, we are people that are struggling to succeed.

College doesn’t have to be free, it just has to be affordable. If college tuitions and fees continue at the same rate, don’t be surprised to eventually see your graduating class at the top of that “most indebted class” list along with the ever rising tuition bills and interest rates. Let’s just hope that the phrase holds true: “everything that goes up, must come down.”