It’s that time of year where my fellow seniors and I stress about where and what we should do after high school. While some students will take a gap year or get jobs right after high school, most of my peers will be sailing off to go to school again, but this time for thousands and thousands of dollars, all for another piece of paper.

Like others, I’ve been spending my days applying for every college I can and spending hundreds of hours and dollars hoping colleges will accept me. One thing I realized while applying is that college makes no freaking sense. Even though I haven’t gone to college yet, I can still tell you that it’s one big ole scam. 

No, seriously think about it.

First, let’s talk about admission or the preparation for applying to college. SATs and ACTs are useless so are Ap tests (not the class, the TEST). Why should a test about reading, math, and sciences determine who I am as a person and how smart I am? To study for those tests is not easy and is mentally draining.

SATs and ACTs are just big trivia questions, literally. We should stop forcing students to take them, especially when most colleges care more about who you are as a person; good grades are just a bonus. Even though they could get you money, I don’t think they should be as important as they are. 

Speaking of money, tuition is increasing like crazy every year. Research shows that tuition cost has grown in both private and public schools by 18% since 1971. I will never understand why I should pay $50,000 per year for only four years of school just to receive a piece of paper that may be useless. Did you even know what the national student loan debt reached $1.6 trillion in June of 2019? A TRILLION!!!! 

But what about financial aid and FAFSA, you may ask. Financial aid like scholarships and grants may be great, but not everyone can or will get them. College should be free for all students, especially nowadays where most jobs require you to have a college degree.

The US always complains about how unemployment is increasing drastically but will continue to make college and university more expensive. If college were free or reduced, maybe people would actually try to become more educated and get themselves back on track.

However, before universities should decrease their tuition cost and whatnot, they should change the college education system.

People choose their major based on what they are passionate about and what they are strongest in, right. Why are law majors taking calculus 101 and pharmacology majors to take English 100 in their first year of college when it has nothing to do with their major?

To add to that, I think we should just remove the idea of taking introductory-level classes; they’re pointless and wasting time. When we enter school, we should go straight into our majors and only take classes related to our major. I mean, we are paying for it. 

Let’s talk about the Ivy Leagues.

They’re lowkey overrated. Even though all eight Ivy League schools are in the top 20 universities and colleges in America, it doesn’t make them the greatest. Ivys are stupidly expensive and crazy exclusive. You have to either be an overachiever or rich or a legacy child to get in, which I don’t think is fair.

Anyone who graduates from a regular college can be just as successful as a student who graduated from an Ivy League school. Y’all remember the college scandal with those celebrity children cheating their way through college admissions.

That scandal was a perfect example of how bad college admissions are and why they tend to only care about the rich. All these kids had to do was let their parents do the work for them while people are studying their butts off so they can go to a good school and make their loved ones proud. 

The admissions given to those rich kids could’ve gone to people who truly deserved it, and it sucks that the parents encouraged the idea of cheating. This situation was also the fault of the schools who allowed it to happen. Just because someone has money or has an alumni parent doesn’t mean they will do better than the people aren’t. 

All I got to say is don’t waste your time or money going to college if you don’t know what to do yet or if you’re not ready yet, maybe take a gap year and find ‘your calling.’  

Also, never let anyone say you can’t be successful without college; many well-known people such as Ellen DeGeneres, Anna Wintour, Steve Jobs, and Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, didn’t go to college but found a way to be successful in life.

Remember, success comes from hard work, not college. 

 As much as I hate the American college system with a passion, I’m an immigrant with scary African parents, so for me, it’s either college or death, and I want to live past 18.

All jokes aside, I will be going to college and dumping $100,00 for a useless piece of paper just like everyone else.