There is a major problem with our education system when you have intelligent, driven and qualified students who want to further their education but cannot because of lack of finances to pay off a tuition balance.
Going to college to further my education was entrenched in me as I grew up with a single mom. My mother’s aspirations of going to college fell short when she gave birth to me at a very young age. She realized how significant having a degree was when she couldn’t find a job that would liberate her from a life of working paycheck to paycheck.
My mother used to tell me that she had the capability and knowledge to climb the corporate ladder, but she did not have the most vital prerequisite: a degree. She wanted more for me than what she was able to provide, which is one of the reasons why she continuously repeated how essential it is to not just go to college, but to finish.
In May of 1998 I was accepted to the University of Houston. Although my mother’s single-parent earnings were barely getting the bills paid, we weren’t eligible for many grants. I was forced to apply for thousands of dollars in student loans, and yet I was still responsible for a balance of more than $2,000. I enrolled in a work-study program to pay the balance, and realized I needed to increase my income in order to pay for school and the small necessities that I needed.
Each year my tuition increased, as did the balance I was left to pay. By the beginning of my junior year, I gradually increased my work hours from part-time to full-time. Not knowing how to balance a full-time job and a full-time college curriculum, my grades declined.
The University ended up placing me on academic suspension for a semester. I felt I had forced myself into a corner that I couldn’t get out of. I wanted very much to continue my education, but I had accumulated such an immense sum of bills that changing from a full-time employee to a part-time employee was not an option.
I’ve never been an individual who was lucky enough to not worry about finances, and I know there are millions of people like me who want more for themselves, but at times it seems like it’s not obtainable.
It can get tremendously exasperating knowing that I still don’t have the money to pay UH the balance that I owe them. I realize that I’ll never get to the level of success I want to be until I have a degree in my field of study. I have aspirations of going so much further in life, and unfortunately there’s a few thousand dollars standing in the way of me achieving my dreams.
By no means am I trying to give the impression that I do not want to pay UH the balance that I owe. I do hold myself accountable. However, it is unjust and unethical to deny a student acceptance because of an unpaid balance. The purpose of furthering your education is to gain the knowledge that will help you succeed in the world. If citizens like me cannot continue our education, how can we succeed?
This institution states in its mission statement that it will "enrich educational experiences of students, enhance the cultural life of its constituents and contribute to economic development," yet they reject students each semester because of lack of funds. Refusing to accept individuals who believe in that mission statement and sincerely want to enrich their lives by furthering their education is erroneous.
Qualified students shouldn’t have to be concerned with the inability to pay for college tuition, and not having the finances to pay off balances shouldn’t prevent us from learning and growing. The system needs to change how it operates and allow individuals like myself the opportunity to enrich there lives by getting a good education.
Scott, a finance senior, can be reached via [email protected]
