My bright yellow, 1999 Volkswagen bug, Brittney, sometimes barely rattles through the day. This car, my first, was a generous gift from my aunt on my sixteenth birthday. I can easily say that she was one of the best gifts I have ever received, but sometimes I think she requires more money and effort than she is worth. Don’t get me wrong, in the two years I have had Brittney she has given me wonderful memories that would not have been the same without her “quirks”. The cramped interior you can only access from two doors makes for some great bonding opportunities for passengers and the awful speakers that screech when the music is turned up just give you a reason to sing louder. As much as I love these little things that make Brittney irreplaceable, what I don’t enjoy is constantly putting money into something as old as I am.

In the past two years Brittney has faced some difficult times when it comes to running properly. The air conditioning went out, the timing belt snapped, the throttle needed to be realigned, and both engine fans broke. In the past three months alone we have had six trips to the mechanic, one new catalytic converter, and four attempts to pass the emissions test. While I often question if Brittney is worth it, something about her just keeps me handing over my money to fix any problem she encounters.

I thought that going to college would help me quit this nasty habit of giving away my money since I was not bringing the beloved Brittney along with me on this new adventure, but boy was I wrong. College presents a whole new world of things for me to spend my money on. From tuition to room and board to the miscellaneous fees that keep appearing no matter how much I pay, the new requirements for my money are endless. The only difference between Brittney and college is that at least with Brittney I immediately got something for my money.

Every time I imagined getting ready for college I pictured myself picking out dorm room accessories from a huge catalog and talking with my soon-to-be roommate about what class we were most excited to begin. Never did I envision myself stressing over my new student loans and hoping my parents would be able to pitch into my college fund because I didn’t have enough money to pay for everything I needed. These were the kinds of problems I thought getting good grades in high school would solve. I assumed that if I excelled in high school a college would show up at my front door and beg me on their hands and knees to come study at their institution. I even believed they would do anything necessary to get me there, like giving me enough money to attend. Turns out that isn’t exactly how college works.

The scholarships I received for graduating at the top of my class barely cover my tuition, and even with the additional scholarships I got from random companies I still have a large chunk of college that isn’t paid for. The best, and only, way for me to get this money was through the wonderful world of student loans. Because of my parents financial status I received a negligible amount of student loans though my FAFSA. This meant that in order for me to get an additional loan I would need to explore the banks to find one that would give me the money I needed, for a reasonable interest rate of course. With that, I began my journey to find some money. Everyplace I turned, expecting to receive money, laughed in my face and told me that I was a silly girl for expecting a decent interest rate if I wanted more money.

Needing more money is something I have never experienced before. Although my parents have not been able to help me much financially when it comes to college, they have always made sure I was given everything I could possibly need. Sure there were always some additional items I wanted, like the newest, biggest iPhone or an annual pass to Disneyland, that I didn’t get, but I have never felt there was something I actually needed that I didn’t already have. But in today’s society of college degree or die, I feel that I risk losing something I actually need all because of money.

The excuse used for this extreme cost to get a higher education is that the over an individual’s lifetime they will earn more money with a college degree than without one. While this may be true, having to take out loans and go into debt so early in my life is setting me up for failure. In order to not go farther into debt I have to make payments on my student loans as soon as I get out of college. Jobs are a limited resource and while everybody wants one not everybody can get one. If I receive a degree but do not get a job offer straight out of college how am I supposed to pay for four years of student loans? What the individuals that make this argument do not realize is that getting a college degree isn’t a roadmap on how to make more money. While having a degree can help me get a job that pays more it does not guarantee me anything.

College should not be a money monster like Brittney. I should be able to go into the semester with a reasonable idea of what that year is going to cost me without having to guess how much I am going to pay in miscellaneous fees and books. These should already be determined so they aren’t as shocking as an unexpected car repair. Having an accurate estimate would make planning to pay for college at least a tiny bit easier because it would give me an opportunity to search beforehand for enough scholarships and loans to cover this full amount.

Before I started college I knew that I would face some new obstacles like leaving home, taking demanding classes, and trying not to gain the freshman fifteen. What I did not realize that what I would actually find most challenging is paying for my college education. My only hope is that when I graduate with my degree in electrical engineering I will look back at these issues and realize that it was completely worth it. I hope that there is no doubt in my mind that everything I did to get me to that point taught me something along the way. Dealing with Brittney, the car that barely survives, I have learned more about cars and about how I handle difficult situations. I hope that at the end of this journey I will have learned something proportionally useful.