College is expensive. Really expensive, regardless of if you are going to stay in state are going out of state. However it doesn’t have to be as expensive as a lot of schools make it.  Around me I see so many people stressed awaiting responses from top schools in the nation where they will later pay upwards of $70,000 a year for school, and here I am proud of my acceptance, enrollment and finished housing application to IU thinking in my head how ridiculous all these people around me are. College is not like comparing name brands; in fact it’s quite the opposite. They all specialize in their own thing. It is an investment in your future, but that investment doesn’t need to cost as much as a heart transplant. You can’t get a generic brand college education, it’s just an undergraduate education. For me, I will have at least eight years of education, and although it is completely within reach for me to attend a “more prestigious” university, the cost of schooling would be much greater than the outcome of my education.

My entire undergrad will cost less than one year at many “more prestigious” schools. Not only that, IU has so many other opportunities for me outside the classroom. From greek life to sports and intramural sports, there are so many other activities that IU is going to offer me that do not involve six figures of debt.

Indiana is a state blessed with so many amazing collages with all sorts of different majors and schools of all sizes that can fit people of all different needs. Not only that, we also have two schools in the Big Ten, meaning amazing sports and activities. There is no reason to go out of state if you don’t absolutely have to. The in-state schools also offer so many different scholarships that are for students who have exceeded in high school, making it even more affordable than what would be the original cost. Financial aid is also known to be very good for students staying in-state.

I plan to go into the field of optometry and when I graduate from college my salary will be much larger than many who will graduate from the more expensive colleges without having to sell my internal organs.

Much like other students, fell in love with more prestigious colleges, I fell in love with IU. And for me, he atmosphere, the people and the ability to flourish and do exactly what I feel I am supposed to do with my life without having to be a $100,000 in debt outweighed the “prestige”.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Gabby Perelmuter at [email protected].

Read – Adam Gostomelsky: Students should consider more than just price when looking at private colleges.

Read – Angela Sun: Students should consider the merits of attending more expensive undergraduate colleges.