The biggest thing on my mind right now is making a final decision on a college before May 1st. Researching and selecting a college has been a long process, but one thing that’s stuck out to me has been the outrageous cost of an out of out-of-state education. I applied to seven out of state colleges and visited three of them in hopes that I’d end up with a decent enough scholarship somewhere to explore life in a different part of the country. However, these hopes have proved to be more or less futile. My best shot ended up being through Iowa State, but with all the merit scholarships they’ve given me, I still haven’t covered half the cost of my education there.

That’s what has been making my college decision twice as difficult. Iowa State has a beautiful campus and a fantastic program for what I want to pursue, but the tuition is close to three times the cost of Lincoln’s – and that’s the cheapest price there was out of any of the out of state schools I applied to. My visit to Colorado State had me eager to attend, and I was hoping their financial aid presentation would provide some information on how to make their $40,000+ tuition plus room and board more affordable. However, their highest scholarship amounted to $10,000 a year, and that’s if you’ve got an ACT score of 32 or higher. Their advice for me was loans upon loans upon loans.

I understand that I can probably get a wonderful education at any of the schools within Nebraska. However, I also know I’m not the only student in my class struggling with the issue of wanting to go out of state. To me, college is the perfect time to step out of your box. That’s why I think everyone should be given equal opportunity to attend school in a different state than they grew up in. Maybe you want a chance to set your life up in this new place, maybe you want to branch out and away from the people you went to high school with, or maybe you just want a change of scenery for four years, but whatever your reason, I think tuition rates should be consistent nationwide.

It’s understandable for a school to want to look for ways to make as much money as it possibly can. On the other hand, they’re missing out on attracting lot of bright, hardworking students to their campus because they’re charging double the rate that they do for residents. I know that no matter where I go to college, I’ll probably have a good time. I also know that no matter where I go to college, I’m going to accrue debt. I accept that, but, as odd as it sounds, would love an opportunity for equal debt no matter the location I choose.