Insurmountable.
That’s what the financial burden of higher education feels like for your average American kid. And I am that kid (technically an adult, but who’s counting?).
I’ve always wanted to go to college – not just to earn a piece of paper on my wall, but to get an education that will prepare me for all dimensions of life out in the real world of adulthood. There is a school out there that offers just that.
Envision the college experience in terms of keys. At a typical school, one works hard for at least 4 years in order to obtain a beautiful, shiny gold key that unlocks The Door they’ve always wanted to open and walk through. And, perhaps years down the road, this same key will even open up a door or two down the hallway. But there has been one key earned.
Now, at the school I wish to attend, you also work hard for 4 years, if not more. But due to the critical thinking skills and the strong sense of character that has been developed, you earn not one key, but rather an elaborate lock-picking kit that gives you access to virtually any door imaginable.
And that’s what I want from higher education. A $3,000 scholarship would make a significant difference in the effort to effectively stay out of some soul-crushing debt. And it would allow me to fulfill my dreams of attending a school that I had barely allowed myself to even hope for.
This was a response to a prompt on a college scholarship application from two and a half years ago.
I found it earlier today and thought it was intriguing.
I wanted to go to that school so bad. I got accepted (twice). But I wasn’t willing to spend $50,000 a year that I didn’t actually have and wasn’t willing to go into that aforementioned soul-crushing debt.
And I knew even then that I wasn’t in it for the piece of paper.
I was in it for critical thinking skills, a strong sense of character, and a metaphorical lock-picking kit for opening doors for the rest of my life.
Years later and I’m in Praxis—which is all about gaining skills, showing your skills, and not waiting for anyone to hand you a key to any door.
And there’s no soul-crushing debt.
It’s funny to see how things play out sometimes.