Back To School

Kittens and pups, kids and parents, it’s that time again – back to school time! If by some stroke of luck this massive marketing phenomenon hadn’t struck its head into every mega or discount store in your town or city, I’m here to deliver the news – it’s time for chickadees from pre-school to grad school to return to the salt mines from whence they came (or more commonly known as school). This semester however, many different things are happening in California and across the nation regarding university, financially and academically.

Unfortunately for many students, the state of the union is rather rotten – inflation, rising tuition costs (some making for prohibitively expensive entrance, forcing students to take semester-long breaks to work and save cash) and the ever-present (and ever-extortionist) bookstores charging absolutely unfair prices for class textbooks is making attending higher education very, very difficult. I personally was forced to work seventy (70) hours per week my junior year of university just to be able to pay my rent, pay my tuition and other living expenses that my parents refused to assist with. What’s even more difficult to combat, whether one has the money for school or not, is actually getting into one’s school of choice. For example, the University of California (UC) school system had markedly lower acceptance rates this fall due to its heightened number of applicants (a phenomenon happening not just in California, but in many regions). Says the San Diego Union Tribune, “UC admitted 72.5 percent of California freshman applicants for fall 2009, the lowest admission rate in a decade. The admission rate was 77.5 percent for fall 2007 and 75.4 percent for fall 2008.” This is primarily happening due to higher costs of education and a dramatically rising application rate, as people who find themselves out of a job attempt to fill their time by going back to school. The hope is that by the time they graduate, the economy will be better suited for job hunting.

The real question, however, is will job hunting really be any easier in four years? Although the economy will surely be in a better situation than it is now, government officials have been saying for months that the jobs lost in the current economic crisis may never come back. As businesses reshape and restructure, in efforts to make their business models more streamlined and cost-effective and worker tasks are being consolidated into fewer actual positions. Jobs in new energy and the medical fields are expected to be stable, but what about the rest of us?

Being creative with how one makes money and buys necessities in college (like food – ramen anyone?) is of course vital, but if you are unsure of where to take your life at the moment, take my advice and seriously think about school before diving into it as a “just because.” The huge expense of university and the major time (and life) commitment required shouldn’t be taken lightly, and although I believe highly in education and the value of attending university, I don’t think anyone who can’t find a job should hop onto the bandwagon. As previously mentioned, universities are responding to this by lowering their acceptance rates. Tuition rates are being hiked dramatically. Jobs that were previously available before the recession may not be available once the light at the end of the tunnel makes its way out. Planning for the future, getting personal debt under control and utilizing the skills and education one has already under his or her belt is, in my opinion, the first step toward security. If you are in the position to attend (and pay for) school, and you have a motivation to attend besides “I can’t find a job,” then by all means go for it!