Opinion: Searching for a way out of college
By Arcel Cunanan
Opinions and Editorials Editor
We all had dreams when we were young — whether it was to be an astronaut, a firefighter, or a lawyer. My dream was to become a doctor, a pediatrician to be exact. If everything had gone the way it was supposed to, I would have already graduated medical school and been in my first year of residency by now. So what went wrong?
I had poor grades at a high school that lacked recognition. Applying and getting accepted to a prestigious college was nothing but a figment of a very hopeful imagination. I placed my future into the hands of only one college. A huge mistake, since the California state university system at San Francisco State University slowed me down and burned holes in my grandparents’ pockets.
With all the requirements and prerequisites, it almost seemed impossible to graduate. Not only that, but being too focused on friends, partying, and a certain love interest my 3.0 GPA to decreased effortlessly to a 1.47 and was punished by nearly two years of academic probation.
In addition to that nightmare, students of the College of Extended Learning pay $220 per unit plus miscellaneous fees. Talk about a rip off, that’s more than the amount for a full load of three semesters at City College.
Lack of money is not the only issue: “Governator” Schwarzenegger has proposed budget cuts that will hurt colleges all around California. Classes will be cut and there will be less enrollment allowance.
I have officially been in college for almost five years, and quite frankly, my brain is exhausted. How much longer will it take for me and many others to graduate with the Governator’s cuts? Is it really worth it to pursue a degree with the way the unemployment rate is rapidly increasing?
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