Crippling Debt

Published 5 years ago -


Kristina Wyman – Campus Life Editor

The time has come. In just a few short months, I will be graduating college. Time sure does fly by, considering it feels like I just got to Assumption not that long ago. In reality, it has been four years here at Assumption College.

I never really saw myself going to a college like Assumption or living on campus. I imagined I would be going to a state school and commuting, since the state school near me is only 15 minutes away, tops. Bridgewater State University was nice, but somehow, I knew I would be going somewhere I hadn’t seen myself going at all. During the application process in high school, I was getting ready to apply early action to Assumption College and another school. A few of my high school teachers went to Assumption and had nothing but great things to say.

The way they described Assumption was as a tight knit community with rigorous and interesting academics. This school appealed to me because of their raving reviews and the research I did thereafter. Assumption College was small enough to recognize many students across different class years, but yet not too small that it didn’t seem like a significant change from high school to college. Assumption had just the right size that grabbed my interest. The sense of committee felt on the campus during a tour I went on also confirmed my hopes of attending in the fall of 2015.

My high school made me feel like I wasn’t going to go to Assumption, but to a local college or a state school instead. Assumption College was considered a “reach” school for me financially, so my guidance counselor was basically trying to steer me in a different direction. Needless to say, I wasn’t overly betting on getting into Assumption and being able to go, Yet, I wanted to submit the application anyway, despite the deterrence of my guidance counselor.

I was a member of the National Honors Society, with a 3.7 GPA in high school and average SAT results, so I thought that I would be fine in those aspects and a worthy candidate. Still, I was worried that I wouldn’t get in. Assumption College was a “fancy” private college, far out of my financial reach. How could I ever see myself there? It was hard to imagine that I would go to school two hours away and be at a private college with so much to offer.

When December came around I was absolutely shocked. I had in my hand an acceptance letter from Assumption College and I had even earned a scholarship. I thought to myself, “wow, I guess I do have what it takes to go to an expensive school instead of settling for the community college or state school options I was faced with. State schools and community colleges aren’t bad, but Assumption College seemed like something special and a place that held so many valuable connections and college guidance.

Without the scholarship, I knew I would absolutely not be able to afford to go to Assumption. Everyone told me to steer away and “save money” by going somewhere less expensive. I knew that there was a way to make this happen, so I did. I have taken out many loans since the start of my college career, but I don’t regret it one bit. I have a lot of debt to pay back, but the experiences and connections I’ve had here are priceless and well worth the leap out of my comfort zone.

I have had so many opportunities to get involved here at Assumption. The opportunities I’ve had here are like no other, because if I went to a different school, I may have just been another number in the sea of perspective students. Assumption College is like a second home to me now, and I am oh so sad that my undergraduate journey is coming to a close.

The advice that I have for you all is to live in the moment and enjoy each day separately. Time flies by too fast, so you have to remember to try and stay as present as possible so you don’t miss anything.

Kristina Wyman, a senior, studies Psychology, English and Education. She is the Campus Life Editor of Le Provocateur.

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