This is a rant. I used to be a college obsessed ho and now I despise it. I went from a 4.02 broke ass honors doing Masters prep to a traveling, life-thriving drop out. If you have noticed a change in the university system since the pandemic, you aren't alone.

I went to college for 7 years. I got two associates and was supposed to graduate with my bachelors in 2022. I started prepping for my MA and was going to apply this summer-ish until I just couldn't afford it anymore. Loans are almost maxed out and with this new interest rate hike, I refuse to put myself at risk for bankruptcy in the future.

I had come to realize that college is just an overworked extension of capitalism. When you think about how much money a university makes off you, your body on their campus, it becomes a disgusting realization that education should be beyond free and that it should also feel liberating to learn. The university system is set up like a shopping mall, you buy your classes, you buy your books, you buy the lunch, you buy the merch, you pay for parking, you pay the campus fees, the dorm expenses (in Cleveland, it's 2-3x more expensive to live on campus)- you get the point. They make money off you whether you pass or fail. You could die and they will send the bill to your parents and maybe you will get a boquet of flowers (in the case of my best friend, they did). Education should be free. I don't care, call me Socrates and put me with the scholars- education should be free. Or at least, mostly free.

Students hunched over, falling asleep, losing hair because of finals. The amount of energy drinks and lack of resources on university campuses is a signifier that this isn't working anymore, and at my university, the graduation rate is a sad 40%. College is like prison, the way the dorms are set up remind me of a prison cell with your bunkies. And the classrooms lack functionality, surprising for a billion dollar accredited university. My friend died and I dropped out, almost unaliving myself in my depression, and in order to get back in, I had to file to the Appeals Board. This took months and several letters And when I got approved, they wouldn't let me submit my OWN funds because I did not meet the satisfactory requirements. This is a literal scam, not letting students use their own loans they took out in their name and have in cash because they don't meet your expectations.

Not to mention, the vibes (yeah, vibes) are not it this year. Almost no one showed up during lectures all semester and it got so bad before finals my teacher went on a rant about how she was disappointed in us and that she needs to change her teaching style, that she will not in the future be offering such leisure coursework. I think us 20 somethings (24 for me) are fed up with this corporate like lifestyle post pandemic. I want a different life.

Because if I die when I'm 30 from the next pandemic, I'd at least like to know I lived the most experiences and helped society the most I could. It cost nothing to have a library card and educate yourself.