Financial aid, and the welfare state generally, is overrated. But it’s hard to justify the alternative.

[Robertcw]

I’ve recently run into trouble with Fin. Aid. As have many other students.

A college.

Enrollment changes, maybe you need to withdraw from a course or maybe a course is canceled without warning in week 2. Whatever the case may be, reality dawns on a recipient of fin aid that aid is contingent.

It kinda sucks to be relying on a source of funding for living expenses and tuition and to suddenly have it inaccessible without appeal or maybe not at all.

Being enrolled without fees paid is like living in a foreign country on a visitors visa. You don’t have access to campus amenities and recreation services, you need to make an exception to get a parking permit and your registration is not complete. Basically, it sorta sucks and you feel sorta subpar.

It it would be much nicer to simply pay tuition fees out of pocket and stay enrolled. Of course, high tuition keeps students accountable — or at least it does when they are responsible (ie. Not me).

Back when I attended community college the fees were so inexpensive that I could blow them off and enroll whenever I felt like it and withdraw whenever I felt like it with no sense of urgency or accountability. It was great, sort of. Except for the fact that four year degrees weren’t offered, and there were no first year campus dorms. People lived at home, or were wealthy enough to get an appartment nearby. That’s cool, if you are in high school.

I predict that, and while as much as I hate the working world and the idea of full time labor on exchange for basic living necessities, a socialist welfare state would cause the world to run like community colleges. No sense of accomplishment or urgency would ensue at all.

And as as much as I hate that prestigious universities charge high tuition and fees, I do not think they would be better off charging lower fees. Not really anyway. And as much as I hate the idea of being codependent on a source of funding, I see no better way to provide access to less wealthy students.

Its too bad, really. The alternatives are: either lower tuition and open enrollment (but I’ve already ruled that out as no good) and keep tuition fairly high and provide financial aid contingently, and while that’s overrated, there’s no better alternative.

Sometimes you just have to submit forms and participate in the bureaucracy, appeal and hope for the best.

This is part of what college teaches us. Aside from coursework, accepting reality, attaining a sense of urgency, and realizing personal accountability on oneself all set apart college educated job applicants from non-college educated applicants. And that doesn’t even include the vast opportunity for (forced) social growth and development, especially for those who begin their student status at a four year school straight from high school.

Do I think I want more social services in general? Well, yes. As I believe there is no better alternative. But sometimes it still sorta sucks. Financial obligations are inseparably tied to time, and therefore, life commitments. Often times, less desirable or grueling commitments until one can achieve a level of training to do something fulfilling. I’m sure this is where the phrase ‘work hard young, enjoy life old’ comes from. I have spectacularly done the opposite.

Contingent welfare is overrated. But we need to to keep accountability and urgency in check. College freshman, go to a four year if you can. Community college is worse than overrated, it’s unhealthy.

✌🏻