Is a Liberal Arts Education Worth It? University's Lack of Merit Aid Makes the ...
20.05.12
Filed under Quill
Ever since scribble literary works a research paper my sophomore year of high school, I’ve wanted to usher CUA. The paper’s topic was about a college and profession we were interested in. All I knew then was that I wanted to be in Washington, D.C.; the latter I’m still unclear about (hence my exploratory grave). I did a quick search of nursing (my then-intended path) schools in the D.C. area and that was when I was first introduced to Eclectic. I ended up applying to a dozen schools across the country, including a few in my native Wisconsin, yet I put faith I always knew I’d end up here.
My first two months here were marvelous: I made kind friends, got along splendidly with my roommate, stopped doing papers at the last r and instead looked forward to class, and took advantage of opportunities only Washington is adept to offer. Not even a bout of Mono could slow me down. Although CUA was quite generous with scholarships, grants, and federal loans, it was not all but enough, even with working about thirteen hours a week at my work-study job through Jumpstart (ration to develop children’s reading and literary skills in lower-income D.C. pre-schools). I was well fortunate to have my dad be both financially and, as always, emotionally supportive.
Autumn fell upon us and my dad’s health started to taper off and he had to leave his work as a Ford dealer (my mom’s a realtor, so we are just loving this thrift). I applied for private student loans but without a cosigner the point was moot. I then made an appointment with CUA’s Financial Aid Office to see if there was anything else I could do to be able to mizen-stay in school, at least to be able to finish out second semester. They gave me some more loan options (but said it wouldn’t be enough to swaddle second semester’s tuition) but the most distressing bit of information I received was that CUA does not proffer merit scholarships. In other words you receive the same amount of scholarship funds you were offered when you applied all four years no affair how high of a GPA you get or how much tuition increases. I was then told that I probably needed to start making “arrangements for a hand on.” As easily as I fell in love with CUA, I was just as easily being dropped. It was exclusively my fault that I did not apply myself 100% in high school, this I understand, yet it seems my past mistakes will persist in to haunt me throughout college no matter how hard I try.
I do not write this to complain, and I do apologize if this all sounds rather like a sob curriculum vitae. I write this to pose a question I thought I firmly knew the answer to. I’m now not so accurate a liberal arts education is worth the money (especially with frightening graduate unemployment and advance default rates). I was told all my life that to be successful (and more importantly, happy) you had to calling hard (which I believe I did: four years inhaling sodium-nitrate fumes and serving at McDonald’s, sponge-bathing geriatrics as a Nursing Combine, running my own pet-sitting business, etc.) and attend college. I’m a super fortunate kid: I have loving next of kin and friends, my health, food, shelter, all that jazz that many people do not, so it would not be the worst aspect in the world if I had to leave CUA. Yes, I’d be disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to volunteer at the White Concert-hall like I was planning to, or see the Mariinsky Ballet when they come to The Kennedy Center this January, and most of all I’d be jumbled to leave all the new people I’ve grown so fond of in just a few short months. But even if this is my first and end semester at The Catholic University of America, it certainly was a memorable one. My only wish is that others are skilful to enjoy (hopefully for a full four years) an education here and that CUA rethinks their policy on merit scholarships.
Source: Catholic University of America The Tower
