A lot, is what's wrong.Because I'm out of practice, I'm not going to organize my thoughts at first; just going to respond, in sequence, to each of the statements on the sheet.
"About to graduate debt-free." That's actually admirable. College ain't cheap.
"working 30+ hours a week making barely above minimum wage." That's why you're going to college, after all, so you don't have to work a crap job, so you can get one that allows you to make a living. That's almost full time... huh. I am honestly impressed with your dedication. No snark.
"in-state public university." Yeah, that's one way to make it affordable. Not everyone can -- nor should they -- go to Stanford. (My kids should.)
"started saving at age 17." Smart.
"I received two scholarships which cover 90 percent of my tuition." Again, that's pretty cool. Basically, you only owe 10 percent of your class costs, plus books, and living expenses. The crap job should be able to cover most of that. Makes sense.
"I have a 3.8 GPA." More on that in a few moments.
The "I live frugally" paragraphs. Kudos. More people should do that, to avoid accumulating debt before entering the real world, where debt can eat you up.
"If I did have debt, I would not blame, etc..." Not sure what this paragraph is doing here, unless the person is more interested in making a self-righteous point or a political statement. Both of which are cool. I do that all the time! You're reading that kind of thing right now.
"and will continue to work my @$$ of for everything I have." Just say ass. Otherwise, you look and sound 13 years old.
"I am NOT the 99%." Well, by definition, you are, since the other 1 percent refers to the richest 1 percent of Americans. I don't think you are part of the 1 percent. Maybe that 3.8 GPA is being dragged down by a poor math score? (That was mean, yes, but I won't take it back.)
So let me get this straight.
That sheet describes the kind of effort it takes to graduate debt-free
-- from an in-state university
-- with 90 percent of the tuition eliminated
-- forgoing all luxuries
-- working nearly full time.
Damn. I'm not encouraged. I'm depressed. Our higher education system is financially broken, and we need immediate reform. This is not a picture worth celebrating. It's one we ought to never have to see in the first place.
