I’ve heard it said that college is a time for hedonism. I starkly disagree.
If you are primarily using your time at university to get wasted at bars, your privilege reeks worse than the Sputie’s floor.
UVM is no stranger to wealth. The median family income of a UVM student is $121,500, which places them in the 76th percentile for average American income. A reported 6.9% of UVM students are from the top 1% and only 3.8% of students are from the bottom 20%, according to a Jan. 17 New York Times article.
Listening to so many rich kids proclaim that they’re shooting for Cs this semester or are going to wing it on their midterms really strikes a nerve in me. Countless underprivileged young adults would give anything to have the opportunities we do — ones that could pull them out of systemic poverty.
I have personally given a lot to attend UVM. I am currently paying for my tuition independently. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid refuses to recognize this, as they still require me to file under my parents’ financial records. Since I’m not an emancipated minor and can’t register as an “independent,” they assume that my parents are paying, or at least helping.
Considering my family is middle-class, and I’m essentially not receiving financial help from my parents or the state, I’ve had to rely on scholarships, full-time jobs and a three-year undergraduate program to barely afford college. This will follow me into my post-grad life, as I’ll likely be paying off my student loans for the next couple of decades.
Privileged students don’t have to worry about this. They can misuse their time at college, because nothing weighs on it — if they fail their classes, their daddy can always pay for another semester, or even another year.
While some identify college’s purpose as explorative and curious hedonism — a belief riddled with entitlement — I would argue that prioritizing academics, while striving for personal and professional growth, is a much more noble and less wasteful cause.
Still, a low undergraduate GPA is trivial when being a member of Alpha-Beta-whatever is often way more significant to employers and will result in greater future success, according to an April 2017 Social Science Research Network study.
I suspect that many wealthy students don’t realize how lucky they are — how few people get to be in their position and how life-changing higher education is for those who truly value it.
Although college advertises itself as a program that gives students of all backgrounds an equal opportunity to become employable, it’s only easily accessible to the wealthy.
Over the last two decades, when adjusted for inflation, costs of attendance have increased by 32% at out-of-state National Universities, 45% at in-state National Universities and by 41% at private National Universities, according to a Sept. 24, 2024 U.S. News Article.
These price jumps further perpetuate the careless and overly hedonistic aspects of campus culture, as the majority of people who are attending have the wealth and privilege to pleasure-seek rather than study.
To those who claim that college students are too obsessed with productivity, I say no — the “grindset” is not meaningless, unnecessary or for purely aesthetic purposes. It’s the only thing that separates some people from generational financial hardship, when a lack of connections means the necessity of credentials.
Some criticize college’s role as just another step towards financial success. However, I would argue that because higher education could throw a rope to those on the bottom, it’s an opportunity that shouldn’t be wasted on people who are starting halfway up the mountain.
To those who take college for granted: know that you are taking a spot from someone who appreciates what college could mean for their life, but didn’t have the same opportunities that allowed for your university admittance.
The majority of financially independent students are enrolled part-time at lowly funded public institutions, struggle with large amounts of debt, and half will not have earned a certificate or degree in 6 years, according to a 2021 Pell Institute report.
These statistics demonstrate unequal opportunities in U.S. higher education according to parental socio-economic status, race and ethnicity. Paying for higher education and overcoming barriers seems impossible for nontraditional, low-income and students of color, according to The Penn Graduate School of Education.
I am by no means suggesting that those born into wealth shouldn’t have fun and should feel guilty for their advantage. They should, however, feel a sense of responsibility to make the most of an opportunity that wouldn’t be squandered by people who need it more.
While some college students can’t fathom the concept of employment during undergrad or taking summer classes to graduate with less debt, others work themselves to exhaustion trying to manage the unmanageable in a system that only caters to rich kids.
Hedonism is likely not an option for the approximately 544 UVM kids from the bottom 20%.
Arguing for a more hedonistic college experience is tone deaf and oblivious.
The Vermont Cynic accepts letters in response to published material, as well as any issues of interest in the community. Please limit letters to 350 words. The Cynic reserves the right to edit letters for length and grammar. Please send letters to [email protected].
