(November 22, 2002) — Well into autumn high school seniors are beginning to mail their applications to the colleges of their choice. Many may apply to “reach school” universities they could not imagine themselves at because of either their selectivity r their expense, but might as well give a try. Some seniors, however, are stubbornly set on attending an out-of-state school far beyond their family’s income. If a student expects their parents to pay thousands of extra dollars for them to relocate to another state they are being truly selfish and immature. Students looking into four-year college need to research the facts. According to the College Board, national tuition at four-year colleges has jumped 9.6 percent, the largest gain in a decade. Soaring tuition is forcing some parents to sacrifice their retirement savings in order to send their anxious son or daughter across the country. Although scholarships, grants and student jobs are available at each national campus, the bulk of college payment falls on a parents’ shoulders. According to The Wall Street Journal , the acreage annual cost of college at a private, out-of-school is $35,000. This figure neglects the expense of transportation, which, for an East Coast School, many amount to $2,500 a year. After a parent takes out loans and taps lifetime savings to cover the basics- room and board, tuition and transportation- little money is left to spend on clothes, sorority and fraternity fees and for a spring break vacation. A student will have to take on a part-time job just to afford or suffer the experience of always being short on spending money. Parents who convince their kids to attend college locally are in better shape. In California, with arguably the highest-quality, most affordable public university system in the country, tuition estimates over the past year, according to the Wall Street Journal , haven’t increased at all. With 23 Cal State and eight UC campuses, a college education is not only available but also cheap. The most expensive state school, UC Davis, has tuition of just $4,601 a year. Yet despite all this, a handful to stubborn applicants will deny that they are inconveniencing their family. They will mention the popular line used by out-of-state schools in recruitment: “60 percent of our students receive some form of financial aid.” Financial aid can be as low as $500, a sum barely capable of covering the cost of books at GCC. Adequate scholarships are extremely competitive, meaning that the likelihood of any graduate receiving a full-ride is essentially zero. Ultimately the choice to attend a college beyond ones’ means is up to the individual. However, a perceptive student should examine his or her motivation. There are more important aspects to a college than its Gothic architecture or Connecticut location. Hopefully seniors on the verge of adulthood are able to make this realization and make an adult decision.