3 hours ago
I graduated from UCLA in 2016, and I remember sitting in a lecture hall where Steve Jobs was quoted more than the actual textbook. That was the moment I realized college had shifted. Tuition had passed 30k a year for many of us, and when you’re staring at that number, education starts to feel like an investment portfolio. During my sophomore year I seriously considered paying someone to do my homework because I was juggling two jobs. I watched friends quietly pay for assignments in usa when deadlines piled up. One roommate even hired a professional admission essay writer for grad school because she felt her whole future hinged on one document. I’m not proud of how close I got to outsourcing my stress, but what grounded me was finding one professor who cared about ideas more than resumes. The system pushes performance, sure, but you can still carve out spaces where learning feels real. It takes intention, and sometimes saying no to the constant hustle.