I stared at the alarming price for a required textbook that I needed to purchase for a class this term: $120. And that was only one of the three classes that I was taking, each of which had its own textbook with absurd pricing. For one term, I was spending roughly $200 extra just for textbooks; this is without including other remaining costs like traveling, including flights, Uber, and trains, to and from the college, eating out, emergency health concerns, and other things that might rank up how much students are spending during the school year.
The most frustrating part is that most, if not all, of these costs are not optional. Textbooks are directly tied to homework platforms, like Perusall, meaning you can’t merely borrow a friend’s copy. Moreover, most professors talk about during syllabus week how important the textbook is for the class, and how pertinent it is for quizzes and exams, leaving students required to purchase it. There are more nuances on how many books students actually purchase, depending on their major and the professor’s preferences, especially with humanities students who may be assigned multiple novels and supplemental readings throughout the term. What might have started with one required purchase can potentially turn into additional
costs throughout the term.
Outside of academics, there are social costs that also play a role. When people talk about college, they often talk about it being “the best four years of your life,” not for the lectures and seminars that exist to get the degree, but for the amount of freedom one has to make college what they want it to be. For most, that usually involves participating in social events, including eating out with friends, going to formals, trips, and more. Specifically, food plays a huge role in expenses since there is a lack of late-night food options, resulting in students ordering food in, especially during exam season. These costs that pertain to the “real college experience” do drain out money from students slowly.
Essentially, being a college student goes beyond just tuition and housing. It is the smaller, less visible costs that pile up unknowingly that quietly shape the college experience. They influence decisions about what classes to take, whether to go home for break, what clubs to join, and even whether to buy the required textbook. These hidden costs may not appear in official
financial aid packages, but for many students, they define what college affordability truly looks like.
