I love college. I love class (when I go

) and I love meeting people who know more than I do and are willing to teach me. I think I just love knowledge!
But I HATE tuition.....it just keeps going up! Like veganmadre was saying, I'm in a position where my parents make too much money for me to qualify for aid, or at least very much aid, but the total cost is still too much for them to pay on their own. And the cost is rapidly rising! It's been going up 10-13% per year since I started 3 years ago. And don't even get me started on textbooks; how is it possible for one book to cost $200 or more!?
My parents grew up poor and worked their way up, and they always tell me that college is a privelege and not something everyone can go to....but I know in my high school it was a highly touted statistic that over 99% of my graduating class went directly to a 4yr. university. (I believe we had the highest percentage in the state actually). Anyway, so where I come from practically everyone is college educated, and that makes the job market even tougher.
Oh, and for me, working my pathetic minimum wage job and claiming 0 dependents (my parents still claim me so I can't claim myself), I give 24% of each gross paycheck in taxes.