The Course That Could Benefit Us All by Nicole

The Course That Could Benefit Us All by Nicole - August 2015 Scholarship Essay

The curriculum in schools today don't cover information that young adults need once they enter the world on their own. Although there is a math class, a majority of kids don't know how to balance a check book let alone write a check. If I could add a class to high school curriculum I would add a financing class.

The classes we take in high school should prepare us for the world we’re about to enter. The math classes we take now prepare us academically, but most of the skills we learn are only going to help a select group of students in the future. They mainly help the mathematicians and engineers of the world. A financing class helps everybody. Almost every American in the United States has a bank account and even at thirty years old some people don't understand the basics of financing due to poor

Now that I am a college student I see kids being offered credit cards and other things that drop them farther into debt. If they took a financing class they would understand to stay away from those things. They would also learn more about the loans they are taking out for school and how much interest accumulates over the years. As I was reluctantly applying for my fist loan I barely understood anything that was going on until my parents came to help me. It was then when I realized how much I’d end up owing back the bank loaning me the money.

Being on campus also has shown me how many of my peers don’t grasp the concept of budgeting. A lot of them spend money all at one time and then can’t afford the essential necessities they need. The students lucky enough to have a job on campus live from check to check. Most of their money is gone within the first two weeks of them having it. If they had learned budgeting earlier they would’ve had time to practice and master it before they got to college.

I believe a financial course in high school would greatly benefit everybody in the United States. I assume that the reason their isn't one is because if everybody was financially savvy then their wouldn't be much of a social hierarchy. However, there is enough money in the world for everybody to have some. People just need the knowledge and resources to get it. That one financial class in high school could give those options.