By Katharhynn Heidelberg

Graduation time is upon us. Excited — or at least relieved — young men and women will leave our high schools later this month. It is encouraging to hear from so many soon-to-be grads that they intend to go to college.

What’s not so encouraging is that so many of them, along with society, seem to believe that their parents are obligated to foot the bill. Many of these parents have come to believe this as well, and, while thrilled with their child’s success, they are also worried about the costs of higher education. They want to give their graduate every opportunity, but financial reality is often discouraging.

This is tragic. It is very hard to be gifted, intelligent and ambitious, and yet be denied most of the best outlets for that energy because of money. Some students who are faced with this reality quickly realize what others have forgotten: that education is, when all its trappings are stripped off, a luxury; something to be earned, not an entitlement. Unfortunately, popular culture fosters the attitude of expectation among young people, even when the financial picture is bleak.

Take Fred for example. When it came time for college, Fred’s parents were unable to afford to send him to the school of his choice. Instead of spending tedious hours filling out financial aid forms to attend a less costly school — which would have required him to seriously consider what he wanted out of college before he paid for it — Fred pitched a fit. Only University X would do, not because of its excellent programs, but because "that’s where all my friends are going." Fred failed to get the message that high school was, like, over, dude!

You all know what happened to Fred. Matter of fact, you probably see him down at the Burger Hut where he complains about how his selfish parents have ruined his life. Never mind that had college actually been important to him, he would have taken out the loans, worked his hindquarters off, and graduated.

Of course, then there are people like Mary. Daddy and Mumsy packed Mary off to the University Mucky Muck, check in hand. As ever, they doled out every penny she needed, and even when her grades began to slip, they were not so gauche as to make a fuss. A semester of partying later, when UMM kicked Mary out, her excuse was that she was "young" and needed to "live a little." Her attitude was that it didn’t matter — she wasn’t paying for it. Now, after seven years and no degree, all she does is moan about how society "owes" her. (And she’s a dreadful bore at cocktail parties!)

American students are not alone in this unfortunate phenomenon of abdicating personal responsibility for their futures. In Britain, many students who gain a college placement do not have to pay for their education until they have a job. Some of the young people who lived in my dorm thanked their government by getting fall-down drunk every night and parading up and down the corridors, strumming guitars until 3 a.m. At this time, someone typically set off the fire alarm for yuks. (Very mature, guys!)

Obviously, the above examples are extremes of behavior. There are success stories in both high school and college — among rich, poor, and average kids alike — but these individuals earned that success by being serious about their future, rather than by assuming an education was their natural right and would be provided through no effort on their part.