I was, however, stuck inside a very dark air-conditioned room at a bank. I was preparing a draft for a college in the US. The signal on my phone was almost dead.

I dislike the rather long processes of document filtering. Studying abroad has always come at a huge financial cost. Plus the stress (financial and otherwise) from these tedious bits and there’ll be nothing left of my family’s hard-earned money. The oozing-out (of money) for the college applications seems perpetual.

12: 15 PM. My phone rings and people stare at me. Sensing some urgency from the other side of the phone, I slide to answer and make my way to the door. A friend of mine requests me to take him to a consultancy. He has no idea what to do once he gets there. I agree to accompany him.

We got there soon. This was my first time at a consultancy and I had been advised to remain as courteous as possible. I was told that the applicant’s futures hinges solely on the counselor’s recommendation. There were students sprawled on the sofa, discussing the visa application process. One of them ebulliently mentioned an uncle who had been offered a visa by a country that did not even look at his documents properly. A young boy—from Nawalparasi, I found out later—nervously stood outside a room as his documents were being assessed. He had his visa interview tomorrow and he wanted to make sure that all his documents were on point. I asked what state he was headed to and he excitedly replied New York. However, his face quickly shrunk when I asked him what college he would be attending. Later, I learned that he was headed to a community college.

My friend and I were called in. The counselor looked fatigued from being too patient for too long. He was probably accustomed to this monotonous dealing of students—his replies were very mechanical and well-practiced. The walls of his office were filled with shiny frames of the students who had gotten into top universities upon his recommendation; a sense of pride gleamed in his eyes as he glanced at them.

As the discussion began in our trio—friend, counselor, and me— my friend showed him the research he had done and told him of the universities he wished to apply to. My friend was asking questions regarding the course, transfers, admission requirements and costs. The counselor replied to everything slow and

steadily. He then handed me a form; it was a check list. There was a lot my friend had to do. Shockingly, every item on the list was followed by a semicolon and a hefty price.

The consultancy covered everything that was needed for his admission, from academic transcripts to property evaluation. But everything came at a price.

Gazing over the prices, I felt that studying abroad is much easier for the richer diaspora. They wouldn’t have to go through all this hassle. For people like my friend and me, this process seemed unimaginably tedious and financially stressful. Nevertheless, aspiring to study abroad required great effort and so there was no shortcut to this dream.

Everyone has the right to pursue the education that they want. However, we live in a time when education is growing more expensive by the day and getting into a good college is no longer viable for those of us without the financial status. Money definitely plays a big role in one’s education. Receiving scholarships is proving to be difficult and extremely competitive as the number of applicants double each year globally. Though going through this consultancy was what was required to achieve my friend’s dream, it felt unethical. I felt confused and wondered whether all this risk my friend was taking would be worth it in the long run. I’m hoping it will be.

Gupta is an A-level graduate