By Guadalupe Triana (Lewis and Clark College, 2016)

Not too long ago I was celebrating the end of the semester and waiting for my 21st birthday. Right now, I’m concerned with getting things right before my senior year and making the most of my internship in Washington, D.C.

However, during these hot and sticky afternoons, I find myself worrying about something that most upperclassmen shouldn’t worry about: the FAFSA. I am a rising senior who has gone through the process of applying for financial aid, using the form nicknamed FAFSA, a solid four times (five, if you count a practice round I attempted once to familiarize myself with the language).

Before applying to college, I didn’t know about the FAFSA. I didn’t expect that the 100+ question federal application would bring so much stress and anxiety to me and all of my college-bound friends. In fact, up to two million students give up on applying for financial aid and as a result, don’t end up enrolling in college.

When I first filled out the FAFSA, I was anxious and a bit resentful toward my parents for not knowing how to navigate this application that was (and continues) to be crucial to my college education. As a first-generation college student, I didn’t expect them to have all the answers but I still had high hopes.

I’d like to see the FAFSA simplified — not just for students like myself who can’t turn to our parents for help, but for everyone.

Fixing and simplifying the FAFSA would amount to one small but important step to upgrading the complex higher education system that Millennials like me confront today.

The FAFSA form needs to include language that Millennials and their parents can understand. Right now, there’s a lot of terminology that sounds foreign. The millions of abbreviations are also confusing (EFC, SAR, and the newly implemented FSA?) to everyone involved and on top of that, the form is available through a website that seems outdated and uninviting.

As we head into the 2016 elections, I will be watching what every presidential candidate has to offer college graduates, current college students, and college students to-be. All smart candidates should consider FAFSA reform in their higher education plans, just as my colleagues suggest here.

I don’t think the FAFSA is evil since its intentions aren’t bad. Its purpose of making financial aid available is useful and absolutely critical in 2015 (the cost of college has doubled in the past decade).

Although giving FAFSA a slight makeover won’t remedy everything that’s wrong or problematic about higher education in the United States today, it certainly would be a step towards helping young, fresh-faced students attain the higher education that is much needed in order to help people succeed, and the country grow. Have you experienced similar challenges with the FAFSA? Share your story with us in the Comments section as we work to find solutions to simplify it.