Colleges are hard to get into or expensive because of supply and demand. Student's are competing...

... for those spots, students are competing for a brand name that may increase their salaries by a few percent. If students picked the most affordable college that met the minimum requirements for the job they wanted, colleges would compete with one another for students. The thing is students don't go to college for a career they already KNOW their going to do anymore, they go for experiences.

competing...