should everyone go to college essay

Not Every Student Should Go to College. And That’s OK

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Forty years ago 32 percent of counselors and teachers advised all students to go to college. Just 10 years later, in 1990, that percentage had doubled with roughly two-thirds of educators recommending college for all. Despite a recent surge in popularity for career and technical education, signs indicate that the college recommendation trend has increased over the last generation.

All that college-going advice may do harm in ways most adults in the lives of teenagers hadn’t realized. Research we conducted over the past several years suggests that a “college for all” message causes far too many students from all demographics to make choices that result in failure.

Instead of forcing college on students, educators would do better to encourage them to consider more than one pathway into a good life. Some pathways will include college now or later and some not. Educators also have a responsibility to help create those pathways, and students’ choices rather than their backgrounds should determine which they take.

Students who attend college for extrinsic reasons suffer poor outcomes."

In our research, we collected and analyzed more than 200 stories from students about their postsecondary education choices and surveyed over 1,000 more students to understand what caused them to enroll in college, both two- and four-year institutions, as well as some coding bootcamps and shorter graduate programs. Our participants were roughly representative of the population of students that attend college in the United States across gender, racial, and ethnic lines. Forty-six percent were first-generation college students, meaning neither of their parents had completed a bachelor’s degree. Eighteen percent had at least one child, and 60 percent lived in households with incomes that placed them in the bottom three socio-economic quintiles.

We learned that a significant number of students from all backgrounds enroll in college to do what’s expected of them or to help them get away from a bad circumstance in their lives. These students go to college not because they want the college experience or because of what college will help them obtain. In other words, they are motivated by external factors not internal goals. They choose college because it is a socially acceptable answer to what they are doing next.

Students who attend college for extrinsic reasons suffer poor outcomes. According to our research, 74 percent of those who attended college to “do what was expected of them” dropped out or transferred. Of those who went to college “to get away,” over half had left the school they were attending without a degree at the time we talked to them.

One student we talked to, who was the first in her family to attend college, chose college to get away from a bad relationship with her stepdad. She enrolled in a college three hours away from home—even though it didn’t have the courses of study in which she was interested. Once there, she took a heavier-than-usual course load first semester, partied hard, and found herself on academic probation.

Things improved a little second semester, but the improvement was not enough to justify the money she was spending on tuition, she thought. She still struggled with time management and a nagging sense that she didn’t know why she was enrolled. So with $40,000 in federal and private student loans outstanding, she dropped out, returned home, mended things with her family, and started to find jobs to help pay off the debt.

Too many students go to college not knowing what they want to get out of it or how to make it work for them. Committing to a four-year school and taking on lots of debt when they lack passion and focus for the endeavor is risky, particularly given the grim college completion and student debt statistics.

Over 40 percent of first-time, full-time students who started college in the fall of 2012 failed to graduate from four-year programs within six years, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Non-completers not only lose out on the benefits of a college degree, but also face increased debt without increased earnings. Non-completers have a three-fold higher risk of default than completers, according to the Center for American Progress.

Instead of adding to the pressure around college, which parents often fuel, high school educators should be the first line of defense for students who might benefit more from another path. Yes, educators must avoid the low expectations that direct students away from college because of their family’s income, their race, or their ethnicity. Instead, they should encourage all students to reflect on their goals and explore more than one pathway to purpose and success.

One way to help is through courses that are now emerging to give students structured opportunities to discover what drives them. But high schools should go further. They must counter the narrowing of the curriculum over the last couple decades caused by an overemphasis on test results and the decrease in career and technical education pathways in many schools. Extracurricular activities, experiential learning, and opportunities to build relationships with adults outside of school through real-world projects can help students discover their strengths and interests. Rather than marginalize these opportunities, schools should integrate them into every student’s program.

Our research in no way implies that college is a one-time decision. Just because college isn’t the right step now

for a student doesn’t mean it will never be the right step. College and, more to the point, education can help bring a lifetime of happiness, as studies have documented . But that education has to be at the right time and in the right circumstance.

If students aren’t yet ready, then taking a gap year can be a smart move. The stereotype of rich kids gallivanting around Europe is outmoded. An increasing number of programs offer gap-year experiences with financial aid so that all students can partake of them. Counselors and teachers should help students explore these opportunities, which are filled with immersive activities that help students learn about themselves and, in many cases, earn money through holding a series of jobs. This can make a gap year considerably more affordable than college.

Far better than a monolithic college-for-all vision is for individuals to know where they are in their lives, what they want, and how to articulate it. Only then can we ensure that education delivers on its promise of helping people build their passions, fulfill their human potential, and live a lifetime of productive struggle and happiness.

A version of this article appeared in the March 11, 2020 edition of Education Week as The Danger of ‘College for All’

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Should Everyone Go To College?

Higher wages unnecessary debt or is there more to consider than finances.

Posted September 1, 2014

Emerging adults have difficult decisions to make regarding higher education . Proponents of college education tell us a degree means higher wages, while skeptics say educational expenses and delays in earning wages make college a poor investment.

It’s true: College is increasingly expensive and stressful as students try to compete with greater numbers of their peers to get into reputable schools, they face mental health problems at alarming rates, graduates face crushing debt, and the job market for college grads is bleak. Why should any of us want to endure college?

Is higher education even a good investment? College is usually not job training- with notable exceptions like teaching degrees, engineering, and nursing. Studying English or art or math is rarely enough to qualify new graduates for specific careers. And even for those who graduate with credentials qualifying them for jobs, successfully graduating college never guarantees employment. Why bother with an expensive bachelor’s degree when technical schools train students for careers with less investment of time or money?

In order to weigh to pros and cons, emerging adults need to consider the benefits of a college education beyond career and finances. College may be a step toward your growing maturity.

Psychological benefits of college:

A place to explore the self

One of the major tasks of young adulthood is “finding” oneself. But it’s hard to find yourself while steeped in the identity the family assigns. Likewise, it can be difficult to explore self-identity while working at a low paying job and struggling to pay the bills. For many, college provides an opportunity to explore the self away from family, without all the pressures of adult responsibility. Attending traditional college can be a chance to break away from parents and explore one’s self while still benefitting from parental support. Young adults discover their beliefs separate from the family, and then build relationship styles and vocations. They can experience a sense of independence without taking on the full range of pressures of adult responsibility.

A place to grow before solidly setting down roots for an adult life

College often serves as a stage in between adolescence of independent adulthood. College students take on some of the responsibilities of independence, like making meals and managing time. But they don’t have to make big life choices, like choosing careers, until later. College provides a phase in between adolescence and adulthood, neatly demarcated by the years in school. By the end of the education, young adults are more ready to face big life decisions.

Learning how to learn, rather than being taught

In high school, students are often fed information by teachers and then asked to repeat it back for exams. In college, learning is an increasingly solitary activity. Students attend classes and then read and prepare for exams without much guidance. Alone in the library, students learn which information is preferred test material. They structure their study hours without many daily assignments as guideposts. College students teach themselves the material.

The opportunity to become a lifetime learner

As students choose a course of study through the selection of a major, they gain the opportunity to become lifetime learners. Colleges and universities afford students the chance to explore the concepts for which they have an interest or an aptitude rather than requiring every student to learn foundational material. Many students become more engaged and excited learners when they focus in their interests.

Exposure to students from diverse cultural backgrounds

Colleges and universities draw students from diverse backgrounds. Students come from urban and rural areas near and far, and there commonly students from a variety of foreign lands. Exposure to cultural diversity can enhance tolerance and international cultural awareness, positives for any well-adjusted young adult.

College is about more than academics, but it still may not be the best route for every young adult. As young adults consider whether college a good investment, you may also consider how you can explore your self-identity, learn to learn independently, and have exposure to cultural diversity through venues other than college. Many young adults mature through other means, such as time in the armed services, living away from parents and working, and learning cultural values from the family.

Melissa Deuter, M.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.

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The 'not everyone should go to college' argument is classist and wrong

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The economic return on investment for a college degree has never been higher. But the more that fact is discussed, the more some pundits seem to think the US is at risk of an epidemic of unnecessary college-going that can be averted by singing the praises of highly skilled trades.

The latest, in Businessweek, is headlined " Let's Start Telling Young People the Whole Truth About College " — the whole truth being that a four-year degree isn't the only road to a stable, even lucrative, professional life.

Fair enough. (Though the economic evidence still comes down heavily on the side of four-year college graduates being  better off in the long run .) But the argument that "everyone shouldn't go to college" — reiterated with dozens of variations in the past few years — rests on some incorrect assumptions about higher education in the US.

Many people imagine a bright line between college and vocational education — Ph.Ds on one side, plumbers on the other. That line doesn't exist, and it hasn't for at least a generation. Particularly at two-year colleges, programs for future English majors and future auto mechanics often exist side-by-side. One path might lead to an associate degree, the other to a certificate, but they're both at a place called "college."

As higher education economist Sandy Baum wrote in a report for the Urban Institute : "It is common to hear the suggestion that many students should forgo college and instead seek vocational training. But most of that training takes place in community colleges or for-profit postsecondary institutions."

The skilled trades are demanding workers with increasing levels of technical ability, and the market rewards those who have the credential to prove it: About 30 percent of construction workers now have some kind of professional license or credential, according to the Census Bureau . So do about 20 percent of industrial workers. Workers without a traditional college degree, but with a credential, earned more than workers with no credentials at all. They still earn less than workers with a traditional degree.

Where do people earn these credentials? The vast majority — 82 percent — of workers with credentials other than a college degree, or in addition to a college degree, earned them from educational institution. In other words, to get ahead in those skilled jobs so often promoted as the alternative to a college education, they went to college.

Somehow, criticism of the cult of the college degree never pinpoints the one group where a belief that "everyone should go to college" really is pervasive: the upper middle class. S tudents from families in the top fifth of incomes have gone to college in disproportionately high numbers since at least the 1970s. About 80 percent of them now attend college right after high school. More than half have a bachelor's degree by age 25.

Source:  College Board

It's more than plausible that some of those well-off students could be happy and successful with a certificate in carpentry instead of a bachelor's in business. Yet the calls to tell the truth about the value of a college degree nearly always stop short of saying where— if too many people really do go to college — that truth-telling is sorely needed.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, should you go to college 4 pros and 3 cons.

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The decision to attend college is a big one. Getting a college degree takes time: at least four years for most people. Getting a college degree also costs money: tens of thousands of dollars for most people. You might be asking yourself, "Is it worth it? Should I go to college?"

In this article, I'll explain the benefits of going to college and detail some of the potential drawbacks. Furthermore, I'll give you all the information you need to decide whether or not you should pursue a college degree.

4 Major Benefits of Going to College

Going to college can make you richer, happier, and healthier—sounds good to me! Here, we take a look at the four biggest benefits of attending college.

#1: There Are Many Financial and Career Benefits

Let's start by considering the financial advantages of a college education.

College graduates with a bachelor's degree earn about $32,000 more per year than those with a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Here's one of the most cited statistics that shows the benefits of a college education: a person with a bachelor's degree will, on average, earn almost $1 million more over the course of her lifetime than somebody with just a high school diploma . While money shouldn't necessarily be the biggest priority in anyone's life, there's no doubt that a higher salary will give you more opportunities, alleviate stress, and allow you to more easily support a family.

Moreover, college-educated Millennials have much lower unemployment and poverty rates. According to recent studies from 2020 to 2021 by the New York Federal Reserve Bank , young people aged 22-27 are more likely to be unemployed if they don't have a college degree. Unemployment among those with a college degree was 3.9%, but it was 10.3% for those without a degree.

In addition, those who attended college are more likely to get married and less likely to be living in their parents' homes. Statistics indicate that attending college has more economic benefits for Millennials than it did for previous generations. Going to college might be more important now than ever before!

Finally, a college degree is required for many entry-level jobs. According to a study done b y the Georgetown Public Policy Institute , 65% of jobs now require postsecondary education and training beyond high school, and 35% of jobs require at least a bachelor's degree.

As you can see, there are tons of financial benefits to getting a bachelor's degree. But what about the professional advantages?

In college, you can make connections that will help you land a good job after you graduate. Experts estimate that 70%-80% of jobs aren't advertised publicly . Often, you simply have to know the right people to secure employment.

Many companies also offer internship programs to college students that can lead to full-time employment after you graduate.

Furthermore, most colleges offer free career counseling and can put you in touch with employers and alumni who can help you find a job. Colleges will often have job fairs as well, where recruiters come to campus looking for qualified students to work for their companies. These fairs give you an opportunity to form relationships with company representatives who can assist you professionally.

Lastly, many of your peers will probably go on to professional success. Your college friends might one day be able to offer you a job, refer you for a job, or make a lucrative business deal with you. As a college student, you'll (likely) be surrounded by many motivated, talented people who, in the future, will want to work with those they know and trust—and this could very well include you.

#2: You Get to Explore Your Interests

College opens up a whole new world to you academically. In high school, you generally only have a choice of a handful of elective classes, but in college you can literally choose from among hundreds of classes and majors.

While there are core requirements at most colleges, for the most part, you can decide what you want to study and take classes in subjects you want to learn more about. Many students are able to spark academic passions in college.

You could take classes in anthropology, psychology, sociology, microbiology, or osteology. Many college grads have several friends and former students who were inspired by college classes that positively changed the course of their academic and professional lives.

Also, while in college, you'll have the chance to pursue tons of extracurriculars and opportunities you might not otherwise have done. These activities can become lifelong passions, help you form meaningful relationships, and even prepare you for a future job.

For example, you could write for the campus newspaper, or you could be a DJ for the school radio station. You could dance for a hip-hop group, or join a campus organization that provides tutoring to underprivileged kids. You could help build houses for those in need. You could work on political campaigns or join groups that advocate for various social issues. The choice is yours!

Howard Stern started his career working at the radio station at Boston University.

#3: You'll Have Fun and Make Friends

Many students enjoy their college experience. Too often people discount the importance of fun when it comes to education, and for some people, their best memories and most fun times are from their college years. On a college campus, you can attend parties, plays, sporting events, and concerts; you can also create your own random fun with your peers.

Most schools bring exciting events and speakers to their campuses, too. Colleges will often host famous musicians and comedians. For example, The Weeknd has performed shows at Syracuse, Northeastern, Lafayette College, and the University of Minnesota, while Drake has performed at numerous colleges, including Howard, SUNY Purchase, and the University of Kentucky.

Colleges will also sponsor parties and other on-campus events that are just meant to be fun and facilitate social interaction. At Stanford, there's a tradition known as Full Moon on the Quad . On the first full moon of the school year, students gather in the quad, and the seniors welcome the freshmen by kissing them. There's a lot of kissing. It might not be hygienic, but it's memorable.

You may make very close friends while you're attending college. In college, you get to befriend people from all over the US and even other countries. A big part of the college experience is having the opportunity to learn from and interact with people from diverse backgrounds.

Overall, you have the chance to study, live, party, and participate in extracurricular activities with your peers. There will probably be no other time in your life when you get to spend as much time with your friends, and the amount of quality time you get to spend with them will form the foundation for meaningful lifelong friendships.

#4: It Gives You Space for Self-Improvement

For many students, college is the first time in their lives they're not living at home. During college, they learn to be self-sufficient. They learn domestic skills and budgeting—even how to motivate themselves without parental encouragement. At the same time, most college students can still go home or call home if they're in need of some money or advice.

Many people who don't go to college remain at home for at least a couple of years after high school. Though they often have more freedom than they did during high school, their routines and mindsets don't change nearly as drastically as those who went to college. Anecdotally at least, even students who live at home and commute to college experience more growth than those who bypass college.

Whether you go to an in-state or out-of-state school, your college will likely expose you to a new city and environment. For instance, if you grew up in California and went to Stanford , it could still be a six-hour drive from where your family lived. You would be able to experience life in Northern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, which has a different vibe, culture, and climate from, say, Los Angeles. Many college students are grateful to be able to have the opportunity to live in a different environment.

Furthermore, most colleges have study abroad programs that can give you a chance to take classes in countries around the world. At Emerson College, you can spend a semester in a 14th-century medieval castle in The Netherlands. At the University of Chicago , you can study abroad in Paris, Beijing, Barcelona, Berlin, Kyoto, Bologna, Cairo, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, London, Oaxaca, Vienna, Milan, and a few other places, too. You can learn about the world by traveling and studying in countries around the world.

Finally, people who go to college tend to be healthier. According to a report from the National Academy of Sciences , people with a bachelor's degree live longer than people without one. They're also less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise.

Similarly, according to a study published by the American Journal of Public Health , people who get a bachelor's degree after 25 years of age exhibit fewer depressive symptoms and have better self-rated health at midlife.

3 Possible Disadvantages of Attending College

Even though attending college can offer you many benefits, there are potential drawbacks.

Note that you only get many of the benefits of going to college if you're able to graduate. A 2021 Forbes article reported that, six years after enrolling in college, less than 60% of students had graduated with a bachelor's degree.

Now, let's take a look at the three biggest cons of attending college.

#1: There's the Risk of High Costs and Potential Debt

College is really, really expensive, with costs continuing to rise, and many college graduates are burdened with astronomical student loan debt.

The College Board estimates that the average cost of attendance for an in-state public college for 2021-2022 is $10,740 , while the cost of attendance for a private college averages $38,070.  Remember, though, that most students receive financial aid that covers at least part of the cost of attendance if they demonstrate financial need.

Unfortunately, many students don't receive the aid they need to fully cover the costs. As a result, they take on unsubsidized student loans to finance their college education. Sadly, student loan debt increased from $260 billion in 2004 to $1.7 trillion in 2021 . Average student loan debt in 2021 was $38,147 —that's a pretty staggering amount.

Overall, student loan debt can dramatically impact your life after your graduate. It can affect the jobs you take and cause you to delay buying a house or starting a family.

#2: The Financial Benefits of College Might Be Overstated

The claim that college graduates earn $1 million more in their lifetimes might actually be skewed by graduates from top universities .

A 2021 study by PayScale.com found that there are only seven schools (out of 1,878 four-year schools) at which earning a college degree can get you a $1 million return on investment. Basically, the reported number that college graduates make $1 million more over the course of their professional lives is not that accurate.

Moreover, it's important to note that while attending college, most people aren’t working or are only working part-time. So in addition to the financial costs and debts you're incurring while in college, you probably won't be able to get the salary you could be making from working a full-time job during the four to six years you're in school.

#3: College Might Not Actually Make You Smarter

The last con of attending college is that going to one might not actually increase your intelligence.

A 2011 study found that 45% of 2,322 traditional-aged college students studied from 2005 to 2009 made no significant improvement in their critical thinking, reasoning, or writing skills during the first two years of college. After four years, 36% showed no significant gains.

More recent studies have shown similar trends among those with either some college or a degree. Given the cost of attending college, you'd hope that higher education would have a dramatically positive effect on these skills for all students—but this might not actually be the case.

Should I Go to College? How to Make the Right Choice for You

Admittedly, we might be somewhat biased because we've spent years stressing the importance of attending college to high school students. However, we do recognize that college might not be for everyone.

Other than the pros and cons of college we mentioned previously, here are some additional factors to consider when deciding whether or not to attend college.

You'll Have More Options With a College Degree

You might be planning to enter a trade that doesn't require a college degree and will provide you with a good salary and benefits. However, if you end up deciding that you don't like that field after a few years and you don't have a college degree, your employment options will be limited.

Also, if you take up a trade that requires physical labor and you suffer an injury, you might struggle to find work without a college degree.

There Are Ways to Pay for College

You might be turned off by college because of how much you think it will cost you. But remember that you might not know your out-of-pocket expenses until you get accepted to college and get a financial aid package.

In reality, there are many grants and scholarships that can alleviate the financial burden and make college more affordable for you .

You Might Not Need College If You're Already Successful

If you're one of those rare people who has already achieved tremendous professional success before attending college, then going to college might not benefit you much financially.

For instance, say you get drafted in the first round of the draft by Major League Baseball and are offered a multi-million dollar signing bonus. Nobody would fault you for bypassing college. After all, you can always take college classes in the off-season or get your degree when you're done with your playing career.

If you're a mini Mark Zuckerberg or starring in your own sitcom, going to college might not lead to a higher income or a better job after you graduate. Bill Gates and Miley Cyrus were able to do OK professionally without college degrees!

You Might Not Be Academically Inclined

Most people are capable of doing college-level work if they're motivated and apply themselves. That being said, some people just detest school or don't have the aptitude to do well in a college environment.

Keep in mind, though, that college gives you so much more freedom than high school to explore your academic interests and find the fields in which you can excel. Similarly, if there's a subject that confuses you and that you absolutely abhor, you can probably avoid taking classes in it in college.

wecometolearn /Flickr

Conclusion: Should You Go to College or Not?

There's no denying that college offers many financial, professional, and personal benefits. Numerous studies have shown that college graduates have far better financial and job prospects than those who don't attend college. What's more, few people regret going to college despite the tremendous amount of student debt and the less-than-ideal economy.

If you're worried about the cost of attendance, make sure you know about financial aid and how to limit your debt when you graduate . College is an investment that pays off for the vast majority of people who graduate.

Admittedly, some people don't need college to achieve their personal or professional goals. While you can of course be successful without a college degree, college graduates tend to fare better. If you're considering college, make the decision that will benefit you the most now and in the future.

What's Next?

Decided you want to go to college? Then take the first step and find out how to apply .

If you don't think you'll be able to get into college, check out these open admission colleges and these colleges with the highest acceptance rates .

If you still need to take the SAT or ACT for college, take a look at our ultimate SAT study guide and ultimate ACT study guide to learn more about the tests and what you'll need to know to ace them.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Justin has extensive experience teaching SAT prep and guiding high school students through the college admissions and selection process. He is firmly committed to improving equity in education and helping students to reach their educational goals. Justin received an athletic scholarship for gymnastics at Stanford University and graduated with a BA in American Studies.

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Should Everyone Go to College Essay Example

Our daily life is influenced by too many factors, we learn, we observe and then we either agree or disagree or are completely indifferent to what we see. Sometimes we also tend to follow what everyone else is doing, and that could be the right thing to do, but then once in a while, we do need to think differently about a certain topic. This is what Owen and Sawhill have directed our attention towards, through their essay “Should everyone go to college?”. The title itself brings up a point that most of us would not think of because attending college is considered universally applicable to every student and that other options don’t exist. I came across an advertisement which made me think of something similar. The advertisement was about “Mathnasium” which is a tutoring center for mathematics. The target audience for this advertisement are parents of 2nd–12th-grade kids.

The advertisement makes several claims like boosting confidence, higher grades within a fun learning environment and that too at an affordable price. Education today is gaining importance and more and more parents are sending their kids to tutoring centers like Mathnasium for many reasons. Most of them want to send their kids to these centers because it is a kind of “trend”. Similar to a college education, Owen and Sawhill’s essay “Should everyone...?” can be applied to Mathnasium by framing the question that asks, whether “Mathnasium” is relevant for all kids and whether it will help every kid equally. By applying this question to the advertisement, it can be argued that Mathnasium is not for every kid, that parents are succumbing to social pressure, and that not every child is ready for it. On the contrary, it could turn out that “Mathnasium” actually helps in terms of school selectivity, it can also be said that mathematics is a general subject and also that taking extra classes helps in being prepared early for the college years. 

Statistics says college isn’t for everyone

By providing us with statistical data on the rate of return on education Owen and Sawhill have argued that going to college might not be the right decision for everyone and the same could be true about “Mathnasium” that not every kid needs it. Owen and Sawhill have stated that “What gets less attention is the fact that not all college degrees or college graduates are equal.” (Owen and Sawhill 318-319) The same applies to kids as well, that not all kids are equal. The time that kids spend learning mathematics, could be spent at something they are better at, which would help them in the long run. For example, if a child is good at soccer, and he spends time at the playground honing his skills then when he grows up, he would opt for sports training than spending time getting a college degree, which if he did would cost him money and he wouldn’t be successful.

Owen and Sawhill have thrown light on this very aspect, and their thesis is one to apply for kids also. Learning to master a subject is crucial, but can every kid be a master of mathematics? Many times other skills go unrecognized just because it is something unique to the child. There is a need for the parents to understand that comparing their child’s progress to other kids is not always the right thing to do. A child may be more interested in music and soccer but there are not enough tutoring centers for these skills and hence there is no urge to develop skills in these areas. 

How society affects

Also, sometimes parents are themselves under societal pressure to send their kids to these centers. Owen and Sawhill have started their essay with an interesting fact that says “For the past few decades, it has been widely argued that a college degree is a prerequisite to entering the middle class in the United States.” (Owen and Sawhill 318). This statement clearly talks about the income levels that exist in the society, and higher the society the more the emphasis on educational training. Parents are always thinking of their child’s future and when they come across advertisements like this one, they go in that direction. What is noteworthy is that these advertisements reach every parent through the media and thus more and more of them send their kids to tutoring centers and eventually, it becomes a societal trend.  

Further, with the changing societal scenario what goes unnoticed is the fact that parents might be ready but not the child. It is crucial to figure out what the child likes or dislikes in terms of education. Owen and Sawhill have drawn our attention to this issue by stating that “We emphasize that 17- or 18-year-old deciding whether and where to go to college should carefully consider his or her own likely path of education and career before committing a considerable amount of time and money to that degree.” In other words, the authors are asking the teenagers to think before they leap. This applies to students who would read this advertisement and be tempted to enroll for the classes, and here again, there is time and money involved. It is possible that the student is not ready but the parents think it to be the sole option for their kids and might not consider the readiness. Also, what can be considered here is that advertisements have a greater reach and they may detract a student. So, whether one is ready or not, it might be possible that a student takes these classes because he comes across this advertisement more often. This is to say that a student might just go for it because he is influenced by the advertisement. 

Positive points of college

On the contrary, there could be positive implications of sending kids to Mathnasium like places, one of them being about school selectivity in the later years. Owen and Sawhill have divided their essay in terms of variations that we never consider when it comes to deciding about college. These are-variation by school selectivity, variation by field of study and career and variation in graduation rates. After having read “Should everyone...?” and then looking at the advertisement, the first thing that came to my mind was, is mathematics for every kid? But then it also made me think that mathematics is a subject that many kids don’t feel confident about, and if they could be made to understand it through tutoring like “Mathnasium”, then it would build the foundation for future.

This would help the child succeed in the future. For a child, who is confident about a certain major when he grows up, the rate of return would definitely be high. For example, this would be due to the fact that he/she would have the opportunity to select a school that is higher in rank. Owen and Sawhill have pointed at this in their essay when they say “People who attended the most selective private schools have a lifetime earnings premium of over $620,000 (in 2012).” (Owen and Sawhill 323) In other words, attending a school which guarantees a better return is possible only if you can get into that school, and being prepared for it means being successful career-wise, and “Mathnasium” seems to help in that preparation. More often than not, mathematics is also tested on the entrance tests of a college, and this is reason enough for sending kids to these tutoring centers and advertisements like these make sense in such a scenario. 

Also, in contrast with Owen and Sawhill, “Mathnasium” might argue that mathematics is a general subject and every child deserves a chance to learn it better. Owen and Sawhill’s essay provides statistical data that says “The highest earning occupation category is architecture and engineering with computers, math and management in second place.” (Owen and Sawhill 325-326). Which proves the importance of learning mathematics, and thus if a child is already good at say mathematics, it might help him or her in making decisions about what major to pick when deciding about a college major. Also, the advertisement talks about boosting confidence in kids, which could be the first step towards a brighter future. This would lead to a better rate of return on education because these kids will be better at academics when they go to college, something that Owen and Sawhill pointed out through the statistical data on mathematics related occupation.  

Finally, being prepared early makes sense considering the time and money spent in the later years of education. At this point Owen and Sawhill’s statement “One way to estimate the value of education is to look at the increase in earnings associated with an additional year of schooling.” What could be interpreted here is that being prepared in the early years of educational training is beneficiary for the students when they go to college. The Mathnasium advertisement is for 2nd –12th graders, which means they want students who are about to enter college and thus even before starting the college admission process a student is almost ready for the years to come. The return on education, in this case, would be higher because a student is already prepared for the next step and it saves him or her time which in turn saves money and guarantees a better future.  

Overall, Owen and Sawhill’s essay brings forward a question that could be applied to education in the early years too. Another way to look at this advertisement from “Mathnasium” is that it might be the answer to Owen and Sawhill’s question, that being prepared means being better at picking a path in the future. Having said that, also what I think is, it is important to weigh the pros and cons of making decisions related to a child's intellect and interest, and not going with what everyone else is doing. Most parents send their kids to tutoring centers just because it is popular and they hear other parents doing that, but every kid is different and needs to pursue what he/she is good at. It could be mathematics or music, but the decision should be based on a child’s intellect and not on the popularity of a concept.

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Should Everyone Go to College: Essay for High School Students

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A prestigious college is an indispensable part of the classic American dream. For some unexplained reason, we respect people whose parents are ready to pay a fortune for their education. But times change, and the value of the diploma is constantly falling. Today, you do not have to be a college graduate to become successful and respected. So why do people keep applying massively to colleges? And what are the alternatives for those who do not want to study for four or more years? One of the top reasons why people should go to college is to simplify their lives. Today, we can find any information and learn almost any discipline online. But many young people consider this way to be too complicated. However, self-education will take less time than the traditional four years of college. Thousands of applicants who want to study journalism, management, design, IT, and many other disciplines can pay for online courses and even get certifications. Moreover, these certifications are even more convincing for potential employers if an online school has a good reputation. For other people, going to college is the opportunity to postpone their adult life. Although college students are more independent than high schoolers, the majority of them still depend on their parents. In such a manner, college can be the first step to independence, but it will not prepare young people for all the struggles of the “real” world. Finally, graduating from top colleges, such as Princeton, Harvard, or Columbia, opens many doors. Studying in a prestigious college is indeed a perfect opportunity for networking and building your reputation. However, getting into top colleges is not available for everyone: the best students from all over the world compete for the honor to become a part of these elite communities. Obviously, those reasons are not enough to consider a prestigious college a single opportunity for American youth. So why should not everyone go to college, and what alternatives should applicants consider? If school graduates have difficulties with choosing a career path, then the internship is the best option. In fact, an intern still depends on parents, as he or she receives no money or minimal salary. The work experience that a student gets during the internship is valued even more than a diploma. In addition, an internship will help to understand whether a graduate is interested in this career or not. In case students have already picked their sphere of interests, they can apply for an entry-level job to try their hand. Not all companies are ready to hire applicants without a college diploma, but some of them are ready to interview even the youngest candidates. A four-year work experience is definitely more appreciated than a diploma. Besides, good employees don’t remain in junior positions for a long time. One more alternative is to pay for private courses. A great advantage of this type of education is an absence of obligatory disciplines and lectures. Students study exactly what they want and do not waste time. A few months of high-quality courses is equal to a year or two of college. Plus, students may also take advantage of the new connections, as private courses hire good specialists who can become their future employers. American society keeps changing, and young people have to be adaptable. Although going to college has a few advantages, high school graduates have alternatives that they should consider before applying. Internship, work, or private courses can give graduates as many opportunities as a classical college. Modern youth should not stick to obsolete rules when choosing their path to success.

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Caroline Anderson's Education Blog

Evaluating the state of education in the united states, should everyone go to college.

For several students, attending college was not a decision, it was an inevitability. For the past several decades, the general opinion has been if one can get into a university, they should attend. As the cost of higher education continues to rise, however, people are starting to call into question whether college is truly a worthy investment. Should we encourage students that struggle in high school to try to get a college degree, or would they simply be wasting their money? But if we don’t encourage these students, would we be systematically preventing people from moving up the socio-economic ladder?

In most cases, a college degree will pay for itself over one’s lifetime. According to the New York Times “Americans with four-year college degrees made 98 percent more an hour on average in 2013 than people without a degree.”  According to the Brooking’s Hamilton project, “the average bachelor’s degree holder makes $570,000 more over a lifetime than the average high school graduate.”

Recently, however, a significant portion of college graduates have not been able to attain employment, or are “underemployed:” working in jobs that don’t require a college degree. We no longer live in a world where a college education guarantees a high-paying job. Unfortunately, while any degree teaches you something, it might not teach you skills applicable in the job market. The job demand for an artist, for example, is much lower than for an engineer. Our American economy and society is driven by supply-and-demand, and while art is a luxury for many, we all need engineers to build the roads we drive on.

The question of whether a college degree is a necessity wouldn’t be as pressing, however, if higher education wasn’t so expensive. On average, it costs a student at least $100,000 to achieve a bachelor’s degree (“What’s the Price Tag”).Many students take out loans to cover this expense.“In 2012, 71 percent of students graduating from four-year colleges had student loan debt” (“A Look at the Shocking Student Loan Debt”). As of 2018, the student loan delinquency rate is 11.8%. Perhaps the statistics that report that a college degree will eventually pay for itself are from previous times, where graduates made more than their parents and college wasn’t nearly as expensive.

The high college drop-out rate shows that trying to achieve an college education may not be the best use of every young person’s times. “the Institute of Education Statistics estimates that 40% of attendees at a four-year college drop out before completing their degree” (Hamm). Many times, students are not truly prepared for the rigor of college classes and simply attended college because that was what society told them they needed to do. Oftentimes, these students walk away from college with student loans and nothing to show for it.

Many students are turning to trade schools  instead of four-year universities. “Trade school is hands-on, technical education” (“Trade School vs Traditional College”). It does not require “general education” courses that many four year universities require. Rather, students only learn skills that are directly applicable to their given trade. Trade school costs much less than a four year college ($33000), and in most instances only takes 2 years (“Trade School vs Traditional College”).

What detours students from attending trade schools is mostly likely stigma; trade school is perceived as less difficult and less prestigious than attending college. Those that attend trade school are oftentimes painted as “dumb” and not as hardworking as university students. This perception is entirely false. Those that have attended trade school are highly skilled in their fields. Additionally, they are paid quiet well, in some instances they make more money than those with a college education. According to PayScale, the annual wage for an experienced welder can range from $31,079 to $72,159, and the annual wage for a master electrician can range from $42,578 to $94,984. In contrast, the average salary for those that receive History degrees is $61,000. Job demand for skilled vocational workers is also on the rise. Because Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age, by 2020 there will be 31M vacant trade worker positions. Already, 62% of firms are “struggling to fill important trade positions” (“Skilled Trades in Demand”).

Institutions such as Brookings are investigating whether the K-12 schools system should encourage trade school over college for students that are struggling in school. Many argue that this sort of encouragement would concisely keep lower performing students in the lower economic class. In actuality, however, getting trade certification can be more valuable than a four year degree.

There are many illegitimate arguments, however, that try to convince students they do not need higher education. Most names the “famous person X didn’t need a college degree, so why do I?” For example, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard in 1975 to create his multi-billion company, Microsoft. Gates, however, came from a very wealthy family, and would have been able to return to his studies if his company had failed. Gates even says to this day that students should stay in school  and receive a degree, because this is a more stable path to success (CNN). Unfortunately, most people will not have the same genius combined with correct timing as Gates had to achieve success. Therefore, the argument that a college degree isn’t necessary to achieve success based on incredibly small pool of extremely gifted people should not be used.

I do not wish to discourage young students from trying to pursue college, even if they struggle in high school, if that is truly what they want to do. But society shouldn’t pressure young people into thinking that a college education is the default path to success, because it certainly is not. A college education is only worth the effort you put into it. High schools should not make students feel dumb if they do not want to go to college. Rather, they should connect students to training programs where they can learn skills they truly enjoy. One doesn’t need a college diploma to be a productive member of society. Rather, they should learn a skill that helps support and grow the American economy.

“Average Experienced Welder Hourly Pay.”  Ecologist Salary , www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Welder/Hourly_Rate/a034d8ed/Experienced.

“Average Master Electrician Hourly Pay.”  Ecologist Salary , www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Master_Electrician/Hourly_Rate.

“Bachelor of Arts (BA), History Degree.”  Ecologist Salary , www.payscale.com/research/US/Degree=Bachelor_of_Arts_(BA),_History/Salary/Page-2.

Bershidsky, Leonid. “Underemployment Is the New Unemployment.”  Bloomberg.com , Bloomberg, 2018, www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-09-26/unemployment-numbers-hide-the-effects-of-underemployment .

Fox, Emily Jane. “Bill Gates, World’s Richest College Dropout, Says Stay in School.”  CNNMoney , Cable News Network, money.cnn.com/2015/06/03/pf/college/bill-gates-college-dropout/ .

Hamm, Trent. “Why You Should Consider Trade School Instead of College.”  The Simple Dollar , TheSimpleDollar.com, 19 Oct. 2017, www.thesimpledollar.com/why-you-should-consider-trade-school-instead-of-college/ .

Leonhardt, David. “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say.”  New York Times , New York Times, 27 May 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/upshot/is-college-worth-it-clearly-new-data-say.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=tw-nytimes&_r=1 .

“Skilled Trades in Demand (Infographic).”  Adecco Staffing, USA , www.adeccousa.com/employers/resources/skilled-trades-in-demand/ .

“Trade School vs Traditional College.”  Trade School vs College | What You Want (and Don’t Want) to Hear , careerschoolnow.org/careers/trade-school-vs-traditional-college .

“U.S. Student Loan Debt Statistics for 2018.”  Student Loan Hero , Student Loan Hero, studentloanhero.com/student-loan-debt-statistics/ .

“What Is a Trade School? Should You Go To One?”  CollegeVine , CollegeVine, 29 Nov. 2018, blog.collegevine.com/what-is-a-trade-school-should-you-go-to-one/ .

“What’s the Price Tag for a College Education?”  COLLEGEdata , www.collegedata.com/cs/content/content_payarticle_tmpl.jhtml?articleId=10064 .

“Why We Still Think College Isn’t for Everyone.”  Brookings.edu , The Brookings Institution, 28 July 2016, www.brookings.edu/opinions/why-we-still-think-college-isnt-for-everyone/ .

5 thoughts on “ Should Everyone Go to College? ”

I started my civilian career after the Army learning welding. I worked my way into a welding engineer position after learning all I could about welding. My son went into welding in the 9th grade. He graduated and had a job welding 2 weeks after he left high school. He makes $20 an hour and just turned 21.

Yup, because the world needs more masters in *puppetry* (UConn) or bachelor’s in Bagpipes (Carnegie Mellon).

Why get a degree in golf green management from Keiser University when you could hire 10 illegal aliens instead?

Great article! My wife and are I having this exact discussion now about our kids and college.

I should have also added there are several high paying careers that don’t require a college degree: https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/12-highest-paying-jobs-careers-without-no-college-degree-diploma/

Trade schools are also a great option!

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Infographic: Should Everyone Go to College?

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Stephanie owen and stephanie owen assistant professor, economics department - colby college @steph_r_owen isabel v. sawhill isabel v. sawhill senior fellow emeritus - economic studies , center for economic security and opportunity @isawhill.

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Tressie McMillan Cottom

Who Would Want to Go to a College Like This?

By Tressie McMillan Cottom

Opinion Columnist

The moral panic about “woke” campuses has metastasized into actual legislation, and not just in the swampy idylls of Florida. Last week the governor of Alabama signed a bill that purports to limit the teaching of “divisive” topics in its colleges and universities. The bill is similar to Florida’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public colleges, which was signed into law last May. Both are all-out attacks on learning by excommunicating liberal ideas from the classroom. Other state legislatures have also been busy. The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Republican lawmakers have proposed 81 anti-D.E.I. bills across 28 states. (So far, 33 haven’t become law, and 11 have.)

Because most students attend public universities, state-level threats to higher education are especially troubling. While the federal government has outsize authority, states have more direct political reach. Republican leaders in the most reactionary states are banking that their appeals to moral panics about teaching history, race, gender and identity will attract donors and political favor. Bills already passed in Florida and Alabama are examples of shortsighted, counterintuitive legislative overreach. This political theater lifts up a caricature of college, in which coddled minds are seduced into liberal ideas. Without university leaders, politicians or voters mounting a defense of faculty governance and democratic speech, anti-woke reactionaries can remake college into the very thing they claim it is: cloistered institutions that cannot respond to what their students want and need.

It is hard to combat legislative overreach in states where gerrymandering and the structure of elections favor reactionary Republicans. But unlike in K-12 schools, in higher education, the students hold a tremendous amount of power. Public colleges and universities need students’ tuition dollars. If states become hostile to students’ values, those students could choose to go elsewhere or to forgo college altogether. That would set up a standoff between right-wing political favor and students’ dollars. But first, students would have to be paying attention. They would have to care. And they would have to be willing to choose colleges that match their values.

That is why I read with interest a recent report put out by the Lumina Foundation and Gallup on how policies and laws shape college enrollment. Part of a larger survey about students’ experiences of higher education, the report left me with one major takeaway: The national debate about so-called woke campuses does not reflect what most college students care about. It is worth looking at the report’s key findings. They underscore how unhinged our national debate over higher education has become and how misaligned Republican-led public higher education systems are with the bulk of college students. It isn’t hard to imagine that students could vote with their feet, avoiding schools in states that are out of step with their values.

The report names four reactionary changes in the national policy conversation that might shape students’ feelings about going to or being enrolled in college. First, there’s the group of bills against teaching supposedly divisive concepts, as in Alabama and Florida. Second, there’s a 2022 Supreme Court decision on concealed carry permits for firearms. Students fear that it signals how states with more restrictive gun regulations will change their campus gun policies in anticipation of legal challenges. Third, there are the sweeping changes to the availability of reproductive health care that came after the fall of Roe v. Wade . The Wild West of different abortion bans, legal challenges to Plan B and birth control will shape students’ experiences of college . Finally, there’s the Supreme Court decision in 2023 that effectively ended race-based affirmative action in admissions. States are already broadly interpreting that decision to include scholarships and programming.

If you are applying to college in 2024, you are tasked with not just choosing a major at a college where you can be happy and that may admit you at a price you can afford. You are also considering if you will be safe from gun violence, able to get medical care if you need it, qualified to use some types of financial aid and likely to encounter a liberal arts education that could improve the trajectory of your life.

I read the report closely for takeaways and what some of the fine-grained data points mean. The big context is that most students still choose colleges based on quality, cost, reputation and job prospects. Because I am interested in which of the four reactionary changes matter most (and to whom), I pulled those out of the list of all things that matter to students. Students care about — from most to least important — gun violence, “anti-woke” laws and reproductive health care. Because race-based affirmative action is measured somewhat differently from the other concerns, it is not ranked.

I lived through a campus shooting last year . As I watched college students climb calmly out of windows to escape the building, I realized this is a generation raised on constant shooting drills. That might explain why 38 percent of students who study on campus said they were worried about gun violence at their schools. Campus gun policies mattered at least somewhat to 80 percent of those surveyed. And of those who cared, students who wanted more restrictive gun policies outweighed those who preferred looser policies by five to one, according to the report.

As for those “divisive” concepts? Students want them. A majority of students who cared about those issues, the report notes, said they did not want restrictions on classroom instruction. Even more notable, students’ opinions do not align with the rabid political partisanship that dominates headlines. In a look at the students who care about this issue, some political differences might be expected. And there are some. But the good news is that they aren’t nearly as partisan as one might imagine. Even 61 percent of Republicans who cared about this issue when choosing a college preferred a state that did not restrict instruction on topics related to race and gender. That’s compared with 83 percent of Democrats and 78 percent of independents.

It is remarkable, given these data points, how little politicians and the public are talking about how afraid college students are — not of new ideas but of being shot on campus.

Fears about reproductive health ranked third among these changes; 71 percent of those surveyed said that a state’s reproductive health care policies would influence where they chose to go to college. The gender split here was a mixed bag. While many men cared about reproductive health, women were, by 18 percentage points, more likely than men to prefer states with fewer restrictions on reproductive health care. It is impossible to claim causation, but hackneyed culture wars about gender are not happening in a vacuum. They animate men’s and women’s values. The data suggests that it will be hard to recruit men (who are inclined to want more health care restrictions for women) and make female students feel cared for and safe. There may not be a way for a single college to serve both masters.

The Supreme Court affirmative action decision’s role in shaping students’ college choices is harder to parse than the other reactionary changes. People do not have a common understanding of what affirmative action means or how it works. Even so, 45 percent of those surveyed said the ruling would shape their decision of which school to attend or if they went to college at all.

While the idea of woke campuses may get attention and motivate parts of the reactionary Republican base, the report says that those partisan differences are moderate among students. “Most current and prospective students of all political parties who say these issues are important to their enrollment,” the report notes, “prefer more restrictive gun policies, less restrictive reproductive health care laws and fewer regulations” on curriculums.

Put more simply: Republicans must seem like aliens — if not dinosaurs — to the very college students they claim to be saving from hostile college campuses.

Debates about what happens on college campuses are proxies for partisan politics. They are also convenient ruses for clawing back the nominal democratization that higher education underwent during the last half of the 20th century. Those of us who see education as something more noble than a political football should care about the way partisan attacks and sensational headlines will harm real people trying to make sense of their lives.

Students go to college because they want jobs, they want to be educated or they want to be respected by others (or some combination of all three). A college or university implicitly promises them that it has the legitimacy to allow access, foster learning and confer status. The trick is that when universities play into the con game of moral panics about woke campuses, they become the thing we fear.

The loudest story about American colleges is disconnected from what college students care about. Even so, the nation’s diverse, aspirational college students are trying to make college choices that align with their political values. According to this survey, they are remarkably progressive, fair-minded and unafraid of intellectual challenge. If only our politics lived up to their values.

Tressie McMillan Cottom (@ tressiemcphd ) became a New York Times Opinion columnist in 2022. She is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Information and Library Science; the author of “Thick: And Other Essays”; and a 2020 MacArthur fellow.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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