An opinion piece

By Alexis Fischer

College: should you or shouldn’t you? Whether you’re a prospective high school senior or a parent considering all the educational options for your child, there are some serious pros and cons to mull over before making a commitment to collegiate schooling. Today, our opinion writer Alexis Fischer is writing about the positive aspects of college, as well as some of the drawbacks. How can you make a good, sound decision when it comes to concluding whether college is the right choice for you or not? Let’s find out!

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College is a huge part of education in today’s world. Although it may be important in our society, there are several factors to consider before deciding if college is the right choice for you.

These days, college seems to almost be a requirement to get a good job. This has changed a lot from when a high school diploma was efficient most of the time. Even though college is a lot more popular than it used to be, that doesn’t mean it is the right choice for everyone. Before deciding to go to college, the negatives and positives of college should be explored.

Why College is Good

One of the best and most common reasons to go to college is because people who earn bachelor’s degrees generally make more money than those who only have a high school diploma. On average the difference made between a person who only has a high school diploma and someone who only has a bachelor’s degree is $30,000. This is a pretty significant difference that might make going to college worth it.

Education can be a key to success. There are a lot of important jobs in the world that require a higher education than a high school diploma. One example is a doctor. Doctors and individuals in the medical field are extremely important. If you educate yourself enough to become a doctor, the job is quite rewarding. If you are the kind of person who has a passion for health, then going to college is a great choice for you. Without a higher education, becoming a doctor is impossible. There are many careers that require you to have at least a bachelor’s degree, so for this reason, college is a very good thing!

Even though college is supposed to be mostly about learning, there is a social factor that you would not receive if you didn’t go to college. A lot of lifelong friendships are made in college. Depending on if you board at school or not, some college students will be surrounded by others almost 24/7. College is a great place to make friends, including people who have the same major or interests as you. A lot of people will even meet their spouses in college, so it really does provide an opportunity for socialization that you may not get anywhere else.

Drawbacks of going to College

Although college can be a great option for some, it isn’t always the best option for everyone. Even though there are a lot of different jobs that require at least a bachelor’s degree, there are many jobs that don’t. If your job choice doesn’t require a degree, then why go? It takes about four years to obtain a bachelor’s degree, so it doesn’t really make sense to go to school for another four years of your life when you could just start your career right out of high school without a degree.

One of the biggest reasons to not go to college is student debt. There are so many people who end up going into debt because they couldn’t afford their college classes. College is not cheap! If you don’t have to go, then it’s probably best not to. On average, people between the ages of 25 and 34 owe between $10,000 and $40,000 in student loans.

Student loans are a huge issue that if possible, should be avoided at all costs. There are many students who will go to college, get into debt, and then realize that the major they were studying is not for them. If you are undecided, it may be best to hold out on college until you know what you want to do, as this reflection will save you lots of time and money.

In college, it is good to have a social life but there are many times when college students take this too far. Some colleges are known as “party schools” because of the constant parties in or around campus. It is not uncommon for there to be real consequences attached to these parties, such as drunk driving accidents, vandalism and even unplanned pregnancies.

Almost 19% of drunk driving accidents are because of college students and about 1,825 college students who are between the ages of 18 and 24 will die every year due to accidents involving alcohol such as drunk driving. Having a social life can be a good thing but often, college kids take it too far. If you are already a social person who enjoys parties, it may be best to skip out on the “exciting” college experience to ensure you stay out of trouble.

The decision is up to YOU

There are many good and bad things about colleges so at the end of the day, it is up to you to decide whether college is a good choice for you. College is something that we all must form an opinion on as it really can make or break career choices. There are pros and cons to each side of the coin, but the decision is up to YOU!

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The opinions in this article are specific to its author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Counter Culture Mom team.

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Alexis Fischer is both a part time high school student and part time college student and author of ZAP! She has a passion for writing and speaking the truth through it.

When Alexis isn’t in school or writing, she is often photographing landscapes or traveling. She can be found volunteering at a local zoo and finding new ways to help both people and animals around her. Most importantly, Alexis loves to glorify God in all that she does.

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