College, is it really worth it?

college has parties. period.

 

summary please

 

There are parties everywhere, you don't show up to a party and they kick you out for not going to college lol. My opinion about it is it tends to be a waste. Not for everyone but most people go to college then end up working in a whole different field. Waste of money in my eyes, but them again there is always the military for free school

 

sure it is worth it

 

I'm in college and chose to get my own home and attend a local university. Why? Because like you, the university I wanted to go to would've cost me 23k a year I did not have. Is college expensive? Yes.
Is it worth going? For every person, it depends. My parents don't have degrees, barely hs diplomas, but they are successful. However, it took them YEARS and the same amount of struggles to get there.
Whatever choice you make just sure you're willing to live with it.

 

I'm currently in University and I'm paying for it with loans. For me it is worth it because if I am successful and get the profession I want, I'll be able to pay off my loans in 5 or so years after graduating.

However, I think that if you're going into a profession that doesn't need a degree, because the degree doesn't contribute much if anything to the profession or you'll never be able to pay off your loans, then it's not worth it.

 

I agree. There should be more support trade schools. And less stigma attached to not going to college and getting some useless degree you're not even sure you will use.

I'm currently in college failing at trying to pick a degree that I don't feel is a total time waste. Meanwhile my family is adamant I go to law school even though I'm 100% sure I don't want to be a lawyer. I'm going to a college in state and I'm on a scholarship so no undergrad debt but I can't shake the feeling I'm wasting time.

Yes education is important truly. But do you need to go into debt and give an arm and a leg for education you probably won't use? No.

Also in all honestly a lot of degrees offered at universities could seriously be condensed into a 2 year program at max.

 

I'll be locked back into college this fall can't wait

 

I assume you are in the United States. I went through almost the same thing, and first, let me say, you are young, you have time, it'll be ok-breathe. Here is some of what I learned, that I wish someone had taught me. I am the last kid, and after the shock of how expensive it was to put my sister through a Master's degree (she did biology too, you need a Master's) my parents were done. I did my associate's degree at my local community college, which now, I don't regret it, I got a great education there. My sister got to go to a university, live in a dorm, be in clubs, etc. She actually hated living in a dorm. The food was always picked over, her dorm mate hated her, the room was tiny, and sometimes sharing a bathroom and shower gets very old. Any college will have clubs to join, and lectures to attend. That is where you meet people, and you don't have to live on campus or even go to an expensive college to do so. Look around, there will be fliers everywhere. Also talk to advisors, professors, and the best ones are the school counselors (mostly students themselves doing their license internships) for where to go. Parties will be very easy to find, just go to whatever their gathering place there is (the square, the drag, the student union, whatever your college calls it, every college will have one).

Much of our generation is struggling with the cost of college. Tuition has gone up for everyone, but the shocker to me was that in 5 years, the price of textbooks doubled (!!!?) and I always bought them used, which is the way to go. Still the colleges have their heads up the textbook company's arses, and caught onto this buying used textbooks trend. So each year, some professors will want you to have the newest edition. This is crap, talk to your professor, usually only a few page numbers and placement of chapters have changed, and you can get away with using an older edition. For example, maybe chapter 10 is now chapter 13, but it is the same material. Most professors are understanding, but they have bosses to listen to, but they will work with you so much more than high school teachers. Professors are on your side.

And yes, loans are ridiculous. The interest rates on my FAFSA loans went up higher than my credit cards, it is also nearly impossible to get rid of them (bankruptcy will not wipe off student loan debt). I recently paid mine off with some of my inheritance from my dad passing away, they'd almost doubled and these are the govt loans, the bank ones are even worse. You want to avoid them at all costs, you have scholarships and grants, those are so much better because you do not have to pay them back. But it's hard to avoid them, the good thing is that they do have very flexible payment plans. I got a bigger subsidy for my Obamacare because I owed student loans, and there are some perks to having that debt on your back. Not that this will make up for how much you have to pay, but hey, any help with money that you can get is what you should be looking for-read ALL the fine print.

I am getting older, I had to work part time jobs, and take classes part time, so I did not make it in 4 years. Most people who have to have a part time job don't, forgive yourself. College is definitely worth it. I was considering a medical training program, those are great. Get one through an actual university, not one of those colleges that run like a business (Kaplan, Capella, University of Phoenix, you know, the ones that have all those commercials and are mostly online). They will scam you for your financial aid, and those degrees are not worth as much as a degree from a real traditional university. Luckily, Kaplan only took $15 of mine before I found out that they were bs. Anyway, you will make very good money being in the healthcare field. It is in very high demand with all the baby boomers getting old, all of our wounded soldiers, all the newly insured people. It is smart. My love is psychology, it feels like my calling. I wanted to be a psych professor, and get my LPC licensure to counsel domestic violence survivors. But, it requires a Master's degree, plus about 2-3 years of a supervised internship. I would make twice as much being a medical imaging technician like my neighbor (she works MRI machines), this is a 2 year degree plus some training. Pharmacy techs make a bunch of money, my aunt is one. Nurses are wonderful, depending on the level, you can start while you are still finishing your bachelor's degree (yay, have a real job with benefits while you finish school-instead of working in retail or being a waitress).

I am still on the fence about this whole thing, do I want to give up my dream of being a psychologist to work in the medical field. Does that biology major seem like your calling? It'll be more work, maybe less pay, but to me happiness and following your calling are also important. Not that a job in the medical field would be bad, it is also very rewarding and fullfilling. You could be very happy with either decision. I think that so many people have a Bachelor's degree now, most places really want a Master's degree also. It depends on your major though. Some mistakes you made in your senior year WILL NOT ruin or change the rest of your life though, it just feels that way. You have to make a lot of decisions all at once, and they will affect your future, but that is what being an adult is. I was a burnt out bum in high school, I think I skipped half of my classes. I still earned my Associate's degree with honors, and had colleges like Columbia University asking me to apply. In the adult world, no one really cares what you did in high school. College is your chance to make up for it. Afterall, you were just a kid in high school. College is indeed worth the cost, you will have a much easier time for the rest of your life (that hard work will pay off). Even with a bunch of loans, you will be able to pay them off. Get a part time job or look for paid internships to lessen the amount of loans you'll need. You'll make friends and get to party a lot no matter which college you go to. You'll even meet people from other colleges and party with them. Just don't let the partying and fun get in the way of the hard work, studying will be worth it. I hardly know anyone who did college the "traditional" way like this game shows, that 4 years in a dorm, living off ramen, and partying all weekend. Most of us end up at home, or going back home, have to work part time, and take longer than 4 years to get our Bachelor's. If it gets overwhelming, take it one day at a time, don't think too far into the future. It's still fun. Good luck! ??

 

I'm a rising college senior and college has taught me a lot. I had no clue what I wanted to do, knew what field I wanted to go into but not what particular part I had a passion for until recently. Yes there are parties and they're normally pretty dull(at least at my school.) But I've made some of the best friends I never would have though. It's up to the person if they think it's for them or not.

 

thanks for reading my essay ^ good lord, that thing was long ?

 

Too lengthy, couldn't finish it up. Interesting insights btw

 

There's a lot to weigh to decide whether college is worth it, or not. If I'm correct, I believe the fields always in need of bodies are the medical and education fields, so can't go wrong there. STEM careers are also a good choice, if you're to take out loans, because you'll likely have positions waiting for you once you get done with your degree, especially for women. The big push for women into STEM has been a big deal over the past several years.

Trade schools aren't a bad idea if you don't have the most cash to spend on an education, and some high schools offer trade courses to seniors, to give them a head start since they may not be going to college.

Always remember, humanity degrees are . Very few people actually get anywhere with them.

 

What's the $ value of a degree? Its ability to put you into a specialist field of work.
Um... Also if it's your passion to learn about something then it's definitely worth the money.

It should be cheaper, but they usually pay off because you distinguish yourself from those who haven't taken the courses.

 

How could college not be worth it? I met my best friends, Greek life is amazing, and there are literally an endless amount of hot chicks. Sure finals were disastrous, but I had many more benefits in college. Sleeping at 4 am and waking up at 4 pm everyday, going to the bar with your friends with an ID that may or may not be real, never going to class and still passing. I miss college if anything. Take me back to the days when I could be a kid again. Sure not everyone had my experience, but if you somewhat had friends who wanted to go out and had fun, you'd know what I mean. You will not wanna miss college. They don't lie about it being the greatest years of your life.