Reflecting on the value of college

There’s no denying that the cost of a college education has spiraled out of control in recent years, increasing at rates several times greater than what everyday inflation accounts for. The numbers are astounding, as many people will tell, but there’s really no incentive for institutions to lower their price tags. Universities think of themselves as businesses with a product to sell, and potential students as customers—customers willing to buy pretty much regardless of the costs. Thus, we find schools in the midst of an arms race to build bigger and better facilities, with new feature selling points. Unfortunately, the quality of education itself hasn’t seen quite the same growth, and return rates on gaining a degree have actual fallen. And yet societal pressure has continued to give many people the implicit impression that college is the only option for a high school graduate, or at least the only one that won’t lead to a seedy life of drugs and crime, or at least abject poverty.

In reality, though, how about it: is college really worth the cost in time and money? Well… personally I would say it depends. First of all, it depends on what your career plans are; regardless of whether most of your undergraduate experience will prove relevant on the job, for some occupations it really isn’t optional. It also depends on where you go and what you end up paying, and whether you can afford to be paying it. Your situation may vary. Then, most of it comes down to what you make of it and what you’re able to get out of it.  I don’t think that most students take full advantage of the various opportunities and resources offered to them in exchange for their money. And really, it would take a whole lot of benefits to justify the more than $60,000 a year some American students pay.

The level of success (or incarceration) achieved by those who attend university against those who do not is statistically relevant, but says more about the socio-economic background of those who fall into each group, rather than the effectiveness of college in producing smarter or more qualified workers. Looking at experiences of people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg may not lead to the conclusion that massive success necessarily follows those who spurn the pursuit of a college degree, but it does cast doubt on the necessity of higher education.  Clearly it isn’t a prerequisite to entrepreneurial success, or even success such intellectual fields as writing—just look at Charles Dickens or Mark Twain (perhaps the most celebrated British and American writers, respectively), who received no formal education after the age of 12. Much of knowledge one might need can be self-taught, or gained on-site in the workforce. Autodidactic learning and formal education needn’t be mutually exclusive, of course. Few people will be become great scientists, inventors, engineers, mathematicians, writers, anatomists, botanists, and geologists all on their own (I’m looking at you Leonardo da Vinci), and most wouldn’t even think of trying. There’s no limit to what you can (note: can) learn on your own, but it’s good to have a space designated for learning, where you can come across diverse perspectives and hone your own critical thinking skills in the thought-provoking discussions such a place facilitates. Universities are a place for people to explore themselves.

Is college a must for everyone? No. Is it worth nearly a quarter of a million dollars over 4 years? Probably not. But we can’t disregard its importance, despite its problems.

(Side note, I read an interesting book in high school for AP Lang called “Beer and Circus,” a reference to that Roman strategy of distracting/placating the masses. Only in this case it’s beer instead of bread, and the circus is big NCAA sports and the party culture surrounding them—these things distracting them from the lack of meaningful education they’re receiving at the back of a 500-student lecture taught by a TA. The book touches on various institutional issues and shortcomings.)