3 reasons college is a great idea [besides getting a degree]

I'm probably fairly biased on the subject of college since I just graduated. I'm sure when I was doing those all-nighters my Junior year I wasn't feeling so gung ho about higher learning. However, now that I've completed college I've seen what a positive experience it was and why I think most, maybe not all, but most people should try to go to college.

 Obviously, it's a good way to get better job AND hopefully be able to support yourself but there are benefits that may be a little less apparent at first blush.





Here are three less obvious reasons why college is a pretty great idea:

1. Being in a different environment allows you to explore different facets of your personality.

I went to two different colleges and switched my major five times before I settled on Communications. I wasn't one of those people who has ever been consistently interested in one thing or have one very defined skill.

http://www.futurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/personality_1.jpg

 But the process of figuring out my major really caused me to question who I am at my core, not just what my interests are. I questioned my identity and figured out why I enjoy what I enjoy. Mostly I found a ton of subjects I'm terrible in or don't love. But during that process I learned who I am. I learned I like writing, a lot. I learned I don't think as critically as I should. I learned I really enjoy being around others who enjoy writing.



I mean, that's just one side of figuring out your personality. How about your sleeping patterns when classes don't start until late morning? Who do you naturally gravitate towards? Why do you like certain professors/ classes?

All these questions and more are unique to the college experience.

2. The social scene is [usually] quite different from high school.
 Even though I feel super unqualified to speak to a normal high school experience, I remember two things about high school: social life was painfully awkward and the classes were uber boring.




The first "thing" could have probably been remedied by a little more socialization earlier on in my life but I didn't have many opportunities to spend time with other kids my age so I mostly just hung out at church with people who were either significantly younger or older than me.

Ergo, high school was a little weird for me. I had some pretty hard stuff happen during that time, lost some friends, gained some perspective. All that to say, college was almost exactly opposite.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/files/2013/01/social-media-and-college-students.jpg

In college, generally speaking, two changes have occurred or will occur by the time college is over: 1. you have matured and 2. so have your peers. In my case, I stopped getting taller and I lost a few pounds, the two aspects of my body I hated the most. I started thinking of myself in a more realistic light and stopped hating myself so much as I became comfortable with the body God gave me.

Popularity, even at a smaller college, is gauged differently than in high school. Sometimes popularity doesn't even exist. The greatest part about college is the fact that, for the most part, no one is forcing you to be there. The fact that you want to be in college and are with other people who also want to be in college, even if it's for different reasons, creates comradery among your peers.

In college you meet people who have the same passions and interests. You can find yourself challenged to be better person and live a more godly life. Most college students are excited about the future and want to go on adventures and travel to Europe and read intelligent books and discover unpopular bands. Not all college students, but most, want to learn and become more discerning in everyday life.

3. It's an adventure!
Well, there are probably a ton of things you can do as a young person to go on adventures, work on a farm in the mid west, backpack in Tuscany, live in the Big Apple, start your own company, go seal hunting...

I'm not saying college is the only chance you'll have to go on an adventure but it's certainly an accessible one. In almost every scenario where an adventure could occur you need two very important things: time and money.

Here's how these two issues are solved in college...

TIME: Unless you are unfortunate enough to be super poor like me and have to work while in college, you have a ton of free time. Ok, ok. I need to add a disclaimer to that statement. Every.single. college. student. is. busy. But it's all busy with college. It's not busy-ness associated with raising a family or working a job. This is the time of life where you don't have normal adult responsibilities. You wanna go out at midnight and grab a taco? Why not?

MONEY: I know there's this huge debate going on right now as to whether you should go into debt for college and I can't answer for everyone. But for me the answer was a very loud "YES!" It's about making an investment in the future. Truth is, you will be working. You will. It doesn't matter if you go to college or not. You will have to make money somehow and why not try to make money doing something you're great at.

BUT when you're in college, you don't have to worry so much. Yes, be wise with your finances. Make good grades so you can get scholarships. But think about it. If you choose to live on campus everything is paid for in the form of one huge bill, tuition:  food, water bill, electricity, housing. It's all paid for in one fell swoop. (or maybe sometime 3-6 months after you graduate)

http://atc1040.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/college-student-with-money.jpg

AND if you do really well in college, chances are you'll do pretty well in your job after college [if you can find one- mwhaha]- so yes- you may spend ten to fifteen years paying for those "carefree college days" but it will have been worth the three or four years of adventure time!


As a disclaimer I should mention that I still haven't paid college off and so that's one very big negative, but bearing that in mind I still think college is a great thing.