Why University Is Not And Has Never Been For Everybody

[Anonymous]

1. Tuition Costs

College-aspiring high school students all hope to attend the best colleges and universities to fulfill their goals and dreams. Unfortunately, going to college comes with a hefty price tag. Students have to figure out some way to scrap up enough money to pay for college. This means earning money through formal jobs and cash (or under-the-table) jobs, borrowing student loans from banks, winning scholarships and student grants and financial aid/assistance programs, or having a wealthy or well-connected relative. As tertiary education is not mandatory education for the general public, it is an optional choice for someone who has the money, the brains, and the drive to pursue an education and get a job. A college education will not guarantee a job; it merely provides the skills and knowledge for the job.

2. Personal Living Costs

If tuition costs seem overwhelming, then personal living costs would make college a bad investment for a low-income family. A high-income family may be able to send its grown-up children to college easily, as the family can probably afford better schools (due to more tax money collected from wealthy property landowners), tutoring services (outside the family or within the family), student participation in the arts and sports, and a good portion of the college price tag. High-achieving students from affluent neighborhoods are the most sought-after, desirable students, because they bring a good reputation and money to the school. Attracting this limited pool of students, however, is the real challenge for colleges. For an individual from an impoverished, working-class family, the odds are really stacking against him/her.

3. Some People Really Are Clueless And Unmotivated At 18 Years Of Age

At 17 to 19 years of age, young people graduate from high school and enter the adult world. They are socially recognized and treated as adults, even though their brains are not fully mature yet. In addition to a growing brain, young people struggle to find their place in life. Some young people know exactly what they want to do and how to get there; some young people know what they want to do but don't know how to get there; and some young people are completely clueless and unmotivated about themselves. If a young person from a high-income family is clueless and unmotivated, then he/she may be coached into applying to various universities, because a college education for a high-income family is expected. If a young person from a low-income family is clueless and unmotivated, then he/she may be expected to work full-time soon after graduation. Community college may be the only option for a higher education for these folks, if they want to promote themselves in the career ladder. Then, there are some people, primarily young men, who decide to enter the military. Serving the military can help pay for college tuition and build character and world experience in ways that private earnings can't.

4. Some People Are Low-Achievers

Some people are low-achievers. For a low-income family, a low-achieving student has no chance of getting into college. For a high-income family, a low-achieving student is corrected as soon as possible by adjusting education to fit the student's learning style, offering tutoring services, encouraging participation in the arts and sports; and colleges will look kindly at that because the low-achieving student becomes a high-achieving student, despite intellectual disabilities or maladjustments in standard schooling.

So, why go to college?

Going to college is something for the privileged class, and it has always been that way. The wealthy can send their children to college. The educated have the expectation of seeing their children in college. If they work in the university, then their children may receive a significant tuition discount, and if the university is local, then the student can just live at home, reducing living costs. The geniuses (scholastically accomplished) see college as the next step in their education and pursue a life of learning and scholarship. And lastly, the highly motivated and ambitious risk-takers see college as the gateway to better jobs and higher pay.

[meowcow]

There is definitely a large chunk of the population that are clueless (at 18) and low achievers. I believe that alone is the best reason for a person not to go to college/university. By low achiever, I should distinguish it as "low academic achiever", as some people are ambitious but simply prefer to do things their own way - like chasing their entrepreneurial idea or opening up their own business.

Tuition costs should never be a factor in deciding on university. There are bursaries for those from low income backgrounds, and scholarships for those who are smart - and thus belong in university. This may not pay all of the cost, but young millenials have an irrational fear of debt - thinking it is a horrible thing.

In truth, the world operates on debt. Countries and governments operate on debt (money borrowed from banks and money from the people from bonds). Houses and cars are bought from debt (mortgage or car payment plans). Even many types of investments are built upon debt and risk.

The 50k tuition debt is nothing in the long-run. What matters is that a university degree opens the opportunity to a wide range of higher income jobs and careers.

But note I only said "opportunity".

If you are still clueless and unmotivated when you graduate, you have nobody to blame but yourself for taking a Walmart job after your bachelors. 4 years is a long time to complete your bachelors and for working on other soft skills like public speaking, leadership, charisma and confidence. Those that develop this total package are high-achievers and get the top jobs.

Those that graduate and spent their undergrad drinking, partying, playing video games, chasing pokemon and passing with a marginal grade will still end up going nowhere with a degree in their hand.

The notion that a university degree = good job was a mistaken notion by millenials. If you've got a bachelors, masters or even a PhD, but you're awkward to talk with, painful to interact with, stutter, socially inept, don't work well with others and others' opinions, employers don't really care how smart you are because you've demonstrated that you're not the person to put in front of a client or customer.

[lime_rampljuset]

There are people who without money have been able to graduate from the best universities. One simple word: Hardwork.

[WalterRadio]

What a worthless an inaccurate assessment.

"Going to college is something for the privileged class, and it has always been that way."
I don't know where you live, but if it is in the US, then you are dead wrong. I grew up poor, went to one of the best universities in the world, and as a result became a millionaire by the time I was 35, and kept on going.

Every American can attend college, regardless of ability to pay. Maybe not to any college, but to some college. The very top universities also have the lowest real cost to those middle class and under.

[myTake Owner]

How poor were you?
How did you make your own living so you became a millionaire at the age of 35? Is that your total wealth or your earnings?

[WalterRadio]

Poor enough that I picked up cans and bottles from the roadside for spending money. Poor enough that for our year's worth of snacks, we kids picked up (with landowners' permission) ears of popcorn out of the fields after harvest and shelled it ourselves. Poor enough that the majority of what we ate, we grew, raised, shot, picked, or caught. (do you have any idea what it is like hoeing a garden every day all summer?). We would find wild pokeweed and blackberries from the roadside to eat. This was in rural Kentucky.

I got a job within days of my turning 16, and by 18 during the summers was working two full time jobs at the same time, 7 days a week, up to 16 hours a day. I did that for two summers, then got a break as an engineering intern, where I could work overtime and from then on out, typically putting in 65 to 75 hours a week.

Millionaire status at 35 is net worth, which is how it is defined. I set that as my goal when I was 15.

[LaVilaine]

I agree that formal education isn't for everyone, but I don't think that precludes people in low income situations from ever attending or from aspiring to attend. I don't think that university should only be accessible by the rich - I know that there are many people in my own family who would have been brilliant doctors and engineers if they had only had the same opportunities that I have had.

My point of view boils down to this: if you want to go to university, I think that there should be ways for you to access that education. If you don't want to go, I don't think that you should be forced into anything.

[myTake Owner]

Note the key word you used there. You used "should". I used "is and has never been". There is a big difference in meaning. It's not a question about whether people should or should not, but that there are many disadvantaged people who just can't. And a community college may be the best thing they can afford.

[LaVilaine]

Oh for sure. And the great thing about education is that you can always go back for more, if and when you get to a better financial situation.

[myTake Owner]

That's certainly possible. But keep in mind that some people have other responsibilities, like feeding kids. Single moms who are made pregnant in their teens and young adult years can't go through abortion, so they give birth to a child in poverty. So now you have two or three mouths to feed than one. The sad thing for the women with children is that men may not be attracted to them anymore, simply because they don't want to raise another man's child. It's a vicious cycle. Once you're in poverty, it's hard to get out. Though, some people are quite well off, like Bristol Palin, daughter of Sarah Palin. :P

[LaVilaine]

It is, but I don't know what will help to raise people out of poverty other than getting some form of education to get better and higher paying jobs.

[Waffles731]

This is the most elitist and inaccurate piece of shit take I have ever seen,.
So poor people should stay poor.
Honestly, if that was the way society worked at the bottom, then every single person in poverty should be legally allowed to kill rich people for their money

[Noxifer626]

And that's ignoring the cultural implications of private colleges.
It keeps poor people ignorant on important topics such as politics, economy and science, so that they will blindly keep doing what capitalist society demands of them.

[FallOutBoy2001]

And what about the families that fall in the middle, like mine? Mine are middle class, but both my siblings and I want to go to college. With the cost of college, we run the risk of not having enough money to send my brother (the youngest) to a college, even with loans.

[JRICHARDS1996]

The first two are, but the second two are spot on. I worked on the student council of my high school for about 3 years and knew firsthand the ugly side of education. I read through the multiple page budgets, school records, site plans, and everything else the principal told me. And most of our problems stemmed precisely from the fact that too many of our students were underachievers with no motivation to learn. We got them a counselor, we gave them computers, we did everything we could possibly do yet they still did not change. If anything, they actually harmed the rest of the school by either forcing us to lower the academic standards and/or causing us to lose state funding since Uncle Sam wants to see progress.

[FakeName123]

@JRICHARDS1996

Is it really surprising when most people go to college for the reason of going to college?

[Waffles731]

@FakeName123
That is bad but some people go to college to get a degree that will help them make more money

[JRICHARDS1996]

Not me. I'm an English major. With the amount of money my degree will cost in combination with its low career prospects, I'll probably break even as if I never went to college. But I never had any delusions about making money in the first place. I'll always be middle class no matter how hard I work, since I obviously cannot afford medical school or something like that.

[QuestionMan]

@FakeName123 I guess it works out in Germany since it is fully covered by your taxes so people don't worry about the cost of education.

[Waffles731]

@Laura_Marx get a lot of this elitist piece of shit take

[Laura_Marx]

abolish education

[HarvestMoon]

I have a master's, so I consider myself well educated. I've always been extremely pro-education, but I agree very much with this take. After 4 years of college and 2 years of grad school, I'm in tremendous debt, and my life is a financial wreck. The prevalent notion that everyone should go to college has decreased the value of your educational degree over time. It is becoming more and more meaningless as every kid these days are meekly heading in the same direction. Your college degree is now a depreciation asset with little to no value. After busting your ass off for 4 years, you don't get much in return, so you are forced to chase higher and higher degree (which in my case, master's).

[sp33d]

--College-aspiring high school students all hope to attend the best colleges and universities to fulfill their goals and dreams.--

If that is universally true, I wonder why students have this fixation with "attending the Best institution". Will any old accomplished/prestigious institution not do? The "best" ones also have higher expectancy from students, resulting in your later assessment of low achievers not making the cut and in that regard you are correct: they don't belong to academics, in general.

University is a privilege certainly, to those who are willing to dedicate themselves to work. It's not exclusive to the "rich kids".

[zagor]

I've known a number of people from poor backgrounds who were very successful. One guy in his 40's had his father take off when he was 5 and grew up on public assistance. He was smart, went to two of the best universities in the country, and now his net worth is somewhere in $100 million to $300 million range.

[Tarvold]

I agree that University is not for everyone, but I think it's complete bullshit how you managed to link the entry requirements to wealth.

That's fucked up.

No, I think University entry should be entirely merit based. Unfortunately, in this scenario, I don't think you'd qualify.

[SteeloEm1]

If it were entirely merit based then universities wouldn't make as much money. Education has been watered down and admission requirements have been lowered to make it more accessible. College is also a business.

[Tarvold]

@SteeloEm1 Let's imagine for a moment that you were a top level athlete. You spent years of your life honing away at your craft to reach a level of performance that others did not. After all these years of training, of making little sacrifices throughout your life to achieve your goal of an olympic medal, suddenly, the olympic committee decided to just give away medals to anyone who has the money to pay for one? How would you feel?

Now imagine if you were a Navy SEAL. You busted your ass getting through BUDs, endured numerous tours of duty and watch countless friends die. Then one day, the navy decided to just let anyone wear a SEAL badge if they paid for one.

Get the idea?

[SteeloEm1]

I'm not saying I don't agree with you. I'm just saying that college is trying to make as much money as possible. Hard work isn't always rewarded though. You can graduate at the top of your class, get a high paying job, and lose it to outsourcing. Sometimes you gotta be ready for whatever is thrown at you.

[Fearless_banana]

As long as you love what you do and live comfortably. I know people that have graduated college and are absolutely miserable. I know people who have went on to do other things and are having a blast. The same in the reverse. Common sense tells you that college = more money = better quality of life. Which is true but it can't be held to absolute extent. I say just do you and fucking love life and kick ass.

[QuestionMan]

I don't know about the US but in Ontario, Canada anyone earning less than $50,000 CAD or $38,301.77 USD gets to go to college for "free" starting next year.
I put free in quotes because our taxes cover it.
Everyone gets a loan to go to school here and poorer people get more money.
I'm hoping that post secondary education will eventually be covered by our taxes instead of forcing people to go into debt.

[beebetree25]

Lol I'm the boy on the right lololol I feel poverty has been passed down to me. I'm trying to break the chains by getting a trade, just need 3 more classes to do then I'm I can get in the program possibly.

But I can attest I'm pretty lazy-ish and I'm an underachieving due to circumstances in my life shaping my mind.. and just me basically...

I have a C avg... I'm just trying to get a degree and get by in life... i feel so drained.

[outmyroom]

Obviously it's not for everyone but if you can't afford it FAFSA will help you pay for it so money shouldn't be that big of a problem plus there's scholarships too.

[Anonymous]

Trades some very lucrative ie plumbing, deep sea welding, and NVQs can reach degree level.
Stunt work, IT work lots where you don't need a degree and you can still get one later if you like even an honary degree if you become good enough at something and that wouldn't cost 30-60k.

[N192K001]

True.

Other countries also promote alternatives (like apprenticeships, vocational schools, etc.).

[Hotsoup]

I feel like too many people are going to college. It is meant for people with above average intelligence , strong work ethic and the ability to pursue a STEM degree.

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

You were doing great until that last point 😶

[Hotsoup]

@Other_Tommy_Wiseau Are you offended for not being a stem major?

[Other_Tommy_Wiseau]

No, I'm not. But there's more to life and productivity than STEM. if anything, there's a huge reason not to be in STEM. It's a fairly oversaturated field

[Hotsoup]

1.1 million unfilled computer science jobs in the United States lmao

[Hotsoup]

Sounds very over saturated eh?

[EllieLexis513]

Lol, I guess the poor people aren't made for college. Apparently, the Universe has to deal you the right money cards for you to have an education.

[Fearless_banana]

Lol. People don't take advantage of their resources. FAFSA can be life changing lol.

[John_Doesnt]

Going to college isn't for Trump supporters. They like their ignorance.

[SteeloEm1]

Ironically this is ignorant.

[John_Doesnt]

@SteeloEm1 no it's not sucky, sucky.

[7121uc]

The first picture is from Fullerton college. Did you attend Fullerton college?

[RedneckCowgirl]

Never went to college, but starting my associates in couple weeks

[dudeman]

most people in university have no business being there.

[scooogy]

Sadly, some parents want their kids to succeed in college without supporting them financially.