Is College Really Good For You?

What is college good for? Getting a degree to get a well-paying job? To gain more knowledge? Maybe it’s not any of those. Well there are many reasons that I probably don’t know, but to me this what college is good for and why people wouldn’t choose to go to college. It is good for education first off. Education is most important in furthering your life in anything. It has many benefits also. Education could be used for personal advantages such as knowing things in or around you, and it could be good to use in society. College could also be good for you as a way to work with and interact with people with different ethics as you. Working with different people trains you for what’s outside of school and in a job atmosphere. Like Mike Rose said, "One of the great things about bringing so many people together in this common space," he says, "is that you're almost forced to have to deal with and encounter people who see the world in a very different way from your own, ways that you maybe never even thought of." The people you are around every day could benefit you in the long run. Who knew? Another reason college is good is to get a well-paying job. People have different situations that they or fate has placed upon them such as children, low income, or divided households. An example is in this video. Going to college and getting a degree to get a good job could help provide for yourself and for your children.

Now let me just stop for the good reasons. College has its benefits, but what about the things you have to do to get to college? The main one that first comes to mind is debt. Unless you’ve received a scholarship, benefits, grants, or you are fortunate enough to pay throughout your college career, you’re most likely to have to take out a loan. From what I’ve learned, there are two types of loans. Subsidized and Unsubsidized. Subsidized starts accumulating after you get out of college and Unsubsidized accumulates while you’re in college. Either way, you’ll end up having to pay Uncle Sam after you receive an education. Mark Kantrowitz estimated that people graduating this year could end up having to pay 27,000 dollars in loans after college. I don’t know about you, but that hurts me and I don’t even have a loans! Loans are a scary thing and should be taken with thought and the utmost seriousness. In an article I read, a student at Illinois State University named Jason Yoler, committed suicide in a campus lab due to the debt he had of 100,000 dollars.

Now decide for yourself. Is college really worth it? It has major benefits, but if you are willing to go through the process of getting aid to get there, I’m sure it will pay off.