College: Why is it always the answer?

College is the topic on every high school senior's mind right now, but why is that? Commonly, the answer after graduating high school is college, in any form. Want to be a doctor?, Go to college. Want to write books? Go to college. Don't have a clue what you want to do? Go to college. Everybody just wants the “college experience” that their parents or friends have talked about. However, is college really necessary to live a “successful” life? And why is it “shameful’ not to go to college?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2024, approximately 3.6 million people had student loan debts with a balance of $100k or more. With this statistic in mind, the percentage of people who attend college after graduation is 62.8%. So why is college deemed so necessary in today's society?

An argument that is often taken into effect is the classic “college experience.” Whether hearing from your parents, aunts, or uncles, you were entertained by their past stories of college experiences. Why wouldn't you go to college after hearing that it sounds like a party every day, you get to sleep over in a dorm with your friends, and meet people from all around? 

However, there is more to college than that. For example, according to the “Education Data Initiative,” it was discovered that full-time students getting their bachelor's degree have a dropout rate of 39%. For most young people, college is the time to evaluate their role in society. Some students may be attending college in a field they're passionate about, hoping to make themselves proud and contribute to the world. On the other hand, others may be paying for the experience their parents or family told them about. 

However, the decision to go to college or not is always varied by this infestation in the air, the stigma of not going to college. Whether it’s joining the workforce, the military, or pursuing another career path, there is a stigma. This “stigma” of not going to college is derived from the common thought that a degree is the only road to success, and those who do not attend college are deemed less ambitious and incapable. When choosing an alternative path after high school that is not college, those doing so are put on a figurative trial. They cower for the day someone asks them, “So where do you go to college?” and they have to conjure up a whole narrative justifying their decision. But what is really so “horrible” about the alternate road? Yes, you are going to face the occasional scowl from someone when you tell them, but zoom out to the big picture. Think about all the people who have spent money, time, and tears on a college education just for them to do something completely different. 

A prime example of a career where a degree does not define one’s intelligence or skill is nursing. With nursing, you can go to college and get a degree, or you can attend a nursing technical school. Statistics show that future nurses overwhelmingly choose a degree over technical school. The “Nurse Journal” states that as of the year 2022, 71.7% of nurses got a nursing degree from college rather than from technical school. One may think that this is because of the stigma that nurses who received a degree in nursing got better job opportunities than those who attended nursing technical school; however, that’s not the case. From the article, “Ask a Nurse: College Vs technical school” by Kristen Hamlin, Jenna Liphart Rhoads, Ph.D., a nurse educator, says that earning an associate degree in nursing (ADN) from a technical school should not affect your job security or pay. For the most part, those who go to a technical school should not face adversity when retaining a job or in regards to compensation.” Yet with this information easily accessible with quick research, the majority of people choose college. 

So the question is: Why is it so drilled into our brains that college is the only answer? Well, from the information I gathered, I can infer that it’s all about looks. Humans will always be self-conscious about what others think of them, and going against the grain of not going to college is inconceivable. From that, I hope that as we progress as a society, people will begin to flesh out the idea of going against the grain and research alternative ways to live a fruitful life that doesn't have to start with college.