Got College?

The question that looms larger and larger as the years fly by for middle and high school students is something that causes sleepless nights for parents, seniors, and maybe even some middle schoolers. What do I do about college? Is it worth it? This decision is something that used to not even be a decision.

“I had no choice. My parents made me go to college,” says faculty member Eric Nelson. Nowadays, high school graduates are exploring different options. Many people do not go to college because they like the prospect of working with their hands or the idea of being an accountant or sitting behind a cubicle terrifies them.b

“I would never want to work behind a cubicle,” says junior Ian Hanna. It was the same case with senior Jeffery Zhang and freshman Will Hedges.

“I would prefer a more technical job,” says Zhang. Hedges also remarked that a hands-on job would suit him better.

Faculty member Sarah Asher thinks something a little different. “I think I was meant to work with people,” says Asher. “I think I am doing what I was meant to do.” College can lead in all of these directions, but these directions are also possible without college.

One thing that really could derail someone’s life after college or convince someone not to go to college is the financial aspect. The competition to get into college recently has really gone up and it has really become a very intricate process filled with roadblocks. Thus the costs of college have gotten ridiculous and so have student loans. Asher, when questioned about this, let out a drawn-out ‘ooohhh myyyy gosshhh.’ “I will probably be dead before I pay off the debt for my undergraduate degree,” says Asher. She also says the same thing about her doctorate degree. Though most Seabury students have not gone through the whole loan process, they have heard many horror stories about it. Despite these, the optimism about loans could be sensed.

“If I am in debt I better be good at what I am learning. Then I will be comfortable,” says Zhang. Hanna also says that if he decides to go to college, he would not lose sleep over the loans.

“In the long run it I am able to find something that I love doing or college gives me an opportunity to figure out a true passion, probably not,” says Hanna.

Though Seabury is a college preparatory school, it is still very flexible about college choices. “Mr. Patterson encourages taking gap years and stuff like that. He is open to the idea of helping you guide your life even if it doesn’t involve college,” says Hanna.

“My parents want me to go to college but I also want to go to college,” says Zhang. “It would be my own choice to go to college.”

“Either way, college sounds like a good experience,” says Hedges.

Asher had a similar experience to Nelson, saying that going to college “was what was expected of me. I didn’t have any direction or anyone to help me. What else would I do if I didn’t go to college?”

One thing that one would miss out on without college is the experience. Hedges says that the thing he would miss the most would be the sports culture at college. Growing up as a KU fan, it would be something very important to him in the college experience.

Hanna, however, says that he wouldn’t miss out on the college experience. “I don’t think I’d miss it. It’s not like you’re not going to have any time to have fun,” he says.

“I knew a lot of people that went to college and they say ‘College is awesome,’ so I would probably miss it,” says Zhang.

One thing that anyone can agree on is that most important thing is that you do what you love. Whether or not your path runs through college or not is up to you.

“A dream would be to play golf. I would see what jobs I could get without a degree. Hopefully in real estate or something like that,” says Hedges.

“I feel like I want a more technical job just because I like them, and I would feel more confident about myself getting a job after I go to college,” says Zhang.

“You can’t put a price on happiness,” says Hanna. “If you feel that what is going to bring you happiness is the freedom that a good job and a steady income provides, college and no college are both good routes. If happiness is experiencing life and not necessarily having a large bank account, than I don’t know if college is worth it.”