“Go to college so that you can get a better job and a better understanding of life.” Teachers, family members, friends, and even the internet have continuously said these very words to me for my entire life. Hearing this sentence repeatedly, it starts to become convincing, but is it necessarily true? Though in some aspects, it could be considered true, it really is not. College is not a required part of life to have value or become more financially successful.  

College may allow one to gain a better understanding of life, simply because it is a new experience, and they must learn to adjust and live accordingly. However, college is not necessary for gaining life skill, values, and morals. College in that manner, is just an extra opportunity for acquiring a little more. Life itself is enough for one to be well- rounded and be ethically moral. Everyone has a different life, and everyone has a different perspective of life. Since every single person in the world is made differently, and we are all so much different than one another, it is quite difficult to say that “College brings value.” For most people, value is learned through simply living. Life can be a beautiful thing, but it can also be tragic, and values are learned through them both. For example, my grandpa has a wonderful set of respected values, and he did not attend college. He based his life lessons and knowledge to build a solid foundation for his values, and he has continued to stand by it. Many people are like my grandpa and base the foundation of their values upon their life and build from there.  

“Going to college will get you a better job.” This sentence is preached to students’ day in and day out to encourage us to want to go to college. Is it true though? Will college set a student up to become more successful in the “real world?” Will going to college allow a student to make more money after graduation than someone else who did not attend college? Will it just put you in debt? Though going to college may open many more job opportunities and having a degree may make you seem more “professional”, at the end of the day a college graduate is not any better than someone with only a high school degree. Students are taught that you can only be successful and make good money by going to college, which isn’t right when it is not true. Students are also looked down upon by teachers when they say that they do not want to attend college. For example, my mom went to Limestone College to receive her master’s degree, and my dad did not continue his education after high school. My mom works as an insurance agent at Correll Insurance and makes good money, but significantly less than my dad. My dad worked at Michelin for 22 years as a crew manager and the number one tire producer in America before his passing, making nearly six figures. Therefore, having a college education means absolutely nothing in some cases when it comes to making money or being successful. Feeding students’ inaccurate accusations about college and becoming financially stable is not fair. There are much better ways to encourage students to go to college rather than lying. Telling students persuasive and true things based on real experiences and learning environments is a way of encouragement that doesn’t involve false claims. Students do not have to continue their education after high school to make more money and become more financially stable. College does not promise anyone that they will leave to a job that guarantees them good money, it is just a false claim. Many people without college educations make much more money than those with college educations.  

False claims about college are not the right way to encourage students to attend. A college educated teacher telling students these false claims are a prime example of how college doesn’t teach morals. Open students up to fascinating ideas about college like certain career paths that the world needs, and they may enjoy. Tell them about small groups, or even large groups such as sororities and fraternities, and clubs they could join. A teacher could even tell stories about their favorite and most memorable college experiences. There are so many better ways to be persuasive and encourage students to go to college without lying to them or giving them a wrong impression.  

Is college truly all that it is made out to be? Throughout student’s school career, they are taught that college will teach you more values and allow them to become more successful. However, everything we as students are taught in the classroom about college is not true in the slightest bit. Although, it may help one to experience a new style of life or even open them up to more job opportunities, it isn’t everything that it is continuously praised for.  College is a wonderful way to further education, but it is not everything that it is made out to be.