We have all wondered about going to college in high school. Globally, around 235 million people join college every year (Higher Education, 2023). The most significant step into adulthood because college allows students to be independent and make personal decisions. A college education is the stepping stone to higher education, allowing one to grow their knowledge in a specific field. A lot of students anticipate leaving college as this gives them an opportunity to leave their homes and explore life differently from their homes. Even though some students anticipate college, others feel that they do not need to go to college to pursue their dreams. However, a good college education lays a good foundation for students as they enter their adulthood. Therefore, college education should be compulsory because it facilitates skill development, gives students all-round exposure, and offers diverse learning.
Firstly, college should be compulsory for all children because it facilitates skill development. De Roux & Riehl (2022) argue that by going to college, students develop important active skills through practical learning. Colleges have qualified instructors and professors who pass knowledge down to students. Skills such as liberal arts, STEM, and culinary can be developed at colleges. Once students develop these skills, they can apply them in their future careers. There is active learning in colleges, and students are also expected to test their skills through internships. Due to this, they are put in real-life challenges where they have to practice what they have learned. Therefore, a college education is important because it lays the path toward a successful future career. A lot of professionals in the job market have a college education, and there is evidence of how they perform their skills. It is easy to differentiate someone with professional training and one without any form of training. Due to this, denying a student an opportunity to join college denies them an opportunity, which slows down their process of developing a meaningful career. Therefore, for the sake of developing skills, college should be made compulsory.
Moreover, making college compulsory allows students to have an all-rounded exposure. In college, students are exposed to a lot of new experiences that facilitate their transition into adulthood. A study conducted among college students in Canada found that most students learned how to be independent at college (Abel & Deitz, 2014). The claims are valid because college gives one an opportunity to build character and grow mentally. Outside the lecturer room, students are presented with numerous opportunities to interact with new people from different walks of life with different beliefs. In such situations, students have to learn how to accommodate others, and this helps them with dealing with people in different places, such as work environments. Also, unlike high school, where students depend on their parents and teachers for directions, college is different. In college, one must make all decisions about their daily life on their own. One learns to manage one’s finances and time. Another exposure that students can experience in college is the ability to balance their school with extra-curricular activities. In high school, students have to follow strict timetables; hence, their time is well planned. However, in college, it is different, hence the need to prioritize things that matter, which teaches students to be more intentional. College students can also pick other services apart from their classes, such as sports, which can also be lucrative. Therefore, leaving college is a good way of becoming an all-round person as one gets an opportunity to learn more.
Additionally, going to college gives students an opportunity for diverse learning. In college, the learning process is not only limited to lecturer rooms but also more classroom discussions, peer conversations, college events, and networking. In a research conducted by Trostel (2015), it is argued that colleges are effective in learning because students have numerous avenues to learn from, and this enhances the quality of knowledge they receive. College students taking engineering courses have opportunities to attend workshops and training that facilitate industrial training, which cannot be experienced if one does not go to college. Due to this, once a student graduates from college, they have a higher chance of employability as compared to students who have not attended college. A lot of companies will consider college graduates over any other group because they are better skilled and more qualified due to skill training. Also, since it is mandatory for college students to take internships, they will get employed faster as they already have work experience. Nowadays, a lot of companies give their first priority to college graduates because they are better skilled compared to non-college applicants. For this reason, they also have self-confidence when performing tasks because they are well-trained and have confidence in their skills and abilities. Therefore, making it compulsory to attend college gives students an excellent opportunity to learn.
Despite these claims, attending college should not be compulsory because it is a waste of time and money. Many students already have talents and skills, and there are many avenues from which students can learn. Hanson (2023) argues that, on average, people pay up to $100,000 for college, and this is a lot of money. Also, a lot of parents get into debt while trying to pay for college fees, leaving them with long-term debts that trickle down to their children. Also, the job market is uncertain, and this can make students frustrated and depressed when they are not placed in any jobs. Additionally, going to college can be time-wasting as it takes too long to graduate, and there are also many breaks that are unnecessary. Additionally, going to college is optional because some students already have skills and talents that they can work on and depend on for their livelihood. It is not practical for qualified athletes, musicians, or artists to go to college when they can use that time to develop their art. Also, students might have skills that they can perfect through master classes and get their way into the job market. Also, there are many avenues that people can learn from and not necessarily college; hence, there is no need to join a college. However, despite these claims, students need to join college as it is better for developing useful skills that will eventually help them get into the career they want and also a good way of developing personally.
In conclusion, college education should be compulsory because it facilitates skill development, gives a student all-round exposure, and offers diverse learning. The best advancements in society have been achieved due to the information that people get from attending college. If students want to explore other things, it is good for them, but they first need to get a college education as it helps them to adapt skills that will help to achieve others because college is not only about classroom learning. Parents should prepare their students to join colleges by teaching them the value of having an education. Most importantly, while making college compulsory, the government should offer affordable loans to students so that going to college does not feel like a bad financial decision.
References
Hanson, M. (2023, November 18). The average cost of college [2023]: yearly tuition + expenses. Education Data Initiative. https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college
Trostel, P. A. (2015). It is not just the money but the benefits of college education to individuals and society.
Abel, J. R., & Deitz, R. (2014). Do the benefits of college still outweigh the costs? Current issues in economics and finance, 20(3).
de Roux, N., & Riehl, E. (2022). Do college students benefit from placement into higher-achieving classes? Journal of Public Economics, 210, 104669.
Higher education. (2023, October 17). UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/higher-education#:~:text=There%20are%20around%20235%20million,differences%20between%20countries%20and%20regions.
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