Why Go to College?

• Author: Michael |University Scholar
• Filed under: College Advice
• Date: Apr 15,2008

Have you ever asked yourself why you are going to college? Are you going to college because your parents say that you should? Are you going to college because society says you should? Or are you going because you actually want to learn?

If you are going to college just because society or your parents say you should, you may want to reevaluate your decision. The truth is you don’t have to go to college. This idea is one of the first things I realized when I began college. I don’t have to be here. Getting an A on a test does not matter.

To make the most out of college every homework assignment needs to be for you, every test needs to be for you, and every activity needs to be for you. Allowing society to make your college decisions will not be a great source of motivation. The best motivation comes from within.

What to do in college?

The guys from HackCollege wrote a post discussing universities as a Petri Dish. Going to college should be more than just satisfying the requirements that have been set by society. College should be an experiment, and there will never be a time in your life that you have a better opportunity to experiment than when you are in college.

The reason why experimenting in college is advantageous is because you have a large pile of resources that you will never again have.

Student Organizations

Do you have a plan for a business you can start? Or just a local organization? Well take advantage of the resources for student organizations. By starting a student organization you can get funding from the school to host events. And if you are the one that started the organization you are the lucky one to be titled as president, if you so desire.

Volunteering

Once you get a job at a company, you will begin needing to work your way up a ladder to become someone of important. But at a university, becoming an important person in the community is very easy. All you need to do is volunteer. Most tasks at a university are offered on a volunteer basis. By becoming an active volunteer, you increase your chance of starting higher up on the corporate ladders. It is much easier to climb in college than it is in the working arena.

Your Professors

The best resource, the one never used, is your professors. Students do not realize that the professors are paid to have office hours. Go to their office. You may not believe it but most professors enjoy your company. Your professors know a lot, they did go to graduate school, but there are things that you know that they don’t. Like how well the class enjoys the lecture, or using technology in the classroom. You will enjoy the lectures more if you are active, in and out of class.

Are you going or are you going?

Once you realize that you are going to college for yourself, you will begin to take advantage of the once in a lifetime resources that are available to you at college. Going to college just becuase society tells you to go will not get you far. Personal ambition is what drives those that succeed.