The Benefits of a College Education Essay Sample

📌Category: Education, Higher Education
📌Words: 1096
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 07 June 2022

Today, it is expected that after graduating high school students plan on continuing their education at a university. We do know how beneficial a college degree can be. It not only gives students a better chance at an entry level job but also a lot of college graduates are suffering from student loans. According to US news “College graduates from the class of 2020 who took out student loans borrowed $29,927 on average, according to data reported to US news.” (Kerr and Wood, 2021).  So, in the end, we need to ask ourselves, all those years of studying, the high student loans, and not even being guaranteed a steady job after college, is it worth it?  While attending college can lead to a better more successful life, how does one define a student’s success beyond a college degree? As a current college student at Winona State University, this is important for not just me but other students to determine what are the factors in predicting whether to attend college or not? And how influential are prominent social media networks in the college decision making process? 

According to Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW), “Adults with a bachelor’s degree earn an average of $2.8 million during their careers, $1.2 million 

more than the median for workers with a high school diploma” (Nietzel 2021). This shows us that each additional level of education workers tends to earn more than those with less education. Any type of education after completing high school will have you earning more, whether it’s some college, an associate’s or anything higher. Furthermore, college graduates tend to have a better-quality life. How? you may ask, well apart from the obvious fact that their income is greater, studies show college graduates are healthier and live longer, their children are more prepared for school and are more productive members of society. Besides the academic benefits of a college degree, there are many nonacademic benefits of obtaining a college degree. According to Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences and the United States “Life expectancy for the two thirds of Americans without a college degree is declining — creating a growing gap in life expectancy between those with and those without a secondary education” (Hess 2021). This explains that earning a college degree will not help you for financial stability and job stability, but you have a higher chance of living longer with a degree vs not having a degree. Another benefit of college education is that graduates earn more communication skills beyond the classroom. One example is from Cabrini University, which states that “The top three soft skills employers seek are the abilities to work in a team, to solve problems, and to communicate verbally, college graduates develop stronger communication skills and learn how to think more analytically about decisions and problems”. 

As for the moneymaking, the first 5 years aren’t looking so great for college graduates with student loans, but after that, those who graduate college with a bachelor’s degree could be possibly earning more money in the long run despite the loans. In some cases, it depends on different areas of specialization students choose to study. According to Current Issues in Economics and Finance, “Students majoring in fields that provide technical training such as engineering or math and computers or fields geared towards growing parts of their economy such as health care, have tended to earn high returns on their educational investments, while many students majoring in fields such as leisure and hospitality, agriculture, architecture, or liberal arts have tended to fare worse, if they find themselves unemployed” (Abel 2014).  This demonstrates that while college does have some great benefits such as higher pay and increased job opportunities, which do outweigh the costs not all college degrees are in equally good investments. 

Nowadays college can showcase the life that people wish to achieve and not the life that a lot of people really want. So why do students choose to attend college? Are they influenced by society? Does social media play a key role? Growing up a lot of students are told college is the best and only option to be successful and that attending a higher level of education beyond a high school diploma can lead to a better more successful life. However, this opinion isn’t always accurate. Some even believe that success isn’t defined by having a college degree or financial wealth and measure it on other characteristics such as relationships with others and future successes in careers outside of education. Many people that don’t attend college can still provide a standard way of living. As claimed by the information found from Forbes “Stories about billionaire entrepreneurs, such as Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, who decided not to graduate from college”. This shows us that that despite not following the traditional career path, their names become very successful even without a college degree. (Gold 2019).  But today, a lot of students choose to go to college not just for them but to please others since it expected of them. This was a huge factor in the high school I attended. A lot of students didn’t know what they wanted to study when starting college or even feel like they wanted to go at all. But they felt like it was the safest way out to be successful and have a stable future.  

Social media also plays a key role in deciding what students want to do with their futures. When scrolling through different social media platforms, we can get a glimpse into the life of college students and what it consists of. This can influence students deciding whether to attend college and even which college they want to attend. Tik Tok for example showcases lots of college content. According to The Ambassador Platform, “It’s a great place to share content that showcases the experience of life at your campus, that might be quick-fire campus tours, coverage of graduation, and, of course, interviews with your students (Musson 2021). 

In addition, you can use social channels as a chance to follow and interact with accounts who align with your academic goals. If there’s a specific area of study that intrigues you, you can seek out professionals in the field. Twitter for example is important in certain academics. According to Next Step U, “Twitter can offer you insights into their area of expertise. Not only will this show admissions officers that you’re using your social channels to engage with influential professionals, but it will also give you an opportunity to learn more about your prospective career field” (University Tudor 2021). This demonstrates that using social media is a great way to gain knowledge about not just which college to attend but also a deeper understanding into certain majors and minors of certain colleges. 

College education has always been an opportunity for individuals to enhance their education and more opportunities to improve your life. By looking into factors on how success is defined by a college degree, the factors that impact deciding to attend college, and the roles social media are significant in the college decision process.

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