One of the most important things college taught me was focus and discipline. It also taught critical thinking and objectivity. I was expected to read a number of books per week and write papers on various subjects related to my degree. The difference between HS, community college, and a 4 year institution is huge. I was really impressed with my classmates that worked part time while going to 4 year university. Its a selection process. To the other arguments in this thread I agree. If you are going to go into debt 80k for a job that pays 25k the reward to risk isn't good unless its really what you want to do. If nothing else I hope these people have learned from their mistakes. If I could go back I think I would get a degree in something more practical but who knows at the time I wasn't interested in finance or econ so maybe I would have quit who knows?
Dan, you raise a good point. Focus and discipline are certainly necessary, but MOTIVATION is the key to getting anything done in life. I was lucky enough to have been in Marching Band in High School, but in later years I wished I'd enrolled in some sports program, especially football. Just for the motivation it teaches. Put enough motivation into a young person, and focus and discipline are sure to follow.
If you need someone yelling at you, telling you to do push-ups, run-laps, work harder, and calling you a lady, join the army.
I agree about learning for its own sake - esp in the humanities. However, I do not taking exams and proving oneself in tests or writing papers is the way to learn these subjects. It need be learned as part of the extra-curriculum - not subject to exams.
I actually looked into the military and Coast Guard but not one person in that I know that enlisted in the Navy got anything close to what the recruiter said they would get.........they all swabbed the deck to one extent or another. One guy was really smart and they told him he could be a fighter pilot, we told him BS you are color blind dude! He swabbed the deck too! My buddy I went to the recruiter with joined because he couldn't handle college and it helped him. He was a boiler room tech on a big ship and it helped him become a maintenance supervisor at a big hotel chain, good paying job actually. But everyone else regretted it. Besides when I went to college in the late 80's and 90's a degree almost ensured you would make more money. Sometimes it even leads to networking and job placement later. I was fortunate in that my Mom paid for me and both my parents are college educated, although my Dad served in the Marines before college.
well for one thing, if you get an education, you don't need others to explain comments to you. You use your mind to solve problems sheesh...
"well for one thing, if you get an education, you don't need others to explain comments to you" college doesn't teach you to be a mind reader.
the situation is that you are incapable of responding to an assertion to a specific sentence that u wrote. "About deep understanding and training in sciences and math and language/English and writing and academic pursuits and history and other cultures/countries and a lot of other things that HS students just do not get."-quikretirement http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=201210&perpage=10&pagenumber=3 http://snipurl.com/xe79j your claim that college graduates are mentally disciplined and have a "deep understanding " of the sciences and math is dubious at best. - zdreg so is your reading of the post. - quikretirement be specific.