At Issue: Students should go to college after high school

Katelyn Leano, News Editor

College application: check. FAFSA application: check. College visit: check. College is important because if a student wants a job that pays a good salary, then going to college is imperative.
College graduates earn more money than people who only have a high school diploma. According to a recent study done by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, college graduates earn over $1 million more over their lifetime than those with just a high school diploma.
College is necessary because students gain their independence. Because of that, they have to do many “adult” tasks including laundry, cooking for themselves and cleaning their living space.
College also gives students a fresh start as they are transitioning from life as a child to life as an adult. For example, if students depend on their parents all the time to pay their cell phone bills, then it will be a difficult transition into adulthood, if they don’t learn how to take care of themselves or manage their money.
Students have to learn how to live independently, along with learning how to be adults and how to form relationships with other adults. Whether a student goes to a four-year college, a two-year college or takes a few courses in order to find out what he/she wants to do, higher education forces students to be more independent and take responsibility for it. Students cannot do this staying at home and living with their parents.
College is also beneficial because students can learn more about who they are. It’s hard to find students who are completely self-aware. Some students go to college knowing what they want to do after they graduate, but many don’t know who they are and what they want to do. When students go to college, they have an opportunity to explore the real world, while studying in their intended career path.
Many colleges offer study abroad programs, and these can be beneficial to students because they can learn to be independent while learning about a new culture. This provides students with an expanded view of the world.
High school students should go to college because many aspects of college convert into important life skills that will prepare students for adult life after graduating college.
College is vital to a student’s education because students can gain valuable work skills that will help them gain employment in the real world.
It teaches them vital information and skills for whatever field they go into.
Overall, it is important to go to college because college gives students the opportunity to find out who they are.