Ms. Donna Pike: First Generation College Student

One question that comes to mind when graduating high school is, “should I attend college?” For many graduates this question have a very obvious answer. A high school graduate may state that, “college is the best option if one is trying to get a higher level of education, and will help one compete for a higher paying job.” However, in my opinion most graduates do not consider the fact that going to college is a very big decision to make and that the schoolwork will not be easy. Going to college is not the best choice for every high school graduate because many students cannot handle college, colleges’ lower standards, and not all jobs require a college degree.

I want to to go to college for something that I love. When I’m done with college and have a job, I want to know that it was all worth it. My motivation isn’t my parents. My parents aren’t going to be there to make all my decisions and tell me what to do. Going to college is my ultimate decision. Secondly my ultimate motivation to go to college is for the money. I want to be able to support my future self and also my family when the time comes. Lastly I want to go to college so I can get a degree. Many jobs now a days require that you have a degree. According to the article “Even for Cashiers College Pays Off” by David Leonhardt he states, “ Education helps people do higher- skilled work, get jobs with better-paying companies or open their own businesses.” Many workers alike benefit from having a high-school diploma and a college degree. People acquire many valuable skills while in college. Either way, the skills that colleges teach, related to discipline and persistence, may be more valuable than academics. My motivation to keep going to and go to college has always been my own expectations of being able to to reach the highest point of success in doing what i want in

“I went to college because it was what I thought I was supposed to do”, is something that is often heard from students when they are asked why they went to college. Society has predefined a direction in life for human beings that is believed to be the mantra for success. A student typically goes from high school to a college and further after college takes up a job. It hardly comes as a surprise as to why students fail to attach a reason to pursue a college education, as every student is expected to go to college and follow the same direction to be successful in life. The choice of what to do after school is deemed as a matter of employability and the accepted notion states that college is missing piece to the jigsaw that will turn the lives around for people whereas failure to achieve a college education will leave the person incapable of flourishing in the outside world. However, the biggest mistake in this system lies at the very beginning- designing the same path for every student. Every student is different from the others and every student has different goals and ambitions. Whereas one student wants to become a chemical engineer, another has a strong passion for football. So, not all students should be encouraged to pursue a college education, as universities offer a one-size-fits-all education model geared only toward certain careers, failing to help students with interests outside typical academic fields to prosper in life.

Society today is often very pressuring towards young adults when it comes to attending college. Maybe it’s because it is the most appropriate idea for people. College provides the average human with a higher satisfaction of life due to the experience and the positives outcomes than that of someone who chooses not to go to college. Although college results in the possibility of debt afterwards, it is still worth the journey.

My parents never pressured me to choose a certain major or even a specific college, except that I wasn’t going to MTSU. They didn’t think it gave a poor education, the problem was it’s practically in our backyard. Chances are I would have lived at home and not been able to experience the social aspect of college. In his article, “Colleges Prepare People for Life” Freeman Hrabowski states, “Yes, colleges prepare people for jobs, but more critically, they prepare people for life.” I have always believed that you learn more from college

Continuing a post-high school education is a massive pressure that parents give their kids and in most cases, the reason being, is that they want their kids to have a better way of life than they themselves ever had. Usually the topic of college arises when the child is in high school and the options of whether or not it is the best decision for the person seem to be the topic of most dinner table conversations. In some cases the only option is going to college. This stubborn and strict attitude can be traced to the parent and the social class or economic hardships they have raised their children around, compared to the one they could have if they continued their education.

In primary schools children begin questioning the need for education. It is a questions that continues to plague them even into high school. Upon entering high school the need for education becomes more apparent. High school guidance consolers help correlate the reality of becoming a successful adult and the life decisions one makes. As high school comes to an end some choose to go straight into the work world and others choose college. Many factors play into the decisions of furthering one’s life endeavors, many students have been pounded that college is the only option, parents install this concept into their children from birth. Why? I personally believe that there are many benefits of going to college, but it is not as necessary as everyone

Many students feel pressured by their parents to attend to college and also may feel required to “follow in their footsteps” in some cases. When it comes to most

“Education is critical, college is not.” (Live Careers) As straightforward as it is, college isn’t for everyone. There are a plethora of reasons for not going to college, but it feels like a norm in current time. When you graduate high school, you are normally 17 or almost 18 which means that you are capable of your life after you’re handed the high school diploma. If a student doesn’t see college in their future, or it isn’t their dream, then they shouldn’t feel required to attend. An alternative could possibly be to get an entry level job, military, or volunteering. The point here is, college after high school isn’t necessary. While college provides tons of information and knowledge and could expand the range of hardworking jobs for an individual, it´s very expensive and proven to put students in massive debt. Some college graduates are employed in jobs that do not require college degrees, and after college they may have the degrees and knowledge, but they will have to pay of the debt before they are able to invest in anything as an adult.

Many students after high school are on the road to college but not really knowing what to expect or what they’re getting into. People may say college education is worth the price of admission and some may say the total opposite. College education is worth it only if you can afford it and knowing what you’re going to major in is going to be helpful for you later on in the future. Because college is not always the easy way out.

Deciding going to college is a decision that today young adults are deciding for themselves. Alternatively, is this decision taken away from them by society standards? Most young adults are crossing this social dilemma by the time that finishes high school. In addition, we have learned how a college degree can provide us a higher economic status, power, prestige, and level of property. That is to say, it does not matter if you are very skillful on computer coding, managing, or finance, because most of your skills have to back up by a certification that it say so. US News Money had predicted by 2020 most of the “high education jobs” were you need at least a bachelor degree will cover from the 50% to the 60% of the job market. As a result,

Attending college itself is a huge part in an individual's life, but some students don't attend college right after graduating high school because of the lack of financial support. Students themselves get a job to pay for the college fees, class fees and even textbooks required for the class instead of relying on the parents. This creates a ton amount of stress in a student's life which leads them to doing

To many students it may come as a surprise that once they hit there senior year they realize they don't know what they want to do with there lives, or which college they wish to use in order to become the person they want to be. They become seniors and then realize they aren't ready to go to college or to move away from home. I know this because I'm going through it right now. Growing up, college was always the end goal in my mind. My parents and teachers would emphasize the importance of getting a great education through college. They talked about all the amazing opportunities that would come after receiving a post-secondary education, and many of my peers were told similar things. The discussion my family and I had was never about if I was

Our whole lives we are told education is the most important thing. We are told we must go to college in order to be successful. These are the expectations people have of us. After we graduate High School we are expected to go to college. College is supposed to be the goal that everyone wants to achieve. College is an institution of higher learning where you gain life skills and skills that help you to be the best in whichever career you choose. If this is the case then why have college enrollment rates decreased over the years. According to Alia Wong, the percentage of high-school graduates who immediately enrolled in college fell from 69 percent in 2008 to 66 percent in 2013 and continues to decrease. If college is supposed to better your life why do so many high school students decide not to go?

Our Parents or Guardians have the biggest influence in our lives. They are the ones that push us to succeed by either telling us in order to have a happy life you must attend college or they point at an old crippled, grimy man in crummy clothing, sleeping on the side of the road and tells us if you don’t go to college that is your future. We have all at some point of our lives heard the statement “knowledge is power” and we automatically think this means we must stay in school and attend college in order to be powerful, but like Malcolm x has proven you can be both knowledgeable and powerful without attending college , you just need to want to do something positive in your life.