There are many reasons for not enrolling in college. Every reason centers around a core rationale — if one has found themselves and knows what they want to do, a college degree would only hinder their progress, and they should forgo the traditional college path and start their life.
But there are also reasons why one should stay in college. If one hasn’t found the answer to the question of who they are or what they want, there is no better place than college to find out.
It is debatable whether or not classes are the core of the college experience, but their ability to spur intellectual development is certainly not up for discussion. Our classes are meant to shape our minds as much as they are meant to shape our careers. N.C. State forces a sampling of other majors through their general education requirements, an idea founded on much brilliance and resentment— this gives the students the ability to experience more than just a confined stream of knowledge.
These requirements have led me to classes on topics ranging from time-travel to ancient satire. Each one of the bizarre classes I first met with great disdain- however, without being forced into these classes there is no way that I’d be exposed to what currently constitutes a foundation of my knowledge and perspective. It is the purpose of these classes to drive you into fields that you could not previously understand.
Beyond the classroom there is life, and being in college gives students the license and power to do more in life than those who forgo higher education. Within our campus, one is not only able to but is encouraged to adorn as many hats as possible. This role sampling is necessary as it enables us to find our place, and years from now, any embarrassment found in the recollection of our foregone paths will be quelled by one’s place in college.
Finally, college enables us to adapt to our newfound independence. Even for those not lucky enough to be financially secure in their college pursuits, they are still shielded from the realities that lie in wait. Burdens such as food, transport, security, and housing are guaranteed by the all-inclusive bundle that is college.
In college we are able to spend our time honing our independence and finding ourselves. It would undoubtedly be jolting and highly unlikely, at 18 years of age, to jump straight into the world, conquer all its burdens, and find one’s independence simultaneously.
For us in college who still find ourselves shielded from the world, we should take many hats, many bizarre classes, and many opportunities to broaden ourselves. There are many benefits to the college life – why would we ever want to leave?