7 Reason Not to Send Your Kids to College

First, I was never sent to college by anyone. My parents didn't send anyone to college. Some of went to college. We picked out a few schools and applied. And decided.

Quibble aside, only 7 reasons? (What about the dorms?)

Okay, that quibble aside, note that the 7 reasons here are put forward by a secular writer--at least the article is at a non-religious site and the reasons given are all economic reasons. So when will common sense take over? Unfortunately, history gives too many examples of whole populations embracing stupid (even evil) ideas and living with the consequences. In this case, we're looking at what has become a racket.

Last night on the local TV news there was a story about college graduates in Chicago finding work at "primary caregivers"--babysitters! And it was NOT a story about how bad the economy is. It was a positive story, with quotes about how personally fulfilling one young lady found caring for young person and how lucrative it was--no one quoted an actual salary. One of the many odd things about the story was that no one seem to notice the irony that college graduates physically are at their prime for having their own children, and instead, they're watching others' children, trying to pay off their college loans!

One professional-looking mom said that she felt good knowing that her baby was being watched by someone with a college degree. Her baby. You couldn't make this stuff up.

Comments

[Phoebe]

As a recent college grad going on to graduate school, I agree with a lot of what was said as a criticism of the financial cost. I stayed home for college and went to a state school. In New Mexico, lottery-funded scholarship enable any good resident student to go free. (ethically uncomfortable, but the default for almost everyone...)

Grad school funding is much more scary. I will probably run out of savings in the first year. Will my income be enough for the second? Am I willing to go into debt?

I think I should be willing to drop out if necessary. As a pianist with an interest in teaching and accompanying, I may be able to arrange some kind of apprenticeship/private study that would give me more practical skills than a second year of grad school. We'll see.

But all the way through, I had a definite purpose in going to college: to develop my skills as a pianist and enjoy advanced academics. But I saw plenty of people who were not there for those academic purposes. They should not have been at university. My sister is not sure what she wants to study, and may take a year off to explore other opportunities first. I think it's a good idea.

[Lars Walker]

Puts me in mind of Chesterton's comment that he never understood why it was considered admirable for a woman to teach arithmetic to other people's children, but shameful for her to teach the whole world to her own.

[Mike Melendez]

I never knew they taught child care in college.

[Matt]

I'm assuming the linked article is somewhat tongue in cheek. It never mentions intellectual fulfillment or education as a desirable end in itself, but only speaks to the economic benefits of a college education and doesn't even do a good job addressing that. If the average debt burden of a college graduate is only $23K, then that extra $800K of earnings makes sense. There's a fairly strong correlation between how much a parent invests in a child financially and how successful that child is in his or her career. The human brain doesn't fully mature until age 26 and the more intellectually enriching the environment while the brain is developing, the smarter the person is likely to end up. In an age where science and technology play such an important role in our lives, we need as many scientists and engineers as possible to enhance the quality of life. We also need a population with sufficient scientific knowledge to be able to make intelligent and knowledgeable decisions about scientific policy issues, such as climate change and medical benefits. There are many ways to reduce college costs. Take as many AP classes as possible while at school. Get a part-time job to pay for part of your education. Go to community college and do well enough to transfer your credits over. The people I know who wanted to go back to college at age 25 usually can't do so unless they have parental support. By that time, they're often married and have children and responsibilities. Night school takes them away from their families and doesn't allow them to do themselves justice academically. There are probably at least 70 good reasons why any caring parent should make every effort to send their kids to college and to help them make the experience successful.

[Aleksei]

Matt, when were you in college last? Forgive me, but, because I took my sweet time and didn't finish my bachelor's degree until 26, the experience is in my recent memory. I wouldn't call the college environment "intellectually fulfilling" save for the upper-tier offerings. The time I spent away from school, reading and investigating things on my own while working as a full-time GED teacher, provided a much better foundation than most of my classmates received. I continued to work as a full-time teacher (since GED classes are in the evening, and administrative work can be taken care of on a long Friday's worth of work) while getting high marks in my major (Mathematics).

At this point, college is, for most students, a glorified (and ineffecient, and ineffective) vo-tech.

[Matt]

Aleksei, it's about 12 years since I finished my undergraduate degree. After marrying and having kids, I went back and did my MBA part-time. I finished three years ago. The part-time MBA was very hard on the family. It would have been better to have got it done before having children. I found the learning experience of college valuable and mind expanding. Some courses were fluff, but most were interesting and led me to explore new territory. One thing I see in college graduates, or at least most of them, is that they tend to be able to differentiate between opinion and fact, so they're more analytical and better able to think rigorously. Also less gullible and more grounded in reality.

[Aleksei]

Sorry, I couldn't disagree more. Our Western civ class was taught by a Lacanian--the worst sort of postmodernist--and the kids in the class ate it all up--from his take on the Gospel of Matthew to his "corrections" of Marx. There were no dissenting opinions, no analytic reasoning. Sadly, this was typical of most people I met while at college, as well as some of my friends who've completed their Masters degree.

[Robert Espe]

For what it's worth, I paid for my bachelor's degree at a state university in cash (graduated in '08), my own cash too, not my parent's. It can still be done.

[Lawrence]

I wasted years in college. I'm now 42yrs old. Make good money and don't use my degree at all. I would recommend college for people who are not very self-directed and want to follow a cookie cutter path in life (nothing wrong with that) and for the very intelligent and highly motivated who want carriers in technical areas (doctors, scientist, engineer, etc.). The average self-starter who is willing to work hard, study independently and make his own path will be well ahead if he skips the 5 years his peers will sink into college. My 18 year old home schooled son began his own mowing business at age fourteen. He now employs three people, studies finance and accounting on his own and is looking to buy his first home next year.