College is EXPENSIVE! We all know this, so why are there so many prospective students who have know idea what they want to do. When asked what their upcoming major will be they reply “I don’t know yet.” … If you don’t know what you want to be when you grow up, then I think there is no definitive reason why you should go into college. It seems like a waste of money, both the parent’s and the government’s, for a young adult to enter a school where they are preparing you for a specialized field or onto further studies and not know what they want to do. These students end up skipping classes (refer to Elleana’s blog as well) or simply showing up to accomplish nothing. Freshman courses are the same anywhere and can thusly be taken at a smaller and thusly less expensive school. I took classes at a technical school and transferred in to save money. In a technical college working adults proliferate the classrooms and immaturity is not taken to kindly.
Perhaps, then, I’m being too judgemental. Is it too harsh to say that if you don’t know what you’re in college for then Get Out?! So much money allotted for education within the government’s budgets is being taken by colleges. Rightly so in most cases but wouldn’t the money saved then be filtered down into the primary schools where it is badly needed.
College has become the simple “way to do It” for so long, perhaps High Schools should take on a few fresh ideas such as telling students “you find out who you want to be- then enter college” Then again, I suppose society would have to change as well for those students who don’t know may be socially pressured to enter college for fear of being looked down upon. Are you one of these people? Just the word “Technical College” seems to place a negative connotation in many ears.
I propose this : Through one person at a time we realize 1) college is not for everyone, 2) not everyone knows what they want to do for the rest of their life at 17 yrs – and that’s OK, and 3) making the big bucks isn’t everything a career has to offer.
Don’t get me wrong – there are many students who are trying to decide between different options and take courses where they can find out more, and decide. I’m not worried about these students. If you go into college with one major in mind and change that's ok. At least you had a plan. The popultion of “IDK” majors are pretty bad in state colleges, but it really hurts to see such undecisive people in a private college, like the one I attend. I have to spend literally $25,000 – not including room/board or food – to get a specialized degree in Veterinary Technology (not technician) and human biological psychology. That doesn’t include gas because I commute. If it wasn’t for loans, scholarships, and my parents there is no way I could keep up with 21 hours and pay for college. I even started off in a Technical college, because frankly, freshman courses are the same whereever,
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I beg to differ. College is the time to find out what you are meant to do the rest of your life. Many college freshmen enter college thinking they're set for a certain major and end up graduating with a different major. Yes, college is expensive and it's not for everyone, but that's beside the point.
**Save English as a first language, yo.
Exactly....A large number of students don't know what to major in when they enter college for the simple reason that they haven't had the chance to explore the different possibilities in secondary education. In many schools, you have your core (math, science, English, history and possibly language) classes, some gym and possibly an art/music/drama class. Other offerings like culinary or other practical classes are available in some schools, but usually only taken by students who want an easy A class.
College is the place where, for the first time in most cases, students are able to sample from an enormous number of course offerings they've never been exposed to before. A student might take a philosophy course and realize then that philosophy/theology/religious studies is their area of greatest interest. High schools simply don't offer those kinds of courses.
That's why even among students who have a good idea of what they want to study, most students change their major at least once. They just haven't had the selection available to them to really decide what they want to do (unless they've been dreaming of doing something since childhood, like being a doctor or a teacher).
Even then, many people (if not most) end up in a career that's outside of the field of their major. It's just life; thing's change.
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"Our lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Live one day at a time, emphasizing ethics rather than rules."
-Wayne Dyer
I'd have to agree. College gives you much more than just a degree.
I clearly put "I'm not talking about those who change their majors " but those who enter college not knowing at ALL what they want to do. Why must a teenager who has no idea whether he wants to be a PE teacher or a chemist go to the most expensive college in the state? That's what smaller colleges are for!
I kind of agree, but to a point.
The problem with that is that smaller colleges often have smaller varieties in course options (closer to that of their high schools) because they tend to be either community or liberal arts colleges. There's nothing wrong with liberal arts colleges, especially if they're connected to a larger university so as to provide more options in courses, but the fact is small colleges tend to be geared more toward English, history, linguistics or humanities majors and also tend to have fewer financial aid opportunities since they often have fewer benefactors. The main problems students have with community colleges is that the credits don't always transfer to the four-year school they end up choosing and they have to either live at home or rent an apartment; there are no residential options.
Honestly, I think it would be better to start off not knowing what you want to major in, decide in the first two years or so while you knock out general education (gen-ed) courses and go from there than to start of majoring in say English or something, taking courses geared much more toward that major, and then deciding you really want to major in something like Computer Science. Some of those credits might not count to the new major and end up a waste of money.
Additionally, gen-ed requirements (which everyone has to take) can seem like a waste to those who already know what they want to major in and want to get to it quickly (I know some of the ones I'm taking seem like that to me).
I just think there are two sides to the issue, and neither should be overlooked.
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"Our lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Live one day at a time, emphasizing ethics rather than rules."
-Wayne Dyer
Good point and point taken.