Harvard. Princeton. MIT. Stanford.
What do these words have in common? A name brand and a hefty price tag.
The “Mountain Lakes Mentality” which markets these name brand colleges is no stranger to any student in this school starting their college search or stressing over deadlines. Lately, it has been stronger than ever. After all, doesn’t a person’s acceptance into a highly ranked school directly correlate to superior intelligence and foreshadow a successful career? Not necessarily.
If you want to attend the top ranking school of your dreams and have the scores and stats to back it up, go for it! However, many students are made to feel that a rejection from their dream school, an imperfect SAT/ACT score or GPA correlates to inferior intelligence. This is simply not the case.
There is life after a rejection letter. There are alternatives to going into hundreds of thousands of dollars of student debt. There are substitutes to attending top rated schools. It is important to remember that while those four-year colleges you’ve been eyeing for years are great options, they are not the only options.
Community College. Gap year. Entrepreneurship.
What do these words have in common?
They are all flexible, cost-effective, and very realistic alternatives to attending a four-year university. Yet, these are options that are constantly discounted or looked down upon.
How many times have you heard someone jokingly remark: A gap year is a chance to “find yourself?” Some see taking a gap year as a waste of time and money; however, studies support that the decision to take a gap year deserves valid consideration. In taking a year off to “find yourself,” a gap year allows students flexibility and opportunities to explore potential areas of interest with internships and apprenticeships.
According to statistics provided by The Leap, 60% of students who took a gap year said that it actually helped them decide what they wanted to study at their respective universities. Could having that early exposure to a certain field eliminate wasted college tuition and decrease the number of students switching to a different major? Many are too quick to discount this option to be able to find out.
Our society has established a pattern that many of us repeat throughout our lives. High school, college, more college, job. Quite frankly, there is nothing wrong with following this pattern. But society’s established system rewards outside thinkers. People willing to take a risk, pursue a dream, manufacture an invention…anything.
Look at Abraham Lincoln. Steve Jobs. Relatable and quirky Ellen Degeneres. Now, what do these names all have in common? These are all figures who were and are outside the box thinkers, who became successful without a college degree. If they can do it, why can’t you?
The Bottom Line:
There is absolutely value in attending college, whether you have your sights set on an Ivy League school or not. But it is important to remember there are viable alternatives to attending college. Don’t just attend a school because it looks pretty. Ask yourself, what do you want to do? Be smart about it. It’s important to explore and look at every option before looking at the one that looks the most glamorous.
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