College Discussion Thread

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#1weavile

I'm still alive =)
Member
It's been a while since I made a discussion so I decided to make this one worthwhile to make up for like 5 months XD

What do you people think of college, is it worthwhile for the price or are they overrated? What about the Ivy League, are they worth the hefty price and the burden of debt?

What are you guys, as students, do to increase your chances for getting into college and what do you think is required to better your chances.

College is needed, no questions asked. My opinion is that the ivy league, despite the name, is not worth the money as it is not where you go to college, but what you do with the knowledge that matters. Please note that I am not implying that you can go to a low-tier school and expect the same results. The top university or second top will suffice.

When I asked random students what they thought the requirements for college are, they immediately replied GPA, SAT, Extracurricular Activities(ECs), volunteer work, etc. But nowadays, especially with the top colleges, the college admissions officer is looking at your potential, how you can potentially bring a good name to this school. GPA and SAT do test intelligence but only to an extent and cannot be used to measure a person's potential. Even a person with a low gpa can get into top schools if they do something extraordinary. SCHOOL IS NOT EVERYTHING.

Although, GPA and SAT are important, I plan to do outside work to show that I am practical and street smart. For me, I plan on doing something business related during the summer since I want to major in healthcare administration. I am volunteering at a local hospital as a receptionist to let myself be exposed to a hospital setting and to assist people.

I have said enough, perhaps too much :p, so now I want to hear of your thoughts on college.

EDIT 1: To prevent from leaving out college students from this discussion, explain what you did to get where you are, and what you could have done better. Please state your college if you don't mind.
 
I want to go to Harvard or Yale, my Dad went to Yale, so I have a better chance of getting in
 
In the UK, they just increased the prices of going to university so that universities can charge up to £9000 per year. That's generally going to be the top universities like Oxford and Cambridge. I can see why the government did this because 25% of people drop out (in the UK anyway) but if someone is doing a doctorate it will cost them a minimum of £54000. This completely rules out some people who would do a doctorate but can't because of the tuition fees. By the way, I'm thinking of going to Oxford or Cambridge to study medicine so I'm quite worried about having to pay this much money.

Just out of interest, how much does it cost to go to an Ivy League college?
 
I think college is extremely important. I have heard people say the diploma is hardly worth anything anymore and to get ahead in life requires even more schooling (masters, doctorate). I disagree. The experiences that one develops while in college will last the person their entire lifetime. College teaches students to think critically, encourage them to be open-minded, and explore subjects they never thought to look in.

Of course, the job market is competitive and jobs are scarce but I think that one has a better chance in finding a good job with a diploma versus no diploma. I am really afraid that anti-intellectualism will become prevalent in America. Sadly, college is often plagued with associations to the party scenes and just waiting parents money. I understand students need to have fun but I feel academics to be more important then "drinking till you drop".

I plan to go onto graduate school and possibly my doctorate. I am looking into either Education, Asian Studies, or Japanese. As for Ivy League schools, I do wish I went to a more prominent school. My college is well-known in the State but its no where near the Ivy Leagues. The college you go to WILL have an effect to your future job or further schooling.
 
As an exact value: a lot.
IMO attending Ivy league colleges are worth the debt if the job you're going for makes up for it.
What am I doing to increase my chances of getting into college? Being a boy scout.
 
Going to college was well worth it for me. It helped me develop some skills that I wanted to improve on. Even just having a degree proves you are motivated to work to achieve something.
 
Guys, take it from someone who has talked to a lot of people about this. The big name colleges are just that, a name. Guess what? NO ONE cares where you went to college later in life. You can get just as good an education at another college, for only a fraction of the price. Only for a HIGHLY specialized field would you want to consider going to a big name place for that field. And I would say even that only applies to higher sciences and maths. For anything else, just find a college that is good, but doesn't have the "name" and price tag to go along with the name.
 
@DarthPika: Companies and Graduate schools DO look at big name schools though. As well, bigger name schools like Yale and Havard have the money to support professors, specialists, etc. They generally have more resources when it comes to education compared to a regular small state school. (I am not bashing state schools...I went to one but its the truth).

Unless you just want to coast through college and get that degree; a regular school is good. However, if you either want to continue to education or get a much nicer job, I would consider (if you have the money) in going to a nicer school. You don't have to choose the Ivy League but there are schools that are state (University of Texas, USC, OSU (Im a OSU fan lol)) but are almost comparable to Ivy League.

I wish I went to a more challenging school. If you wish to continue your higher education, it is important to consider what school you go to. This is because the the school you get your degree from, generally, the school you ultimately teach at one will be one level below the school you graduated from. While not always true, I have heard and read a lot of professors state that.
 
BUMP

and also a bit old but here's a story on the SAT essay by the NY Times. SAT essay "facts" don't have to be true.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/04/education/04education.html
 
I feel attending (and graduating, of course) college is an extremely important task. The skills you gain from classes there are vital to going far in whatever career one wishes to pursue.

Despite their importance, I do feel colleges are far too expensive. I don't claim to be an expert on how much it takes to run a college efficiently, so I can't claim they're gouging - it's very possible every last cent is needed to pay for teachers, supplies, etc. But the fact how much money one has limits how far one can go in the education system absolutely sickens me. No matter how willing you are to learn, no matter how well you did in your earlier school years, if you can't pay the outrageous amount they ask for, you're left behind. They try to justify it with grants and scholarships and loans, but what about the people who can't seem to get any of those? The people who put their heart and soul into school, actually enjoy it, but simply aren't blessed with enough money? I suppose they're cast aside by some cruel variation of "survival of the fittest."

I'm one of the people afflicted by this side of college. I did very well in school, poured everything I had into it. For three years now I've been trying to find ways to get into college. I can get accepted just fine, but I can never get enough financial aid. For some reason the government feels I don't qualify for grants, schools don't offer enough support, and we can't get loans. I should be nearing the end of my third year in college by now, but instead I'm stuck at home (thank the heavens I was able to get a job this year to help my parents pay bills), wasting away as I pray for the day I can afford the education I worked so hard for.

The pursuit of higher knowledge should be limited only by one's willingness to learn. Money should have nothing to do with it. However, this is the real world - money makes the world go 'round. Unfortunately it's not something that's going to change.
 
I am looking forward to going to college after high school. Granted, I'm just a freshman, but I think it'll be a great experience, and I am one of those people who definitely thinks it is necessary to be successful. I'm taking one dual credit course at my current high school, and I hope to get into a school next year that gives college credit just for taking regular classes. This means quite a few less courses that I need to take in college. I haven't given much thought as to where I want to go (again, I'm only a freshman), but I hope to go somewhere fairly well rounded in terms of academics, art, and technology. I'd also like to go somewhere with a good enough basketball team to not be embarrassing, but bad enough for me to be able to get on it. Chea.
 
College isn't totally necessary and doesn't necessarily show how good you are at something, but it is a good way to convince the world that you are as smart as you are.
I, too, am looking forward to college. Mostly because I want to learn, but can't function in a normal school. I have ADD and I'm stubborn and opinionated and it's extremely difficult for me to focus on or put any effort in to things that I don't care about or think are stupid.
I'm looking forward to college because I choose to be there and will only be taking classes in things that I am interested in (for the most part, I know my sister had to take an unwanted statistics class).

As for what colleges I want to go to, I'm only a freshman so I can't really fairly say, but I'm interested in Cooper Union, or any art/design school in Colorado or the bay area.

I lol'd at the last line in 6-D's post.

Oh, I am also going to a school where you get a highschool diploma and a two year degree next year.
 
Yeah, depending on what your major is; you have to take a couple required courses. For example, I majored in Asian Studies. However, I had to take two math classes, three science classes, and a required university course. I hated all 6 of these courses but for one of these classes, I took Geology course which I actually liked a lot.
 
If you read the posts, there's at least two people looking forward to going to college. >_>

I'm planning on going as well. I'm kinda stuck on where to go and what I'm planning on doing there, but I'll figure it out.

dmaster out.
 
Ya. I want to go to college.

If the quoting was working I'd give you quotes of 2-3 others who have said they're going to college.
 
I've already pretty much given my thoughts, but here's a warning for any high school Class of '11 students: if I were to change anything over my college career, it'd be, surprisingly, getting less involved. I stretched myself pretty thin, and made me want to give up pretty much everything. Getting involved is important and makes for a great college experience, just don't go overboard.
 
I plan to go to university, hopefully Oxford or Cambridge to study medicine. It is going to be pretty hard to get in for any subject but I will do my best. However I don't really want to move out of London, I love the hustle and bustle of the city. I might just go imperial college instead.
 
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