Robert Moreno

Professor Bieber
15 September 2015
English 115 Honors
What is a College Education?
For most people, college is the path and gateway to a successful and
prosperous life where they excel in their career. A college education is the
first step out into the real world on your own. You must learn the ways of the
real world and adjust, pick yourself up, make changes, and continue on in a
positive direction, advancing in life and closer to your intended career. You
will be able to do this through a college education because it will give you
the lifelong tools necessary to do so whether it be through connections or
networking, critical thinking skills, communication skills, or the education
itself.
Though a college education is highly beneficial to most of society, it is
definitely not for everyone. Prices on most four-year universities alone tend
to deter many people that should be getting an education. People become
financially restrained which is not giving an equal opportunity to all. There
are college loans that allow students and/or their parents to borrow money,
but not everyone is able to nor qualifies to receive these. Many people also
think about the loans once their college education is over. They often ask
themselves a multitude of questions such as How will I be able to pay for
these once I am done with school? Do I really want to pay back student loans

my entire life? Is this education really worth hundreds of thousands of

dollars? Once they have answered them, some people come to a conclusion
that they would just rather find work straight out of high school and try to
work their way up, or that they will go to a community college instead. If you
qualify and are willing to receive an elite and pristine education, you should
be able to do just that without social or economic status coming into play.
Other factors that impede people from attending a four-year university
may be their IQ or even the methods by which they have been taught and
the amount of time that it takes to complete their education. People normally
start school in Pre-Kindergarten at the age of five and graduate high school
at the age of eighteen. That is already a full thirteen years of ones life just to
get to the crucial, next level of their education. Teachers and institutions
mainly believe in only one way of teaching. They make your sit in a
classroom and read or listen to what they say then test you on the material.
They only benefit one type of leaners, those that are classroom learners.
Everyone else is forced to learn and somewhat adapt to that way of learning.
They have no choice but to try to conform to the best of their ability. Schools
do not allow those who are visual, kinesthetic, aural, nor interpersonal
learners to reach their true potential and flourish.
Students become repulsed when learning only one way and cannot
handle a next level education being taught like all the other classes they
have previously taken. For that reason, many people decide that college
would not be an ideal route for them and choose to not attend. If the type of

learning isnt a deciding factor for a student, then the sheer amount of time
spent in school might be. After thirteen full years of a constant education,
college normally takes another four to six years to obtain the intended
degree just so you can barely start out in your given career or field of
operation. Many feel that it is not worth the time and they would be better
off getting a job from someone that they may know or working straight out of
high school.
Many people can agree that high school does not prepare you enough
for college. It does not develop the person that college requires you to be.
Instead, it gives you a somewhat false sense of satisfaction and
accomplishment. Teachers teach and provide you with an abundance of
rules, guidelines, and regulations that you must follow in college. Most of
these so called helpful tips really cannot be applied or are untaught to us
in college.
High school should help you discover who you are and your interests. It
should help you locate and pinpoint a major that is suitable, reasonable, and
enjoyable for you. High school fails to do this and does not help us become
prepared students for college. Poor preparation causes an abundance of
issues, and these issues become overwhelming for so many students that
they end up dropping out of college and not finishing their education or
simply end up taking to long. Upon interviewing people at California State
University, Northridge, I found that many have changed their majors at least
halfway through their education. This means that they have to go back and

take beginning classes for their newly desired major. Other students were
kicked out due to poor preparation or simply decided to drop out. They
returned with a better understanding of what college is and how to succeed,
but years and tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars later.
Those who are fortunate enough to be able to get a higher education
at a university level should aim to take the correct courses for their major
and try to get in and out of college as fast as possible while taking away from
the university experience. This may mean a harder four years and extra
work, but it will all pay off in the long run. All necessary precautions should
be taken to make sure that you pick the correct major that you love, enjoy,
and can make a career out of while having the financial aspect in perspective
as well. The first two years in my opinion should both introduce you to your
major and associating topics, as well as help broaden and advance your
education with several liberal arts classes. Liberal arts classes and even
others outside of your major will help show you another perspective. It will
also develop and mature critical thinking, deductive reasoning, reading skills,
and communication. To become a well-rounded student, individual, and a
positive member of society, taking several classes out of your major such as
Mathematics or English is a necessity.
After interviewing people around and outside of the Oviatt Library, I
have reached a common consensus. Many people have agreed that a college
university puts you above others and is almost a must in todays society. If
you want a decent job and a decent future in todays society, you must at

least get a bachelors. Society has told us that a university is the only way to
go now, one of the only ways towards success, said one student in his
fourth year. A university clues you into politics, society, and worldwide
current events. It gives you fresh eyes and a new perspective on things. To
enhance and achieve the best possible education, participation on the
campus is highly recommended. There are so many clubs and events at
universities that several things are bound to fit you and what you like. You
have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and be social, actually
converse with others and get to know people on a personal level. You should
make it a goal to join something in college. Studies have showed that those
who join a club, team, or another extracurricular activity in college are more
likely to stay in and have better grades. They begin to feel a sense of
belonging and like they have to work for something. Clubs and organizations
alike are great ways to network and get yourself out there. The more people
you know, the better of a chance you have to succeed later down the road.
For example, I am a pledge in a fraternity and there are alumni all over the
United States. Someone could help you get a job, or refer you to their boss.
There are so many positive possibilities and outcomes just from putting
yourself out there and being social. This is what separates universities and
all other types of education.
Personally, I enrolled in college to get a higher and better education. I
wanted to get a degree because of the advantage that it gives you over
others. You go through four to five years of intense education and at the end

of it all you receive a paper. This paper however serves as an advantage in

life. The material and topics learned and discussed in college, particularly at
a university, will make you a different person. You could look at specific
topics from multiple points, and develop your own opinion that isnt
persuaded or influenced by society. I wanted to experience the community,
the university environment. I love being social, and a university would
provide the perfect setting where I could be social and where I could simply
be me. I am free to join organizations and clubs to my likings, choose where I
think I fit and experiment. Universities, especially CSUN, are so diverse.
People arent subjected to only one way of thinking, but are rather faced with
many different cultures and are free to choose who they want to become.
You are able to find yourself and find who you will become through a college
education.
A college education will bring happiness and light into your life at the
end of the day whether it be when you have your dream job, when you go
home having learned something new, or when you make a team or meet
others with the same interests as you in a club. There are other forms of
education that you can receive after high school such as going to vocational
school or community college, but the outcome and person you could become
would not be the same if you were to go to a university. Universities supply
people with lifetime friendships and connections. It supplies people with a
sense of pride and happiness knowing that they have completed such a
daunting task. A university can make you challenge ideas you once thought

were the brightest. It can show you a different view or open your eyes to
something you never thought you would be able to see. There is so much
that a college education can provide you, so much positivity people can
gather from it. Once you have completed your education, depending on the
major, you are put higher than many people in society. You have the
advantage that others can only wish of having, but all with a price that is
definitely worth it.