More Than a Degree by Jane

More Than a Degree by Jane - October 2024 Scholarship Essay

While a college degree provides more job opportunities, and is a symbol of status and accomplishments, the larger benefits of a college degree are in the skills and education provided.

College, if done correctly, teaches you to teach yourself. Learning how to think independently and critically, as well as find answers to your own questions, gives you power to learn anything you want. A college degree represents analysis, hard work, and skill development that will serve you well in any situation. College diversifies your education, and helps you to see things from a different perspective. By going to college, you learn how to manage your time, and take initiative in your own education. Those skills mean that when your interests change, you are able to learn different skills and research different topics. Not being dependent on other people or the internet for information symbolizes true education. Trusting yourself and your ability to synthesize what’s in front of you are skills that college can provide, and will positively impact your life in many areas outside of career and education.

A college degree also gives you an opportunity to explore an area you are passionate about. Going to college provides opportunities you would likely never get to experience otherwise— where else would you learn about feminism in Jane Austen, or family genealogy? Unless you work in those fields, there is rarely a motivation or oppotunity to learn about niche information. College gives you access to classes and professors who know about a specialized topic, and can inform you thoroughly about something you may have never heard of. In this way, college provides you with much more than what you can learn in a Google search.

College is about more than the status it provides or the opportunities it gives. College is about being in charge of your learning for the first time, and exploring what it means to be an independent, adult thinker. College gives you the chance to fail at learning, and learn how to fail. Those skills will benefit you more than any piece of information, or any degree on a wall.