College Matters by John

College Matters by John - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

There are many paths young people can take to establishing a meaningful life. While it may be true that a four-year college degree is not the right path for everyone, I do believe that attending college is important. It’s not about the degree or the internship opportunities; it’s about personal growth. This is a time considered by social scientists to be crucial to our development, mentally and physically. We need to be exposed to other people and ideas and share our own. College provides a unique venue in which to explore our values and create meaningful relationships. I wish all young people had the chance to experience college in early adulthood.

College matters because it provides individuals the opportunity for critical thinking in an environment that, hopefully, is rooted in media literacy and tolerance. Our high school years are spent learning fundamentals, for the most part. All too often, we get through these years with little regard to the outside world or our responsibilities as global citizens. We might form strong opinions, but have we done the research to support those ideas? Have you learned about bias and media? Have we learned to truly listen? College provides us with the chance to dive deeper and develop our values and belief systems.

As society becomes increasingly polarized, it is imperative that we learn the difference between fact and fiction, integrity and persuasiveness, demagoguery, and honest arguments. This is vital to maintaining our democracy. I believe that the best and most effective citizens are informed citizens. Perhaps this is possible outside of the college environment. Still, I think that is less likely to happen, and our citizenry suffers without exposure to the light of ideas and argument, art and literature, science, and debate. I worry about our future if more young adults do not attend college and have the opportunity to grow and learn. I am concerned about our society’s ability to be a “more perfect union” if we do not keep our hearts and minds open. I am frightened for the future if we do not keep becoming. College matters because it is a place to learn how to keep learning. It is a place to learn how to interact with others who are like us and entirely unlike us. College matters because we all have so much potential to be more, give more, and create more. College is a vital stepping stone to the future, for all of us.