Life in a Framed Degree by Victoria

Life in a Framed Degree by Victoria - October 2024 Scholarship Essay

Almost every student faces the question, “What do you plan on studying in college”, as they enter young adulthood. While this question can have many answers and extremes, some often to opt-out from the normal educational path. It is a given fact that post-secondary education, specifically university education, is an expensive and financial strain for anybody pursuing it. But those who are still ambitious enough to face the newfound responsibilities and strains will face the delayed gratification of obtaining a college degree. This brings me to my answer of what I believe are the greatest benefits of a college degree.
To begin, obtaining a college degree already puts a person at a higher advantage in obtaining a job. This does not only reflect in the salary, but in the connections from college too. Depending on what students study in college, they will navigate different social and academic circles while facing new opportunities and connections to potential employers. Navigating adulthood as a person who just finished high school can be quite challenging no matter how much or how little support the individual has, so finding a way to form connections and networking these new opportunities helps lessen the stress and worries for the individual about their future career and responsibilities.
Secondly, a college degree can also help expand a student’s curiosity and broaden their perspectives on the subject they are studying. Many associate the college experience with the expectation of achieving a high-paying, respectable career to play a part within society, but sometimes there are students out there who simply wish to learn. Universities and colleges allow these ambitious and curious students to learn more material and content about whatever field they wish to study; whether it is improving their art skills through projects, testing a hypothesis in the lab, working out tedious equations, or learning to interpret the law, many students find themselves enjoying these learning opportunities and grow from them.
However, some benefits of a college degree aren’t always in a positive light. Unfortunately, some students see going to college as their only way out of whatever home or family situation they are stuck in. Some students face backlash for it by their relatives, peers, or any other social connections they may have, but once they can leave to pursue this promise of escape, they thrive. Going forward with a college degree can provide a way of escaping and growing from one’s own past life while navigating your own sense of self-worth, growth, individuality, and freedom.
Overall, striving towards and obtaining a college degree has a multitude of possibilities and benefits for any individual who wishes to go down the post-secondary education pathway. Whether it is to gain a workforce advantage, secure connection, or to even simply fulfill one’s cursory knowledge about the subjects around them, a college degree can open many doors to an individual. It is simply not just a formal piece of paper with the university name on it and the major, but the result of the blood, sweat, tears, sacrifices, and individuality of the student possessing it. Everybody who follows through with college will each have their own benefits and gains from it; it is simply up to the beholder to find out and choose what to do with them.