The College Dilemma: Investment or Illusion?

As enrollment rises at UWT this year, questions about the value of college persist. Are students finding their paths or feeling lost in a system that may not be for everyone?

Is college a scam? As students in America navigate Higher Education, the question of self discovery and financial burden looms large. What role does college really play in shaping our futures?

I’ve pondered these questions for some time now and have even heard them before enrolling in community college 3 years ago.

With the start of the new school year, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Mentha Hynes-Wilson mentioned during the leadership orientation on Sept. 18 that the percentage of students enrolled at UWT has increased, showing a slight increase in people pursuing Higher Ed.

I’m sure many students can agree that school is expensive, hence causing people like me to question whether to pursue a degree. Universities nationwide have raised their tuition by 3%  due to inflation and low enrollment, according to an article published by The Ledger in April 2024. Personally, I took a step forward despite the cost because I believe in myself to become the journalist and writer I want to be.

Shalin Jyotishi, senior advisor of education, labor, and the future of work at New America, when he was a panelist on the EdSurge podcast said, “If we were to look at public opinion polls of barriers to college, there’s one thing that comes up above all of them and that’s cost.”

The question I asked myself before taking the leap was about the cost of an education. That along with questions of, is college even worth it or can I build myself up without it?

Ben Wildavsky, author of “The Career Arts: Making the most of College, Credentials, and Connections” as a panelist on the EdSurge podcast said, “85% of polled Americans believe that community colleges are worth the cost. 65% feel that way about 4-year colleges.”

Wildavsky continues, “40 million Americans have some college, no degree. That ends up with the worst of both worlds which is debt and no degree.”

An annual report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center for the 2021 to 2022 academic year, published in 2023, states that in addition to 39 million previously identified stop-out students, there are 2.3 million new students who recently dropped out.

I’ve often asked myself if college is the place that a person typically finds them self or does a person know who they are before attending? In my time, I’ve seen that if you’re not anchored in who you are, you can be swept up by the wind and taken in any direction. I believe this is what happens to the majority of students who come to college. They don’t know what they want to do with their lives and don’t know what skills they have.

“You hear more when people get into university: ‘I don’t know what I want to do,” said Elena Mendoza, UWT Student from the Bright Futures Club. “Already 3 years in, then they feel bad, and they drop out because they feel like their wasting money and then that’s when you start hearing college is a scam.”

The way I think about school is that you have to make the system work for you, instead of the other way around. When you attend, choose a university and a department that provides you with the tools necessary to build yourself up into a career field of choice. Mold the system to your interests and professional development.

Mendoza added, “Were you educated enough about yourself and did you choose the college that is right for you. Did you know what talents and things that interested you before you went in?”

Let’s say I know what I want to do; I know what future career, major or minor I’m interested in pursuing academically. What then does the college system give me that I can’t find anywhere else, such as internships, apprenticeships or a normal occupation?

“Building social networks, building social capital is hugely important and that can be a very big part of what people get,” said Senior Advisor Jyotishi of New America when commenting on what can be attained by going to college.

Perhaps college can feel like a scam if you’re not ready for it or you just don’t know what you want to do with your life. But is this the only thing that gives people success in college?

Roy Spence, chairman and co-founder of the global advertising agency GSD&M, another panelist on the EdSurge podcast said, “we surveyed kids that graduated college recently and we asked them, are you thriving or surviving? Majority just say surviving, but 32% said thriving. What in the university helped you? They had a professor who cared. They had a mentor, and they worked with fellow students on a six-month project.”

My own position at The Ledger was attained by the pursuit of what career I’ve chosen, interviewing and my ability to communicate as a journalist. My articles have captured the voices of former classmates, faculty and professors whom I’ve had the privilege of learning from, those who had the willingness to participate in my storytelling.

Have you heard the expression, it’s who you know, not what you know? As cliché as that sounds, that’s the key to succeed in many things. You must figure out how to direct your own success with the tools you are given.