Posted On: February 25, 2010

Although college enrollment is on the rise, getting that demographic to actually put forth the effort to apply takes far too many marketing and motivational tactics. Potential students, especially the ones in high school, have far too many excuses for not going. Some of the concerns are valid, yes, but they aren’t absolute. No one should allow their fears from getting in the way of their goals.

Cost

Yes, college does cost a lot of money. Most individuals worry more about their accrued debt from going to school more than anything else. Your financial status does not have to get in the way of obtaining a college degree though. Universities, fortune 500 companies, and local community groups all offer scholarships to many students to meet the requirements. Financial aid such as grants and scholarships are abundant. In fact, many people can obtain free money for school by taking the time to do research and then apply for them. Unfortunately, many choose to not put forth the effort at all which results in many of these programs going unused. Over millions of dollars go unspent each year due to no one applying. Just think of how much money you could earn for you college degree if you put forth a little effort.

Time

If you will be one of the 80% of undergraduates who have to work while going to school then your reservations about finding the time to attend college makes sense. But if the others can do it, then so can you. Finding the right balance between work and school isn’t always easy, but with careful planning you can coordinate your life to include them both. Online colleges have become increasingly more popular in the past few years for this very reason. Many students like the freedom to work their jobs and organize their class schedules around that. Night classes or weekend classes are perfect options for them. The compression of time is something that almost everyone deals with when going to college, but in a few years when it’s all over you will be glad you persevered.

Everyone Has a Degree

It’s true. Many more people have a degree than a few decades ago. Although the college degree has lost some of its prestige due to abundance it is still far more valuable than those who have no degree at all. It’s also worth noting that even though many people enroll in college the number of students who have actually graduated is much less. The American Community Survey and the U.S. Census Bureau released a finding in 2002 that stated 52.7% of Americans have attended college but only 27.2% have actually graduated and earned a degree. That’s a big difference! Being in the small percentage of graduates means you have the determination to follow through with your goals, just by finishing what you started you can have an advantage over other applicants because employers will be impressed with your actions.

No More School

Many young people upon finishing high school will tell you that they are tired of classes. The idea of enrolling into college for another four to five years sounds incredibly unappealing. High school is a very different environment than college, though. As an adult, college students are free to make their own choices regarding attendance, class scheduling, which kind of classes they take, and even clothing attire. The college experience involves less authority and many students will become very independent, very quickly because how and what they learn is up to them. Although there are quizzes, homework, and exams, the college curriculums are much more interesting. College campuses are also larger in scale, have much bigger student bodies, and offer an assortment of extra-curricular groups and activities to be a part of such as fraternities, sororities, social groups, concerts, and sports teams.

Street Smarts

Some have argued that a real education can be learned in the “real world” and not in a classroom. Putting yourself in a vast and foreign environment where you must control where you go and what you learn still sounds pretty “real world” though. Yes, there are street smarts and book smarts, but street smarts don’t allow you to go into law practice or earn a PhD in psychology or medicine. Getting a worldly education from college teaches you to critically think and observe in a way that other ways can’t. There’s no reason you can’t earn that degree and learn how to use your wit and charms, anyway; is there?