Intellectual Thought: Why Do Some People Choose to Go to College?

People attend colleges for many reasons. Some reasons are good, but sometimes, the reasons can be bad too. As far I'm concerned, I see three reasons why kids would want to go to college: career preparation, increased knowledge, and unfortunately, partying.

Career prep is probably the most obvious of all. In order to be in a specific field, many places want you to have higher education. By getting your education, you are able to be qualified and trained well... and probably catch on really quick. From a four year college, you could prepare yourself for graduate school. Knowledge and experience is what we strive for, in order to reach our dreams, goals, and our desires. Many teens think smarter these days too. Our economy and finances are getting worse... to really make it, you need to have a well-paying, enjoyable career. So we go to college to obtain that.

However, many people who attend college already have a career. Another reason why people go to college is because they want to gain knowledge and experience in something they have interest in. Of course, these people usually take one or two classes a semester, and take the classes for enjoyment. People also apply their lessons to life, to learn a new skill or craft. These people have great reasons for wanting to go to college.

Still, there are those with bad reasons. Unfortunately, some people like to go to college to party. Their reasons may be different in the beginning, but once they hit campus, they hit the bottle. Some like to get drunk and have sex, and get high. Have fun, and live the good life... so they say. But they don't pay thousands of dollars just to party it up. Many go to get connections, which is really clever. People will go to college to make friends and relationships to get a job, find a future spouse, or make friends in high places. It's a bit tricky and definitely corrupted. But sometimes, it works. Of course, this is a rare instance.

To sum up my thoughts, people do go to college for good reasons mostly. In any case, the experience is mostly beneficial to the student, in a positive way. This year as people enroll, we can be proud that they are not only helping themselves, but the community as well.