Young Writers Society

I could write a long message about it, but it'd be useless as the point is just to go to and complete college. Two more of my friends are flunking college right now, and it's because of a drinking problem in both their cases. They both got huge debts to pay off, and if they do fail (which is 90% likely at this point), then they're being kicked out and have no place to go come January, much less a job to pay off their debt.

This has happened now to almost half of my friends from high-school, and I keep on seeing it happening over and over. The problem is that they go to college and treat it like a big party, and in some ways, college is like a big party. But it's mostly hard work and it does take a lot of dedication to graduate.

Fortunately, I think most people on this site realize that; I'm always told by others (not members of YWS) how surprised they are at the level of education here. But remember, first go to college. I know a lot of people who decided to skip it, and honestly, a couple did do well. But that's a couple; the vast, vast majority are unhappy, frustrated, and just barely making it. Once you go to college, complete it. I now know way too many people who thought college was a party, and now they're paying for it. Some are fortunate enough to have parents who don't mind having a 25 year old son or daughter in the house who flips hamburgers for a living. Others don't.

So anyways, I just can't believe right now that two more of my friends are flunking out of college, and one of them had only a semester to go. In the long run, they'll be fine, but they're causing themselves unnecessary hardship in the meantime. None of this has anything to do with background either. I know people who went to one of the best private schools in the nation, and now they're unemployed, without a college degree, and crash at different people's houses for a day, a few days, or a week. Conversely, I know people who came from troubled homes, but went to college, got a degree, and they are indeed scraping by. Yet they at least have a career and an apartment.

So this did turn out to be a long message, or at least longer than I intended. However, I just can't understand how someone could so willfully destroy everything they have going for them just for the sake of having a good time. Some of these people are extraordinarily intelligent. In fact, I have an Uncle who has an IQ of 170, but he spends every single dollar he earns on gambling and drinking. He skipped college too.

The Bottom Line? Go to College and finish College. What you get your degree in hardly even matters just as long as you have a degree.

I agree with you wholeheartedly, Nate, except on one point.

What you get your degree in hardly even matters just as long as you have a degree.

I think what you get your degree in does matter. There are a lot of kids who are told from day 1 of their educational career "you're going to college, you're going to college," and they never really question that. Consequently, a lot of these kids don't know what they want to do after high school (career-wise), and they go into college not really aware of what they're doing. It becomes just another stage of forced education, like primary and high school. And forced education is wasted education, in my opinion.

And when kids (and adults) are forced into that kind of situation, where they're going through motions they don't understand, there tends to be a bit of resistance. These kids don't know what their plan is, and that's harmful. So it's important to know what you want as a career when you're going into college- my brother's a good example: he knew he wanted to be an electrical engineer by the time he had to choose his college, so he already knew which colleges had good engineering programmes, which ones he could go to, and what classes he would need to take. Now he's a sophomore and doing wonderfully, as opposed to one of his friends, who's floundering because he doesn't know what he wants his degree to be in yet.

But yeah, that media-purveyed image of a nonstop party lifestyle at college doesn't help, either. And yes, it's the media's fault for everything.

*obeys Nate*

I love college more for the learning aspect. I've learned more in my three semesters of community college than I did in four years of highschool. Of course, I think that has more to do with my local school system.

Obey Nate or live on the street.

I completely agree with all of the above, although I don't know about the worry over the type of degree. I'm sitting on a Bachelor of Arts because I had no idea what I wanted to do - still dont - but I've survived my first year

I think it depends on how much you like to learn and whether you can take the pressure and do the work. I have a friend who is really quite bright, he like to learn and is always sending me messages with these odd questions (i.e: how does logic help us survive) but he's failing his course and cannot be bothered doing the work. I suppose it's about dedication.

Lol either way, I'm staying in untill I get my degree or it kills me

*Hearts*

I disagree with the whole post, except the one point that once you're in college/university, stay there.

I just dropped out of high school with only a month to go until the TEE started, but I did do the smart thing and secure a job before I left.
For those of me who knew me in high school, they're now pretty shocked because I'm more happy, vibrant and probably have a better lifestyle than compared to the wreck I'd be had I stayed in school.

At the moment, the pay I get is more than/equal to my parents, and I can get rewards if I work hard.
And if I stick with it, there's a high chance that they'll move me up.

So this post made me feel pretty bad, incase you haven't figured it out yet.

I agree with the post for the most part. I think that, despite whether or not you have a degree in mind, you've got at least a first year to find out what you want to do. You can even major in general studies until you figure it out. Just go to college. It can be fun, despite the fact that you're learning.

EsqualEtMoi wrote:I disagree with the whole post, except the one point that once you're in college/university, stay there.

I just dropped out of high school with only a month to go until the TEE started, but I did do the smart thing and secure a job before I left.
For those of me who knew me in high school, they're now pretty shocked because I'm more happy, vibrant and probably have a better lifestyle than compared to the wreck I'd be had I stayed in school.

At the moment, the pay I get is more than/equal to my parents, and I can get rewards if I work hard.
And if I stick with it, there's a high chance that they'll move me up.

So this post made me feel pretty bad, incase you haven't figured it out yet.

I don't think it should have made you feel bad. Obviously you're doing pretty well for yourself and that's great. You are definitely a model for hardwork. However, for people, some who go to my school, dropping out means the end of their lives. They don't do the smart thing and find a job, and their parents don't encourage them. You are the exception that Nate was talking about. You had will power. Most of the people I've know don't.

And, just as a side note, I think other countries are in a different fix. With the United States, if you don't have a college degree of some sorts, you're pretty much screwed, unless you want to do low-paying grunt labor for the rest of your life. This may be different for other countries.

I'll be getting an associate's degree at the end of my high school senior year.

Hooray for college's that offer programs to complete high school while you're going to college!

Nate wrote:However, I just can't understand how someone could so willfully destroy everything they have going for them just for the sake of having a good time. Some of these people are extraordinarily intelligent. In fact, I have an Uncle who has an IQ of 170, but he spends every single dollar he earns on gambling and drinking. He skipped college too.

(Random note: a lot of incredibly intelligent people also have perfectionist/addictive personalities. Ignorance is bliss.)

I think it's oversimplifying to say "just for the sake of having a good time." It often starts as a good time (or an escape from a bad one), but if it blossoms into an addiction, it's a completely different beastie alltogether.

PenguinAttack wrote:I have a friend who is really quite bright, he like to learn and is always sending me messages with these odd questions (i.e: how does logic help us survive) but he's failing his course and cannot be bothered doing the work. I suppose it's about dedication.

It could be boredom. I never did any work in my freshman or sophomore year of high school because it was too boring. It sounds like a contradiction, but I had more important things to do (ie: actually learn) than the monkey work that was assigned. It's not true in all cases, of course, but I know a disproportionately high percentage of "gifted" people drop out of high school or college because it bores them.

(My mother has a master's degree in gifted and talented education, and I read most of her course materials.)

Back on topic, though, I have to agree with Nate. College is a good place to be. What's sad is now, even an associates (even a bachelor's, in a lot of cases) isn't enough any more. I know that to be a teacher in Mass., you need to have a master's degree within five years of starting or they can pay you significantly less because you aren't "highly qualified." (Don't get me started on NCLB.)

I think college is the way to go. Granted, it's not for everyone, but most people should go and study and get a degree to further their lives. Luckily, most of my friends want to go to college, and, for me, there's no worries. I applied and was accepted to the college I have wanted to go to for forever. So, I'm going to college...and I can't wait! High school is boring me.