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Palo Alto, California
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What is the actual value of college?
What were your biggest takeaways from college?
This is part of our professionals series, where we ask professionals what they think students should know
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6 answers
Michel Davis
Medical student
171
Answers
Cranston, Rhode Island
Updated
Michel’s Answer
Great question.
Let me preface with this I hated high school. I had mean teachers and I just couldn’t get into any of it. I was miserable I had teachers tell me to give up and drop out of high school and literally told me I was worthless. I genuinely thought this is what school is it is not for me. I probably wouldn’t have finished high school if I didn’t need the diploma to get into the military. I grinded my way through and told myself school isn’t for me. I spent five years in total in the military and after a deployment to Afghanistan I realized I didn’t want to be a medic I wanted to make more decisions and have less oversight. I decided I’m going to become a nurse. Put in paperwork to go to school denied over and over by the military same reasons. You dont have the focus you are not a good fit you don’t take things seriously. So i took a chance. I left the military and I ended up going to a small community college in my hometown. I took the placement tests and I was two levels below college English and one below on math. I was embarassed as all get out. I told myself if I can make it through a summer semester at two times speed I can do college. I took my first two classes an English class and a Psychology class. I struggled extremely hard during this time, but I made sure that I wasn’t beaten by the school. I created a friendship with classmates and a mutual respect with the teacher. I ended up having the teacher again two semesters later and I could talk with intelligent people who understood complex subjects. I fell in love with the learning and the environment. I was able to take these extremely complicated subjects and start breaking them down and even translate them to other people so they could understand.
College is hard and personally I think if you are doing it right it’s going to be emotionally draining in some aspects, but at the end of the day when you finish a final and leave a class knowing that you broke that 90% grade on a test and that you understand that material sooooooo much more than when you started there is no greater feeling. You get to learn things throughout the day then you get to take these skills and bring them to the real world. I’m in medical school now and the first two years is all in class. After those two years you go into the clinics and you use all of this knowledge and you start realizing how to fix people, and exactly what is going on and why it is happening. It’s an amazing skill and its nice to see hard work paying off. One of my favorite things I took out of college though is my relationship with my wife. She is my everything and I met her in a class she was the smartest person in the class and we were able to argue new subjects and what a right answer was at an intellectual level. I love being able to be around someone that has a similar love for learning. So there are a lot of advantages and good things that come out of college. That being said everyone will vary some people are going to love college others will hate it. The most important thing is finding what you are passionate about and pursuing it. While pursuing it don’t forget why you are doing what you are doing because it is easy to get lost while on a long journey.
Let me preface with this I hated high school. I had mean teachers and I just couldn’t get into any of it. I was miserable I had teachers tell me to give up and drop out of high school and literally told me I was worthless. I genuinely thought this is what school is it is not for me. I probably wouldn’t have finished high school if I didn’t need the diploma to get into the military. I grinded my way through and told myself school isn’t for me. I spent five years in total in the military and after a deployment to Afghanistan I realized I didn’t want to be a medic I wanted to make more decisions and have less oversight. I decided I’m going to become a nurse. Put in paperwork to go to school denied over and over by the military same reasons. You dont have the focus you are not a good fit you don’t take things seriously. So i took a chance. I left the military and I ended up going to a small community college in my hometown. I took the placement tests and I was two levels below college English and one below on math. I was embarassed as all get out. I told myself if I can make it through a summer semester at two times speed I can do college. I took my first two classes an English class and a Psychology class. I struggled extremely hard during this time, but I made sure that I wasn’t beaten by the school. I created a friendship with classmates and a mutual respect with the teacher. I ended up having the teacher again two semesters later and I could talk with intelligent people who understood complex subjects. I fell in love with the learning and the environment. I was able to take these extremely complicated subjects and start breaking them down and even translate them to other people so they could understand.
College is hard and personally I think if you are doing it right it’s going to be emotionally draining in some aspects, but at the end of the day when you finish a final and leave a class knowing that you broke that 90% grade on a test and that you understand that material sooooooo much more than when you started there is no greater feeling. You get to learn things throughout the day then you get to take these skills and bring them to the real world. I’m in medical school now and the first two years is all in class. After those two years you go into the clinics and you use all of this knowledge and you start realizing how to fix people, and exactly what is going on and why it is happening. It’s an amazing skill and its nice to see hard work paying off. One of my favorite things I took out of college though is my relationship with my wife. She is my everything and I met her in a class she was the smartest person in the class and we were able to argue new subjects and what a right answer was at an intellectual level. I love being able to be around someone that has a similar love for learning. So there are a lot of advantages and good things that come out of college. That being said everyone will vary some people are going to love college others will hate it. The most important thing is finding what you are passionate about and pursuing it. While pursuing it don’t forget why you are doing what you are doing because it is easy to get lost while on a long journey.
Melanie Boberg
Student Teacher
27
Answers
Normal, Illinois
Updated
Melanie’s Answer
There are many valuable aspects to college. College exposes you to many situations and life aspects that you would have not previously experienced. You will meet lots of people and learn many valuable life lessons along the way. College can be overwhelming at times but with support and the willingness to get through it, you will be just fine.
If you are passionate about a career field, college does provide you with valuable information in that field. You also learn some things about other aspects of life you may not have even known about.
College provides opportunities for you to explore your own views and to learn about diverse perspectives. College also gives you the opportunity to explore things on your own terms and gives you the freedom to decide what you want to do and what you don't want to do.
If you are passionate about a career field, college does provide you with valuable information in that field. You also learn some things about other aspects of life you may not have even known about.
College provides opportunities for you to explore your own views and to learn about diverse perspectives. College also gives you the opportunity to explore things on your own terms and gives you the freedom to decide what you want to do and what you don't want to do.
Alison Allen, PMP
Program manager
3
Answers
Irvine, California
Updated
Alison’s Answer
In my opinion, college is the best way to prepare you for success as an adult because it creates an environment for you to grow and learn but still with a supportive community around you. Yes, you will study and learn from your courses, but you will also learn many key life skills that are necessary for living on your own.
1) Making new friends - understanding what it takes to make new connections is key. You will do this at every new job, new city or new work event you attend. Networking with others is an important soft skill that will help you with your career as well. My father always told me "it's who you know" and he was right! I've scaled my career ladder because of understanding how to cultivate relationships.
2) Balancing life - college will teach you how to live on your own but with a bit of a safety net. You will have a dorm full of potential friends, and you're all in the same situation. You'll figure out how best to balance each day between class, homework, laundry and social life.
3) Finances - whether you have student loans or scholarships, you're going to have to understand how to budget for your college life. How much are books? How much can I afford for meals? Do I want to sign up for a credit card (Hint: The answer is no! Do not live outside your means. It's a terrible habit to start and even harder to break.)
Going to college can be an incredible growth experience and the best way to set you up for success. I've seen far too many friends and family members choose against it, live at home with their parents and struggle to get out on their own. That can be another habit that is hard to break. Have confidence in your self to step out into the world, learn from any mistakes you make (they will happen!), and step into the awesome person you're meant to be.
1) Making new friends - understanding what it takes to make new connections is key. You will do this at every new job, new city or new work event you attend. Networking with others is an important soft skill that will help you with your career as well. My father always told me "it's who you know" and he was right! I've scaled my career ladder because of understanding how to cultivate relationships.
2) Balancing life - college will teach you how to live on your own but with a bit of a safety net. You will have a dorm full of potential friends, and you're all in the same situation. You'll figure out how best to balance each day between class, homework, laundry and social life.
3) Finances - whether you have student loans or scholarships, you're going to have to understand how to budget for your college life. How much are books? How much can I afford for meals? Do I want to sign up for a credit card (Hint: The answer is no! Do not live outside your means. It's a terrible habit to start and even harder to break.)
Going to college can be an incredible growth experience and the best way to set you up for success. I've seen far too many friends and family members choose against it, live at home with their parents and struggle to get out on their own. That can be another habit that is hard to break. Have confidence in your self to step out into the world, learn from any mistakes you make (they will happen!), and step into the awesome person you're meant to be.
Greg Dowgird
Field Assurance Engineer IV
5
Answers
Albany, New York
Updated
Greg’s Answer
The best reason for college is it opens up a world of opportunities. I've work with people who didn't have a degree in the job they were hired to do, but they had a college degree which showed the potential of that person to adapt and learn what was needed to succeed, so they got the job. I think it also helps you to have a belief in what you can do once you make up your mind to get it done.
I didn't go to college right away, really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. After a while of working one dead end job after another I decided to get a degree in Electrical Engineering. I had to take summer school classes to get to the level of math and english that I needed to start the fall semester. I still remember all the difficult tests in physics, math, science and how hard I had to study to pass. I passed, made the Dean's list several times and was able to get some small scholarship awards to help pay my way through my education.
I use that experience today when I have to learn new technologies or troubleshoot complex problems. I think back and realize that if I study the issue, understand the problem, and ask the right questions from others, I can solve anything. In short, my experience in college has given me the confidence to tackle any issue. Remember that half the students graduating from college will finish in the bottom half of the class, the rest in the top half. If you were an employer offering a high paying job with lots of responsibilities, which half would you choose to hire from? Work hard and you will be rewarded.
I didn't go to college right away, really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. After a while of working one dead end job after another I decided to get a degree in Electrical Engineering. I had to take summer school classes to get to the level of math and english that I needed to start the fall semester. I still remember all the difficult tests in physics, math, science and how hard I had to study to pass. I passed, made the Dean's list several times and was able to get some small scholarship awards to help pay my way through my education.
I use that experience today when I have to learn new technologies or troubleshoot complex problems. I think back and realize that if I study the issue, understand the problem, and ask the right questions from others, I can solve anything. In short, my experience in college has given me the confidence to tackle any issue. Remember that half the students graduating from college will finish in the bottom half of the class, the rest in the top half. If you were an employer offering a high paying job with lots of responsibilities, which half would you choose to hire from? Work hard and you will be rewarded.
Ka Ng
Product Manager
29
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Ka’s Answer
I am answering this from the context of an on-campus student.
The most valuable learning was learning social skills by living in a dormitory with different kinds of people. It taught me tolerance, compassion and patience - tolerance to other people's views and lifestyles, compassion to learn that we are not all stereotypes and tropes and patience to understand everyone as an individual. This takes a lot of time and close contact.
Academically, I was able to take some courses that interested me. I had a difficult major with a lot of course requirements for my degree so was limited to some extent. I am glad that my university afforded me that diversity in subject matter.
The most valuable learning was learning social skills by living in a dormitory with different kinds of people. It taught me tolerance, compassion and patience - tolerance to other people's views and lifestyles, compassion to learn that we are not all stereotypes and tropes and patience to understand everyone as an individual. This takes a lot of time and close contact.
Academically, I was able to take some courses that interested me. I had a difficult major with a lot of course requirements for my degree so was limited to some extent. I am glad that my university afforded me that diversity in subject matter.
Christina Ramos
Crisis Response
15
Answers
Tampa, Florida
Updated
Christina’s Answer
Hi there,
The value for me were the connections I made. The information that was given to me was mostly out of text books that I could have read on my own. But I had the pleasure of having professors in the career I was looking to get into so it was nice to pick their brains about the details that only a person working in the field would be able to answer. But over all the best part of college and most important for me was the connections I made. There have been countless times where I was able to call or message a person I went to school with to ask about my taxes because they are an accountant, or ask someone about companies to work in because they have a similar career.
The value for me were the connections I made. The information that was given to me was mostly out of text books that I could have read on my own. But I had the pleasure of having professors in the career I was looking to get into so it was nice to pick their brains about the details that only a person working in the field would be able to answer. But over all the best part of college and most important for me was the connections I made. There have been countless times where I was able to call or message a person I went to school with to ask about my taxes because they are an accountant, or ask someone about companies to work in because they have a similar career.