Dear Future and Current College Students,

Whether you're currently attending college, applying to college, or even thinking about going to college one day, I hope I can provide you with some insight as a current college student myself. The one bit of advice I would like to share with any student is that the motivation to attend college should not be based on getting "the right job." You should go to college to acquire a foundation of the right skills that make you marketable . I have learned that college is not about reading text books or getting the highest GPA. College should be about finding one's path to combine your vocation with your passion.

My whole life, teachers and parents told me that it was essential to go to college to succeed and get a good paying job. I never questioned the college path in high school, and I focused on building my resume so I would be accepted into a "good" school. I always liked the idea of college because I truly love learning. Little did I know, however, that the education I would receive in college would be more about personal growth instead of textbooks and exams. During my first semester, I started to question how my classes would actually help me in my daily life. I was overwhelmed. One day a professor provided a sage a piece of advice that changed my outlook. He asked one the students in my class, "Why did you apply to college?" The student rambled on about getting a degree and a job to ultimately pay off his debt. My professor stopped him mid-sentence and said, "Wrong! " I was shocked by this answer because my professor claimed that this student(as well as the rest of the class)had been misled. The professor reiterated what we had been told our whole lives that "You applied to college because that's what you were told to do." I paused at that answer and thought about how true it was.

He continued and said, "Knowing that, why do you go to college?" He paused and waited for one of us to provide this earth shattering explanation, but none of us could reply. All of us had been told for 18 years that we had to go to college. He said, "You go to college to become a critical, forward thinker." This blew my mind! I never thought of college this way before. If I thought about it that way during high school, I would apply to college for completely different reasons.

College is scary and liberating, and exhausting and rewarding all at once. You have to work harder and study longer. It's not because the material is more challenging or the professors grade harder. You have to work harder because this time is your last time to learn. There are a few exceptions, but for most of us, real life begins on graduation today. It's time to implement four years of learning into practical experiences. There's no one there to guide you and hold your hand. There are no more tests to confirm your knowledge.

You'll learn some skills in the classroom, and but most of the skills you develop are from living away from home. It's skills like time management, communication, balancing academic/work life with your social life, being decisive, and keeping yourself emotionally, mentally and physically healthy that are the most important. As cliché as it sounds, learning how to use these skills is what college is really about.Despite what others have lead you to believe, college isn't about learning and memorizing different equations, facts, and vocab words. College is about applying different experiences, inside and outside of the classroom, to everyday scenarios. College is about learning to think critically and communicate effectively. College is about using your failures as a motivator and measuring device for all your other achievements. College is about growth and learning about the person you can become.

Please don't apply to college to make sure you get the best paying job possible. Attend college (or go back to college) because you want to become a forward thinker. Apply to a college or university because you want to learn how to communicate effectively, how to pursue your passion, and because you want to grow as an individual. I've learned more in my first year of college than I ever thought possible. I've grown in ways that I did not expect. I encourage you to take a step back and think about why you want to attend college, and ask yourself if you're going for the right reasons. Think about the steps you need to take and the skills you need to make a connection between your vocation and your passion. If you can learn these skills in college, then heed your parents' advice and apply! Or decide that the skills you need don't need to be taught in a traditional classroom. I will leave you with one thought, whatever YOU decide, it's the right choice. There is nothing more powerful in this world than a decision. The decision to attend college was one of the biggest decisions of my life. Make it without holding back, and you'll regret nothing. Good luck!

Sincerely,

Current College Student