What If Colleges Are Not for You: Let’s Dot the I’s & Cross the T’s 

Desperate Student

No doubt, entering a college is a very responsible step in the life of every young person. However, it is an absolutely different question whether this step is necessary or not. I am more than certain that at least once you asked yourself how much you want to go to college and what exactly you want to study there. No matter who you are at the moment, a high school graduate searching for the right choice or a college student wondering if your choice has been right or not, your concerns and hesitation can be understood, especially by those who have lived through almost the same situation.

I am definitely not mistaken when I am saying “almost the same”, because each of us is surrounded and therefore influenced by quite different circumstances. So, even though we all might experience something similar, it doesn’t mean that the factors which have caused our uncertainties can be considered alike. Probably, you just haven’t decided yet to what exactly you would like to dedicate your life? Or you might need badly some college assignment writing help, because the fact that you will have to complete a smart thesis at the end of your study literally drives you crazy?

Finally, after all your considerations, you may come to the rather fatal conclusion: study at college and everything connected with it is not for you, and that is it. You may not know for sure what IS for you all in all, but you seem to believe firmly that your fate is catastrophically wrong if it thinks you are going to enter any college in your country, or that you are going to spend your days within the walls of such institution and not in some other place (and the farther from it the better).

Alright, that all is clear. Now take a deep breath and calm down. I do not want to persuade you that education in general and high education particularly is very important for a person who wants to live a fulfilling life. I just would like us to muse over what feeds the thought that high education is something we can actually go without, which is becoming surprisingly popular nowadays. Besides, we will try to work out some alternatives to the traditional concept of high education, so that you could choose the one you prefer and hence help yourself to determine what you want and what you need to achieve it.

This is a small plan of our small talk for today! Let’s see what we got here:

  1. In the beginning, we will find out if the “college-is-not-for-me” issue relates to the global changes in different spheres of our life which the 21st century brought with it, or its roots go much deeper into the history of education.
  2. Then we will try to come up with the reasons why modern students face absolutely real and very serious difficulties when it comes to entering the college and studying there (including the insufficiency or even lack of college assignment writing help and so on).
  3. In the end of our discussion, you will be able to explore the range of ideas on how a student of the 21st century can get good education without experiencing usual college routine and stress.

It All Is as Old as Hills, or Isn’t It?

Students of Old Times

Even if history has never been your favorite subject and remembering numerous names, dates and reforms has never been something you could spend your free time on with pleasure, still you don’t need to open any book to say confidently that the problem of education and its development has existed since the dawn of human civilization. Or since the very first school was created, to be more precise.

Wherever and whenever this significant event happened, in Ancient Greece in the 5th century BC or in the Far East at approximately the same time, it marked the beginning of the very important process that lasts until today and is unlikely to stop, at least in the near future. What I mean here, is the constant transmission of knowledge from ancestors to descendants, which was possible due to writing, the invention of books and later printing, as well as to the development of education system.  

However, putting aside all beautiful words, we should take into account that not everybody (or it is better to say almost nobody) could afford to study for many hundreds of years. Let’s remember why it was so.

  • Firstly, even at that time education cost money which not every family could spend in order to let their children learn to read and write, to say nothing of studying such sciences as math, philosophy or medicine.
  • Secondly, there were periods of history when either religion or state authorities (or both) did not allow ordinary people to access educational institutions deliberately. And even after these times went by, an ordinary student still could hardly count on any financial support from the government or college assignment writing help from their teachers.
  • Thirdly, the so-called productive labor (that is when the results of your labor are real things or products like foods, tools or clothes; compare it with unproductive labor which covers provision of various services, including education) was believed to guarantee a more reliable and regular income. So, roughly speaking, working the land could feed you better than studying.

Many years passed, yet science and education did become available and affordable for a much bigger number of people. This resulted in the urgent need to reorganize the system of teaching students and to come up with brand-new methods of educating. However, it appeared that one and the same remedy couldn’t help to resolve problems which regularly emerged here and there in the course of scientific and technological progress.

Naturally, there were quite a lot of shortcomings along with really valuable breakthroughs. But the former was sometimes much more influential than the latter, so education constantly turned out to be far from ideal. Nevertheless, this fact did not prevent those who had been destined to become geniuses from discovering amazing things and making great inventions, without which it is impossible to imagine the world of today.

Geniuses Weren’t Straight-A Students! Think About It

Here is a short list of prominent scientists and political figures who didn’t get along with their study. Just in case you are curious.

  • Sir Isaac Newton, so famous for discovering the law of gravitation, is rumored to have been the worst student in his class.
  • Michael Faraday, who was the inventor of electric motor and laid the foundations for refrigeration technology of today, was very bad at math.
  • Dmitri Mendeleev, who created the periodic table of elements, was never delighted by the routine of his school and did well only in math and physics.   
  • Otto von Bismarck, who united German states into one country in the 19th century and became its first chancellor, is said to have been very bad both at his study and work.   
  • Winston Churchill, one of the greatest political leaders of all times, just hated school and was often punished by his teachers.

What About Present Days Then?  

So, now you have an idea about how the land lied in the sphere of education dozens and hundreds of years ago. It will help you to see and explain the current state of things in such educational institutions as colleges and universities, as well as the college assignment writing help and general student support provided by them. Let’s discuss these issues here, basing our opinions on the views of modern educators in order to be sure of our own rationality and rightness.

Cost of Study

Indeed, it remains one of the most considerable aspects of getting high education nowadays. You have definitely heard about students whose parents take credits in order to pay the required sum yearly and hence give their child an opportunity to get the college or university diploma. On the other hand, there are guys who have to pay for their study themselves, because for some reasons their nearest and dearest just can’t help them. Probably, even you belong either to the first or to the second group.

Consequently, the money can become a very strong factor in a student’s decision not to enter a college at all or to drop out before graduation. Of course, we shouldn’t forget about the programs of financial aid from the government, but it doesn’t seem that they are meant for supporting everybody who applies for them.     

Modern Students

Low Level of Preparedness Among High School Students

It is true that most of high school graduates aren’t ready for college lifestyle with all its features. This fact concerns not just such sentimental issues as leaving home, parting with school friends and just stepping outside the comfort zone. Although they also have a big impact on how a freshman feels in the new environment. What should be take into consideration is the argument that usually schools don’t take the responsibility to prepare their students to what college programs require. As a result, it is really difficult for young people to adopt to new rules and requirements, starting simply with writing essays and finishing with completing different types of tests.  

Quality of College Education

A few years ago, Richard Elmore, who is currently one of Harvard professors, made an important remark about the present situation in American education which stunned many educators. The author of many books dedicated to understanding the concepts of learning and schooling, Professor Elmore claimed that he did not believe in the structure of the latter. What is more, he predicted the dissociation between these two educational aspects.

It means that students who are motivated and disciplined enough tend to cope with most difficulties on their own quite successfully mainly because they can learn themselves. At the same time, college system, that is the so-called schooling, can’t disregard those who do need external guidance or influence and control to make progress in their study. This influence and control aren’t provided by a student’s family anymore, so this is what the college must be responsible for when educating its students.  

General Lack of Help and Support

We have already mentioned the problem of college assignment writing help: it is difficult for newcomers to orient themselves among numerous requirements, while older students may not cope with the amount of papers they must do within the semester and the whole academic year. That all can cause considerable though latent stress in front of which young people may simply find themselves helpless. Consequently, they get disappointed with their abilities and refuse to start or continue studying.  

What You Should Do If College Isn’t the Right Place for You

Young Volunteers

Despite the fact that the above-mentioned reasons are very general, I believe you have considered at least one of them when having these doubts about the study at college. Now let’s see how you can change your situation even today!

Way out #1: Just Take a Gap Year

Because it is a great chance to have a normal rest after your school, collect your thoughts and decide where to go next. Find a job, take courses, search for the options different colleges and universities offer, analyze their requirements and your strengths. There is nothing wrong about you if you need more time to make the choice than your peers. The thing is that your choice will be definitely right!   

Way out #2: Go Volunteering

You can do it during your gap year, but this is also quite a good alternative if you suddenly decide to drop out. You will get valuable experience, see new places and meet new people. Isn’t that what you need after all these tiring months? You can search for free programs and just take your chance!  

Way out #3: Apply for a College or University Abroad

This is quite a costly idea and it involves studying by default. Also, it takes courage and discipline, because you are going to leave everything and everybody so dear for you for many-many months. However, it is a wonderful opportunity to challenge yourself, learn loads of new things, make new friends and just start a new life. By the way, as a foreign student, you can get some college assignment writing help more easily.   

Way out #4: Take Some Extra Courses

Today in some spheres of activity certificates that prove some specific skills can weigh even more than such official documents as university diplomas. Have you dreamed about directing films since childhood? Take the courses, mix your wish and gift with professionalism and go for the job you like!   

Way out #5: Try Studying Online

In one of the previous articles we have discussed the differences between classroom and computer-based learning. So, if you realize that traditional college routine is not for you, enter online college or university and get the diploma that will be equal to the “traditional” one! Just note that you still need to study responsibly and complete different assignments on time if you want to succeed.

P.S.: 3 Essential Things to Remember

  1. There is nothing, absolutely nothing bad about a student who doesn’t want to go to college.
  2. The world of education isn’t limited by the walls of your college. Search for something different!
  3. Never be afraid to do not like others do (of course, unless it concerns their safety).

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