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iām so glad i went to college, long post bc i have so many feelings about it! my disclaimer is that i was really lucky to receive need-based and merit scholarships so despite my familyās income it ended up not being a financial burden for me. i feel like getting my degree was worth it for a few reasons.
the main reason is obvious: going to college really expanded my knowledge; i encountered so many different ideas and it cemented my love for learning. and unlike in high school, i had significant autonomy in choosing what i wanted to explore. besides important things like theory etc, i also was taught skills like using statistical software and academic writing. because of this, i learned my professional and academic interests, so i now have the option to go to grad school or pursue so many different jobs. i also did a few extracurriculars and had campus jobs, which i feel also contributed to my growth.
work isnāt the end-all be-all, so the other important reason it was worth it are the personal benefits. college was really a perfect place for growth between high school and āadulthoodā. it was a safer space to learn about myself and the world around me, independently but still in a supportive environment. also it was just really fun sometimes! in some ways it was much freer than life with a full-time job.
i went to a liberal arts collegeāso iām totally biased about that, butāi think it provides a far better education than non-liberal arts programs lol. it took me until my third semester to learn what i wanted to study and that wasnāt a setback at all; i still benefited from those courses and if i didnāt get to different explore subjects that first year, i would not have found my love for the fields i got my degree in. i think college should be about exploration and well-roundedness as much as it is about preparation for the future.
and all this isnāt to say colleges are perfect; i have plenty of āivy towerā criticisms and there were plenty of shitty things i experienced personally and academically bc life is just that way sometimes, but i think for me, the pros of attending still outweigh those cons. in the right place you can get a better idea of what you hope to do in your life, be equipped for that, and grow a lot of confidence in yourself, your dreams and your goals! :) overall it was very worth it and i donāt regret it.
Jun 18, 2024
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i loved & miss university, it really helped me figure out some things i was passionate about, have some cool experiences & learn a lot about myself, plus i just love learning and being in school in general (i always say if i was rich enough to not work i'd spend all my money getting degrees for fun), but that being said.... i no longer work in said field nor do i have any interest to at all lol
i feel like if you're going to go to college you need to be sure of your field and the possibilities that come from it, or at the very least, go into something broadly applicable and then do as many things as you can (related clubs, volunteering, competitions, whatever) that allow you to explore the field while there. i got a broad degree (comms) but then made the mistake of not exploring enough avenues while in school and wound up locked into one that i didn't like post-grad. tried to leverage my degree to break into fields i'd enjoy more, but with my focused background, it's unfortunately not enough.
Jun 18, 2024
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I did a two year masters program to receive my masters in social work. It was definitely worth it for me, because I needed that in order to become a licensed clinical social worker. I will say that there were pros and cons. I felt that I learned a lot more in my internships than in my classes, which makes a lot of sense to me knowing how I learn. My second year internship is where I discovered my loved and gift for working with children, and I canāt be more grateful that I found this work. I also got to go to Guatemala for two weeks as part of a class, which was amazing. I never got a chance to study abroad in my undergrad for various reasons so that was the closest I could get. Overall, it was a really positive experience for me.
I would say do some research on if people that are working in your desired field have found it useful. I do think that the connections and internships you can get from grad school alone can really make it worth it.
Oct 17, 2024
4 years of classes finally paid off!! definitely a time in my life that i will miss, but iām also so proud of myself for completing my degree. finding a job is another storyā¦
Dec 19, 2024
Top Recs from @marxinista
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being traditionally cool is really quite boring and iterative, and itās actually very cool and sexy to geek out about something you like or share bits of knowledge on a topic youāre passionate about
Aug 17, 2024
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i had it for a little over a year until i was like wow this is actually terrible! i genuinely think it has negatively impacted society by ruining peopleās attention spans, having a horrific algorithm, and most of all by the most mind-numbing or outright harmful trends -
fake words that people now use IRL (āunaliveā), trad wife tiktok, shein hauls, body-focused fitness vids that encourage fatphobia and unhealthy habits, shallow political/feminist theory and queer discourse, āalpha maleā podcaster tiktok, encouraging overconsumption in general, trends ruining local spots or niche thingsā¦ the list goes on
Aug 17, 2024
a million times cooler than the lackluster āsleekā tech color palette used today
Feb 22, 2025