By Garrick Hoffman

Depending on whom you are and where you plan to apply to, investing in college is

barely considered a rational, calculated decision today. Today four-year universities come with

an astronomical and unrealistic price tag, and people will enter majors with virtually zero

pragmatic purpose, subsequently graduating into debt slavery. Historically, usury – the practice

of money lending attached with interest – has been not only condemned but illegal, and yet is

happening ubiquitously with college loans. Indeed, this debt problem comes with a host of other

problems, such as economic stunting as a result of burdensome, outrageous student loan

payments to be paid every month, and it needs to be resolved immediately.

Nonetheless, students should hold themselves accountable and cease their lamenting of

student loans, since these same students accept the price tag with hardly any clear understanding

of their goals. Many accept what they’re getting into. And they may not ask themselves, why

saddle one’s self with colossal student loan debt if one isn’t going to acquire legitimate, useful,

pragmatic skills that they could put into action? Is it the ticket in hand at the end of the journey

that matters most to people? What substance does that ticket bear if one cannot acquire a job

with it, and if they didn’t effectively learn anything in college?

Observing our peers at school sometimes instills a sense of pessimistic doubt. We ask our

own questions: Do you have a sincere interest in your academic pursuits? Do you perform well

in class? Do you put forth your utmost efforts? What’s your GPA like? What’s your goal while in

school? In other words, why are you here?

Fortunately community colleges are a preventative measure: one can acquire an

education while dodging the dizzying prices of a four-year college. However, this doesn’t negate

the fact that many students in any college – community or not – don’t really give a shit about

their education. College is a social experiment for many students who find themselves in the

throes of a component of the Americonformula – the conforming to the American formula,

which consists of graduating high school; immediately enrolling in and graduating from college;

and finding (what’s typically a vapid, subpar) job that just pays for one’s means of living. And a

lot of people do this at a university level with university-sized price tags, not properly

understanding how this affects their future. Of course, many students face pressure from family

and peers – not to mention the workforce, which demands college education – to enter college

immediately after high school, oftentimes leading to unnecessary debt and poor academic

performance.

It gets even more dismal, too. For many, the end of college tragically means the end of

curiosity. Many believe that when they graduate, their studies end there. All curiosity, all

exploration, all questioning, all pursuit of knowledge and wisdom and understanding is

effectively terminated. They believe learning outside the classroom is devoid of purpose (“Well,

that doesn’t help me find a job”). Reading proclivities are curtailed to nonexistence. They’re

done; they no longer have to toil away for a stamp of a letter on their paper, or for a piece of

paper at the end of a journey. All they have to do now is toil away for a company that will pay

for their means of living while they pretend they’re living a fulfilled, substantial life.

Ultimately if one invests in college, it is paramount they consider the implications. They

must have a clear goal in mind. They must understand the magnitude of the burden that is their

student loan debt. They must be in pursuit of a skill, not just general knowledge of things their

professors lecture on (things which may not even be correct to begin with; remember that

professors, though educated, are not infallible). They must harbor some reverence for education

and learning and curiosity. Otherwise, it’s game over.

They also mustn’t subscribe to the “Americonformula” blindingly. Finally, and perhaps

most importantly, they must continue to study and read to further their understanding of the

world, to expand their minds, to open their eyes and achieve disillusionment. Remember that the

“A” on a paper or test may be more symbolic of diligence than understanding. It’s up to the

individual to understand.