Is college really worth it?
That’s a perennial question and one that tends to linger in the minds of students — who pay huge sums of money to get scolded for forgetting to do the assigned reading — and their parents.
For the most part, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. College remains an essential part of a successful life for a majority of people.
The pandemic, however, has changed college life immensely. Traditional college staples — such as in-person club meetings or late-night study sessions in the library — are virtually non-existent. What college was, even just a year or two ago, has completely changed, and it may not return to its former self for a couple of years still.
Does this mean COVID-19 has rendered the college experience useless, at least for the foreseeable future?
To answer this question — or at least have a better understanding of it — we must first look at everything through the lens of a college or university. Many colleges were struggling with enrollment even before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has created some insurmountable problems, especially for the small, liberal arts colleges.
And although a fully online education is not what students are paying for, some colleges may not be able to reduce the tuition due to their own financial hardships.
This does not mean, though, we as students have a responsibility to pay full tuition just to keep certain institutions afloat. The only responsibility we have is to own our individual desire for education.
But unfortunately, learning is difficult right now.
Online classes pose an array of challenges that disproportionately affect underprivileged students. For starters, it is significantly easier to get distracted in virtual classes than it is in traditional classes.
You can try as hard as you want, but the desire to check your email or the latest news is constant while taking a class on your computer, and it’s harder to create an environment with minimal distraction.
Professors also have to deal with remote learning complications. While some are teaching online and others in-person or in a hybrid format, all professors are expected to quickly adapt to different teaching methods and class structures.
Having to accommodate for various situations and students — especially when teaching in a hybrid format — has caused severe burnout for educators. Juggling multiple duties and new platforms can serve as another barrier between teacher-student communication and an effective education.
On top of all of this is the difficulty of completing assignments online. Project-based assignments are nearly impossible, so some students have seen an increased number of writing assignments. This gives students who are better at writing a clear advantage, and it also caters heavily to those with stable access to technology.
School is stressful enough as is, but these new obstacles are incredibly difficult and can negatively impact students’ mental health. Although each student has had a different experience, most will tell you the past year has been extremely difficult academically.
Student anxiety and depression has risen dramatically in light of the pandemic. Suicidal ideation has also increased. About one in four people aged 18 to 24 said they had considered suicide in the last 30 days, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study from June.
College is currently high-risk and low-reward, given the mental health and learning struggles. So, it would seem college is currently not that worth it. And yet, we’re all still here.
Does that mean we’re dumb or insane? Or if not, maybe it means the value of college in the pandemic provides something different?
There isn’t really a right or wrong answer — we students could be oblivious idiots who just so happen to learn incredibly valuable life lessons along the way. However, an education during the COVID-19 pandemic counts for something. In fact, it may be greater than its usual value.
One of the most important skills you pick up from an undergraduate education is the ability to get work done under pressure. Even if you don’t use the content you learn, you will carry with you the strength, determination and time-management skills.
Pushing through adversity is a staple of being a college student. Therefore, if we can find a way to prevail through college with the added adversity right now, we may learn even more from the experience than we would have originally.
The value of our education may not be the literal material itself — at least for right now — but instead the ability to endure.
College is not worth what it once was. Its value has completely changed. However, that does not mean college is worth less, or even worth nothing.
A non-traditional approach to higher education is much needed right now. If we as students take control of our education and learn from this adversity, we may find our college pandemic experience is worth more than it appears.
