Is college oppressive?
Why would it be?
Google “Is college oppressive” and you’ll see a list of articles saying college is oppressive.
Define “oppressive.”
this question is very opinion based, so in my (short) opinion, it depends. if you’re a super left-winged liberal who attends college of the ozarks, yes, i would consider that to be an oppressive environment, but it’s the same thing as being an ultra right-winged conservative who attends reed college. both could be labeled as “oppressive” environments depending on certain factors.
I read this on a website “School is the main institution of young people’s oppression. Schools are not set up well for young people to learn. … They train young people to be part of capitalism and the oppressive society. They reinforce racism, classism, and sexism and have been a major tool of colonization”.
Hopefully colleges also teach students a critical approach to what they read on a random website.
I remember spending more time than I wanted to studying in college. That felt oppressive sometimes. I also really hated some of the major requirement courses I had to take —that felt kind of oppressive, too. But I remember some really uplifting and brilliant experiences, too — when I came up with an original idea in an English Lit class that made my prof take me aside and lobby for me to major in English Lit. Or getting the top grade in the class my first case study problem ever. Or correcting a prof using a fact I’d just learned in a related class (and corrected prof later admitted I was right and gave me an A+ in the class — only one I ever got in college). 
If you believe that your college is oppressive then you will feel like it is oppressive. Any institution can feel oppressive, especially if you avoid your responsibilities but still expect to do well, or that the environment is responsible for your success or not. Freedom comes from accepting responsibilities and acting accordingly.
@NorthernMom61 Do you think college wouldn’t be oppressive if students didn’t have to pay so much money for it?
In our county, a student in public school costs about $9,000 per year funded by local property tax. Each class of the HS has an average of 30 students. In a state college, the average class has about 15 students, so the cost for each student should cost as twice as much as the HS. In the top private, average class size can be only about 8 to 10 students, so the cost for each students should at least 3 times more than the high school. Besides, college professors usually have more advanced degrees than the HS teachers; therefore, the cost should be adjusted for this too. The high cost of education is driven by free market, the basic of supply and demand, and has nothing to do with oppression. May be the OP prefers a free college education in a communist country?
Last semester my sophomore took a 400/500 level Math class. Problem sets took 20-25 hours/week… every week. That is oppressive!
@amNotarobot Just because a college education is free in Germany doesn’t mean that everyone is going to be allowed to become a doctor. You must have the capability to become a doctor to be allowed into that program.
I don’t think college is oppressive. I think it is a choice, an incredible opportunity, a privelege. It’s up to the student to take advantage of the things that college has to offer. Education is one of the things that has the potential of being a great equalizer in our nation and the world. Yes it can take a lot of hard work, sometimes brutally hard. But, college being a level of education that is a choice means that the student who truly feels oppressed can walk away anytime.
I loved college, even when it was hard and I had to pull all-nighters. I agree with @NorthernMom61!
Nobody’s going to force you to return to college. You can always get a full-time job instead, but I think there are more opportunities available to people who finish their degrees.
Education isn’t oppressive, a high level of debt is. You don’t have to choose an expensive college. If you don’t want to pay a lot, choose a school whose net cost isn’t oppressive. If you need to repair your GPA, a cc is probably a great place to start. If you talk to the career office at your local cc they can direct you to people who can help you sort out your transcript.
First of all, “evil capitalism” and “racism” are buzz words, not theories. You go to college to expand your mind and learn different theories. It’s meant to free your mind. You can agree or disagree, but you need to learn them. The “free” or “oppressive” part is up to you.
@coolguy40 Sadly, many people’s love of politics have led them to be closed minded. I’ve had a professor give me a bad grade for not agreeing with their politics.
What site was this? When you see things like this, it’s important to research and consider the source before you take it seriously. From the wording, it sounds like a propaganda website.
Anything you don’t like and feel stuck in can feel oppressive. It might be a job, a relationship, the weather, a city/neighborhood, and yes, college. College isn’t for everyone, and just like certain jobs, relationships, cities and neighborhoods, some colleges may be better fits for some than others.
The great thing is, you don’t have to stay in that job, that relationship, that city/neighborhood or college. Lots of people like to complain without taking steps to do anything about it, or they make excuses as to why they can’t make changes, but as my father often said when I used the word ‘can’t’ while I was growing up, . . . . . can’t never did anything.
What I’ve learned is that everything in life is a choice. Everything. That doesn’t mean we always like our choices. Sometimes we have to choose a lesser of evils, but there’s always a choice to be made, and once you realize that, it can be empowering.
I have had a couple of jobs in my life that I found oppressive, but reminded myself that no one was forcing me to walk in the door and work there every day. I continued to go because I preferred it to the alternative of unemployment, looking for another job, or because I was making so much money that it was worth it to put up with it for the time being, and as long as I was making that choice, I committed to walk in every day with my head held high and do the very best job I could, and do it with a good attitude. When it was no longer worth it or when I could no longer do it with a good attitude, I knew I could leave, and I did.
Spend a year in a North Korean prison camp. That’s oppressive.