<p>I think I may be having a quarter-life crisis. My apologies, people of the internet.</p>
<p>When I was younger, I always thought colleges would be some mecca of wisdom and knowledge and that drop outs only happened because of poor grades… and here I am, top of my class, and highly likely to drop out of my four year college because I really cannot stand greek life and keg parties. </p>
<p>So I spent three very miserable years at a public university. I hated the classes because they lacked any opportunity for applying knowledge outside of route memorization, the students for their sheer immaturity, and made far more enemies than friends (as, just like in high school, I was still “uncool” for being a “nerd”.) I took a leave of absence to recover from some health issues that I had at the end of the fall semester, moved to a warmer climate that was better for my health, and told my family that I would transfer to “a better fit” for me later. However, now I’m working a minimum wage job … and I’m happy there. I spend my work day around people who are friendly, mature, and work-oriented, as opposed to people who are cliquish and party-oriented. When I go home, I sleep soundly as opposed to being woken by someone’s boom box. And I feel like I’m really, truly, learning on an academic level too - if I’m curious about one topic or another, I’ll hit the public library and learn more in an afternoon than a classroom would cover in a semester, without being held back by “how” I should learn it and at what pace. Moreover, on a practical level, I can actually eat and pay for rent without help when I have enough hours free to work as I need to without cracking from the stress of multiple “jobs.”</p>
<p>At the beginning of all of this, I thought that maybe if I found a more rigorous university, I would be able to thrive as the independent-learning-type I’ve always been and have intelligent academic discussions with other students about academic stuff I find cool. Now I’m starting to come to the slow realization that the “college experience” of heavy drinking and loud partying will be there wherever I go, and alas, I’m just a 79-year-old in a 21-year-old form that likes sewing, cats, and books. </p>
<p>So, this brings me back to my original question:
Should I even go to college?</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate the credential benefiting you in the short and long run. Sure you can get a library card and use the internet and have opportunities for lifelong learning, everyone does. But part of completing school is getting the credential.</p>
<p>You only have one year left? A transfer will usually require you to complete 60 units so that would only prolong it for you. It is harder to go back later. For some reason you don’t seem to have the maturity to find what you need at college, instead focusing on superficial unimportant things. If you think it is better to try later in a few years when you can focus on the important things, that’s up to you.</p>
<p>In most cases, a successful professional career requires not only a Bachelor degree, but also an Advanced Degree. If you only have HS credential then the professional career may not be your cup of tea. You can be successful by learning a trade, that could give you a satisfactory career. No, you do not need a college degree, however, schooling is necessary unless you want be a laborer all your life earning minimum wage. </p>
<p>One of my cousin dropped out of college and went to pump gas in a local station, he later on went to BMW training school and became a local star of BMW repair. After he saved enough money he started to buy gas stations and expand his practice. He retired at the age of 45 and was very successful in Real Estate afterwards.</p>
<p>OP, do you have any friends you can talk to about the way you feel about college students?</p>
<p>Thank you all for taking the time to reply - I truly appreciate the feedback.</p>
<p>Brownparent: I agree that the short and long credential benefits are not something to be disregarded without serious forethought of all of the implications and consequences that it entails - which is part of the reason I have come here to CollegeConfidential to ask for advice from people with more life experience than myself. Thank you, I will certainly consider it. However, I also hope you can understand that every individual has different circumstances and must prioritize accordingly. After all, the health problem that lead to my leave of absence did change of few of my priorities.</p>
<p>artloverplus: I really appreciate your insight and feedback - your cousin’s situation, along with the various other possibilities you mentioned, definitely puts things into a clearer light for me, so thank you, I will take some time to reflect on what you said. </p>
<p>jkeil911: My apologies, I hope this didn’t come across as a “I hate college students” post… I suppose I was trying to go more in a "I hate the noisy activities that a lot of people on this particular campus like the more I am exposed to them’ kind of direction; but, that’s my own fault for typing without editing, so, no matter.
That aside, I have talked to others about my dilemma, and I suppose it all tends to go in a “So I see…/how does that make you feel” direction… which I appreciate, but it still leaves the deadline of making a life decision in one direction or another by the time the leave of absence is up.<br>
But all that aside, thank you for asking, I do appreciate it.</p>
<p>I’m glad to learn this, OP. My take is this: life asks of us a lot of things we don’t want to do. Often we wonder what’s in it for us. Here’s a case where there’s great deal in it for you. I think once you get your degree you will never regret having done so. If you don’t get your degree, you are likely to regret it if you live another 30 years or until you get the degree. </p>
<p>So one year of aggravation or 30 years of wishing you had found the energy to deal with a year of aggravation? </p>
<p>You’ll have to figure that out for yourself, if you think the terms I’ve set your situation in has some relevance. Perhaps I’ve mis-stated the equation.</p>
<p>Hey there OP, I think you should! </p>
<p>While I am not qualified to really answer your question (since I’m still in HS), I have known plenty of people who were intellectually challenged and stimulated in an environment where partying, drinking and “fraternizing” wasn’t the de rigueur. If possible, I would try top liberal arts places like Swarthmore, Wellesley or even Ivy League schools if its attainable. In those places (my brother goes to Penn), for every party loving and drunk student you find, there are probably a handful of others who are clever, sociable, into studying or just generally curious, intellectual people.</p>
<p>So yes, don’t give up on the college dream! And like @jkeil911 of pointed out, your degree could really mean something in a lot of places, especially if you think pragmatically about a high-paying job after graduation. You probably will regret it if you didn’t get or complete that degree.</p>
<p>One of things that was beaten into my head (lol in a positive sense) is that college is a place where you build cultural and social capital. Essentially, they work just like regular capital (aka money), but that by having cultural capital (knowledge) and social capital (friends), you could get through life and make it far without the necessity of having capital to propel you. <a href=“Cultural capital - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_capital</a> this explains it much better than I can, but what I mean to say is that there are tons of intangible benefits to going to college and finishing that degree, which you should certainly consider.</p>
<p>So good luck OP, and I hope you find a college where you’ll like and finish that degree! Its never too late :)</p>