College was the best four years of my life. I looked up to my professors as if they were sages on stages. For three of those four years, I worked for the university as a teaching assistant and laboratory technician in the chemistry department. The faculty made me feel as if I were part of the team. We had “good chemistry” so to speak. I still think fondly about all of them. Sadly, most have passed away.
College opened the door to everything else I have ever wanted to do with my life, including further studies in several different graduate programs and careers in both industry and academia.
I get it that college isn’t for everyone. Mike Rowe provides a valuable resource through his Mike Rowe Works Foundation for those who want to pursue a career without a four-year degree. And there are trade schools for those who’d rather build or fix things instead of designing them.
But for those of you who are considering college, let me encourage you to hold on to that dream. It will be worth it all in the end. And it’s not a waste of money, time or talent as some have bloviated.
You don’t have to go to an Ivy League school to be successful or achieve your dream. There are exceptional students in every college, just as there are short-cutters and cheaters. Hard work and integrity will be worth far more to a future employer, graduate school admissions committee or the college professor who writes you a stellar letter of recommendation, than the name of the institution appearing on your diploma.
There are public community colleges and smaller private universities that provide a good education — maybe better in some aspects, since class sizes tend to be smaller. And there are affordable degree programs online offered by accredited schools for the truly self-motivated who cannot attend a traditional day institution due to work schedules or family responsibilities.
I attended what was then a small, private Catholic college for my undergraduate degree and a larger, Catholic university where I earned one of my two graduate degrees.
My parents started saving money for my college education when I was still in elementary school. But that was during an era when their first house, a small Cape Cod in Yonkers, N.Y., cost them less than $6,000. (Yes! Six thousand dollars!) Inflation has inflated everything, not just college tuition.
My father, who had an M.A. from New York University and taught music in a public high school in the Bronx, told me that he’d pay my tuition, but anything beyond my undergraduate degree was on me. “Oh — and get a job to pay for your books,” he added.
For parents reading this column, I have several suggestions. Remember, anything worthwhile is worth the expense. Save money for your children’s future education. It’s never too early to start. Open a 529 college savings account.
Try to avoid student loans if at all possible, but if you are forced to go that route, do so with every intention of paying the loans back. To do otherwise is unethical and it sends the wrong message to your son or daughter by kindling a spirit of entitlement. Remember, nothing offered by the government is free. It just means someone else is paying for it.
Make your children get a job as early as they can legally work and have them save a portion of their income for their future college expenses. They’ll appreciate college much more if they have to work for it.
Most importantly, encourage your children to develop good study habits. Good study habits equal good grades, which in turn equal scholarships. This is by far the most effective way to reduce college costs.
Lastly, do your own homework. College can be a game-changer for your son or daughter. And maybe pay less attention to the media dissonance that asserts college is a waste of money, time and talent.
Gregory J. Rummo is a lecturer of chemistry at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach and a student at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale.
