The other day my Political Philosophy professor proposed a question to my class that has perplexed my mind for the past few days. He asked us, in complete seriousness, “If you won a $24 million lottery, would you drop out of college?”.

Some students snickered, and nodded their heads. Others continued texting their friends and checking Facebook notifications. The large percentage of the class kind of sat there, with knitted brows, not really sure how to answer. 

My professor then asked for those of us who would drop out of college, to raise our hands. Surprisingly, there were fewer than 10 hands out of this 200 person lecture that went up. Then, you guessed it, my professor asked for the people who 

would continue with their college education to raise their hands, and more than 85% of the class confidently did so. 
 

“But, why?” my professor asked us. And that’s the question that has been following me around these past few days.

My peers had varying answers. Some said they would stay in college for superficial reasons, and for fear of being judged by society for not going through with their education. Others thought the type of intellectual conversations and information they had/learned in college gave meaning to their life, something that couldn’t be replaced. Most of us just shrugged our shoulders, because if we’re being honest with ourselves, do we really know why we’re here? Is it because our parents pushed us to go to college or because we really want to be here?

I’ve always had a love for learning, but I’m not going to lie, if I had a choice on whether or not to take a class about Political Philosophy, I would probably pass on the opportunity. There are more than a few classes for my major that I wish I could just skip over, mostly because I have zero interest in the topic.

For example, I’m a Political Science major, and it’s required for me to take two science classes and a lab, a field completely different from what I want to get into. It feels like a complete waste of my time to be taking these classes. I can’t help but think how easy it would be for me (this is me assuming I’ve won this lottery my professor proposed) to drop out of school and travel the world, and focus on the things I really love in life.

I mean, really think about how much you would learn and experience, and how much meaning you can add to your life by participating in so many cultures that the world has to offer. Traveling the world is the dream, at least for me it is, and to have that opportunity at my fingertips through all my lottery money is just so tempting to take advantage of.

But sometimes you have to take a step back from "the dream", and think about the kind of life you want to live. If I dropped out of college now, that’s got to be thousands of pages in books and hundreds of hours of lectures that I would lose in knowledge.

Knowledge is an interesting term. I’m positive that I would learn so much from traveling the world, but I’m also positive that I wouldn’t learn the proper ways to use the quadratic formula or experience what it’s like being in a sorority. College is more than just going to class, passing (or failing) it, and doing homework. I’ve only been here for a little more than a semester, but within that time period, I know that I’ve matured more, gained more social skills, and overall, grown as a person.

I think that’s why college is such a special place, because not only do you gain knowledge here, but you grow as a person at the same time, and that’s a tough package to find. College is only four years, and after that, I have the rest of my life to travel the world with my $24 million that I’ve won in my imaginary lottery.

So, Mr. Professor, no, I would not drop out of college. Hell, I’ll even go to grad school with that kind of money. Not for superficial reasons, and not just because my parents want me to pursue a college education, but because I want a college education. Even if I don’t want to take my required science classes, I can’t deny that I’ll learn something in them. Maybe I won’t use that information on a daily basis, but at least I had the opportunity to get that education.

Knowledge is a powerful thing, and for me, it adds meaning to my life. Money is also a powerful tool, but knowledge and money as a combination is x100 more powerful and useful. For me, my life is so much more fulfilling because I get a chance to have an amazing education, and then hopefully I'll travel every corner of this earth.

So, what would you do if you won the lottery?