As children we were constantly asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Children would usually give an occupation that seemed so irrational to the grown-up, but was very real to the child. However, as we grew up we learned that those ambitions were ridiculous and that we must create new goals for ourselves. When it comes to our generation, the Millennials, one of those goals is to go to college. Yet, we never ask ourselves why we have to go and what exactly the institution is supposed to do for us. Many believe that it [college] was created to educate people in order to get them a job in their field of study. Others believe it is an institution that helps with self-discovery. While I agree with both arguments, college seems to be nothing more than another path in life that others tell us we should take.

When I interviewed people I asked the not-so-simple question “What is the purpose of college?” and received simple answers to well-thought-out ones. The people that were interviewed were those who just started school or those who did not go to school, but there are some from the upper class at Aurora University. By interviewing these people, I was able to get a perspective that was genuine and it is truly what they think the purpose is. Someone’s purpose could change along the way and I wanted to know the unaltered truth.

Santiago, a Freshman, believes college was established to “enhance one’s learning in a particular field of study in order for it to transform into a professional occupation.” Getting a job is something many people believe to be the sole importance of a higher education. However, no one is guaranteed a job after graduation. No one is even guaranteed that they will graduate. The job is not the only motivator for students. While it plays a huge role in how students pick their classes and form their schedules, it may not work out in the end. Then we look back and wonder why we studied what we studied, or why we spent all of that money to get a useless degree. It is simple, really. We were told that college was something we should go to after high school. It was ingrained in us that the only way to be successful in life is to hold a sheet of paper saying we earned high enough marks in this field to earn this degree. College would not be as enticing if it were not for those who tell the younger generation that it is one of the only ways to succeed in life.

A fresh start is something students look for when stepping onto that pavement owned by the university they chose. After narrowing down all of their options they settled on this one place where they want to start the rest of their lives. This will be a place of learning, but more importantly, a place of self-discovery. Another Freshman, Jasmine, sees college as a place to figure out who we are without the restraints of the labels we had in high school. She was considered “the Preacher’s daughter” throughout high school and she is excited to be able to start anew at Aurora. No one knows that her dad is a preacher because she no longer goes to a small school. She can be the person she has always wanted to be without the fear of someone running to tell her father or a friend of her father. College allows her, and many others, to live for themselves without being held back by standards others have set for them. My grandfather told me that college is meant to “get us out of our bad habits” and to “motivate ourselves to do that which we want to do”. He had never had the opportunity to go to college, and I don’t believe he would have if he had had the chance. However, he is proud of his grandchildren who are going to get a degree in whatever field they choose. He believes in us and wants us to succeed, but more importantly, do what makes us happy even if it goes against what others say. Every student has their own set of motivators, whether it is intrinsic or extrinsic, that determine how they will succeed in college. Those motivators should not be swayed by others because it is something the individual uses for themselves. However, many students let themselves be swayed by popular opinion. If students allow themselves to be motivated by concepts that others deem to be correct then they are no longer motivating themselves. They are instead letting others control how they will succeed.

College is a place that students are expected to go once they have graduated. Those who do not go are frowned upon. There was an incident at my job where my co-worker was looked down upon for working at a convenience store. While taking out the garbage, a customer saw him, turned to her son, and said “This is why you need an education. So you aren’t taking trash out for the rest of your life.” This woman does not know my co-worker and ultimately assumed that he was going nowhere in life because of his job. Since he [my co-worker] holds a degree, he wanted to use that against the woman, but it would have gotten him into serious trouble, so he did not. What if he did not have a degree to prove himself? Then the woman would have felt even more accomplished than she already did. This is why students get an education, because it seems to be the only way to get away from public ridicule. A junior at Aurora University, Brian, believes that by getting a degree he will be taken more seriously when looking for a job. This mindset ties into the thought that college is something students feel as though they should go to because most people expect them to.

In my family there is a low percentage of college graduates, which might be why my cousins and I were pushed into going to school. While my family is accepting and will support us no matter what we choose to do in life, I have always felt the need to please them. My education here at Aurora University is free because my mom works here. Since I have a full-ride, my family told me I would be stupid to pass up the opportunity. They would then proceed to talk about how my cousin will have debt and that I will not. However, no one ever asked me if I wanted to go to college or not. They only told me that I should go. Now that I am in school once again I do not know if it is for me. I am going through the motions and taking the classes I think will light some kind of fire within me that makes me want to be sitting in classrooms for a majority of my day. The only motivation I had was from my family telling me to do this. Unfortunately, I am not the only one who is going to school for this reason. Many families push their children to go to college because they want them to succeed in life and believe college is the only way to do so. While our purposes for going to college may change, many of us initially see the purpose as pleasing those around us.

I am going to school because I was told I should do so. However, I am the one who ultimately chose what I will be studying for the next four years. My family has always wanted me to go into the artistic field and create drawings or paintings. They constantly asked me to draw something for them or help them come up with some new ideas. I was never asked if I wanted to do these things they asked of me, and they then get somewhat upset when I never do it. Art is not something I am passionate about and, unfortunately, my family does not seem to understand that. It may be a hobby of mine, but I do not spend hours trying to perfect my technique. I am capable of a lot more than art. Unfortunately, I have not mastered any one skill, but have dabbled in multiple different hobbies that I have come to enjoy. This is where my majors, English and Spanish, come into play. Every time I tell someone what I am studying, they ultimately assume I want to be a teacher. That is the last thing I want to do in my life. I want to make an impact in this world we live in through the literary arts, well, if I am lucky enough to do so. The plans my family and everyone else has for me are not the plans I have for myself. I do not want to stay in Illinois. I do not want to sit behind a desk or deal with customers all day. I will travel the world and pick up new languages and begin to understand cultures that I have never had the opportunity to truly encounter. I am going to live my life the way I want to even if that means I have to do one thing that others tell me I should do in order to fulfill my dreams. I can sacrifice four years of my life immersing myself in the world of literature and Latin culture to get where I need to go in life. Even if college is something others expect from us, there is no reason for our lives to be what others say it should be. College is like testing the waters. You dip your toes in to get a feel for what it will be like, but then you decide when you are going to take the jump into the water, no one else can choose that for you. We all decide what we want for ourselves, and if someone is living their life according to the expectations of others then they are not living. Life is about making choices for oneself and that is what I am going to do. I am going to stray from the expectations people have for me.

College is different for every person, and while some feel forced into going, they are not forced into a particular field of study. Everyone is able to determine for themselves what it is they want to be when they grow up. If someone is trying to dictate that choice, then they are the ones who chose the wrong path for themselves. Only an unhappy person would want to control the lives of others. They do this so they can live through them, and we should not give anyone the satisfaction. While I feel like college was something I was told to do, I will be the one to choose what the rest of my life will be like, and I will encourage others to do the same.