Nowadays, college is the main goal for most students. Above all, they aspire to be accepted into the best schools, dreaming of prestigious universities like Harvard. Most spend absurd amounts of time, energy, and money to get accepted into top schools. Why? Because they've been told that getting into a good college is the only way to succeed. Despite the fact that this system favors the wealthy and is usually not even worth the skyrocketing costs, most people still believe that college is the only path to success. But what if the university system wasn't the only path to success? What if most students stopped dreaming of becoming an “Ivy League school” and focused on a wider variety of interests? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay While it goes against conventional wisdom to opt for a different path, it's clear that there are superior alternatives to college that don't involve being swamped in student debt for little reward. However, before we get into that topic, here is some general information about the college and its graduates. In spring 2019, 3.6 million students are expected to graduate from high school. But how many of these students will continue their university studies? In the past, the number of high school graduates attending university had been increasing for many years, but now this percentage is decreasing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the high point was in 2009, when 70.1 percent of recent college graduates went to college. Last year, in October 2017, only 66.7% of high school graduates enrolled in universities or colleges. Could this decline mean that more and more people are concluding that college isn't worth the time and money? One of the main reasons why you shouldn't go to college is the heavy financial burden it places on the shoulders of students and their families. Most students don't have enough money to pay tuition, and so the system favors the rich. In fact, as many as 83% of Americans cannot afford college, even with financial aid. As a result, a substantial number of students cannot afford tuition, resorting to student loans to pay for the ever-increasing cost of college. After college, graduates are often mired in debt trying to repay these loans. In recent years, college debt has become so massive that it threatens to cause a nationwide economic crisis. Furthermore, many students don't even graduate, wasting time and money. In addition to tuition costs, college students also have to pay in the form of time. During their years in college, students do not earn any income, or if they do, it is only a temporary job to make ends meet. This gives their high school graduate peers a four-year head start in the workforce, which gives them four years to grow a successful business or become managers while graduates work entry-level jobs, struggling to pay their debts . Although it is considered the “societal standard” for going to college, the toxic culture and lack of preparation for the real world add to the list of reasons why students should not go to college. First of all, college culture cultivates a toxic mindset and habits among young adults, such as underage drinking and excessive drinking. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, nearly 60 percent of college students drank alcoholevery month and nearly 2 out of 3 students binge drank every month. Furthermore, for young people, important life milestones, such as living independently of parents, are delayed. That's because they have to put their lives on hold to pay off their student debt. According to the Real Trends blog, “the percentage of 20-year-old college graduates living with their parents increased from 19% in 2005 to 28% in 2016” (RT). In terms of society as a whole, “57% say the higher education system in the United States fails to provide students with good value for the money they and their families spend.” This shows that there is growing dissatisfaction with the university system. As for lack of preparation, high school may not have prepared students for college-level courses, which in turn causes students to fail due to their lack of preparation for college. Furthermore, college does not provide them with an accurate representation of the real world as they are trained to perfection, which is rarely achieved in adult life. Students are molded to expect perfection in every aspect and are consequently reluctant to accept disappointments and losses when faced with them. Additionally, college often doesn't even prepare students for their jobs as well as it should. A study conducted by The Adecco Group revealed that a whopping 74% of young adults believe that colleges have failed to prepare them for life in the workforce. Universities lack preparation such as a transition period or the work experience needed to be successful, and new hires are often subjected to a harsh reality check when they enter the real world and apply for jobs. A common misconception is that without a college degree, individuals are incapable of being successful or having a well-paying job. In 2017, only 77.6% of young graduates who earned a bachelor's degree were employed. Even if a graduate makes it through college and earns a degree in a certain field, he or she is not guaranteed a job or the preparation he or she needs to work in that field. Additionally, the value of a college degree has decreased over the years as many students attend college. In many cases, college is not the most important thing employers consider. Some employers consider job skills and industry knowledge more valuable than a college degree. According to the Pew Research Center, “When asked what it takes for a young person to succeed in the world, 61 percent say a good work ethic is extremely important, and 57 percent say the same about getting along with peers. people. Only 42% say the same about a college education.” This shows that employers value a candidate's character over their education when looking for new hires. Many jobs also don't require college degrees, and many of the fastest-growing jobs don't require a college degree, such as careers that require programming experience and technology experience. Nowadays, it's harder to find a qualified plumber or electrician in the modern economy because many people go to college instead of doing simple but necessary jobs. There are so many disadvantages to attending university, so why do so many people continually choose to do it? There is a widespread misconception that attending and graduating will open up high-paying jobs, consequently making graduates less likely to be forced into poverty. But there are many different sides to this statement: due to the abundance of graduates, many well-paid jobs have fewer opportunities than.