effects of going to college essay

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Learning Objectives

• Determine the purpose and structure of cause and effect in writing
• Understand how to write a cause and effect essay

The Purpose of Cause and Effect in Writing

It is often considered human nature to ask “why?” and “how?” We may want to know how our child got sick so we can better prevent it from happening in the future, or why our colleague received a pay raise because we want one as well. We want to know how much money we will save over the long term if we buy a hybrid car. These examples identify only a few of the relationships we think about in our lives, but each shows the importance of understanding cause and effect.

A cause is something that produces an event or condition; an effect is what results from an event or condition. The purpose of the  cause and effect essay is to determine how various phenomena relate in terms of origins and results. Sometimes the connection between cause and effect is clear, but often determining the exact relationship between the two is very difficult. For example, the following effects of a cold may be easily identifiable: a sore throat, runny nose, and a cough. But determining the cause of the sickness can be far more difficult. A number of causes are possible, and to complicate matters, these possible causes could have combined to cause the sickness. That is, more than one cause may be responsible for any given effect. Therefore, cause and effect discussions are often complicated and frequently lead to debates and arguments.

The Structure of a Cause and Effect Essay

The cause and effect essay opens with a general introduction to the topic, which then leads to a thesis that states the main cause, main effect, or various causes and effects of a condition or event.

The cause and effect essay can be organized in one of the following two primary ways:

• Start with the cause and then talk about the effects.
• Start with the effect and then talk about the causes.

For example, if your essay is on childhood obesity, you could start by talking about the effect of childhood obesity and then discuss the cause, or you could start the same essay by talking about the cause of childhood obesity and then move to the effect. Regardless of which structure you choose, be sure to explain each element of the essay completely. Explaining complex relationships requires the full use of evidence, such as scientific studies, expert testimony, statistics, and anecdotes.

Because cause and effect essays determine how phenomena are linked, they make frequent use of words and phrases that denote such linkage. See below Phrases of Causation for examples of such terms.

Phrases of Causation

• as a result
• consequently

The conclusion should wrap up the discussion and reinforce the thesis, leaving the reader with a clear understanding of the relationship that was analyzed.

Self-Practice Exercise 4.8

H5P:  Cause and Effect Writing Practice

Exercise Preamble

In this exercise, we will think through the steps of a cause and effect essay. This can be tricky. We’ll start by choosing a topic. You want to pick something you know enough about to make claims about the relationships between cause and effect. For this in-class exercise, there’s no need to do external research, but remember that in a more formal assignment, you’ll want to have good sources for all your claims and to avoid speculation.

Some areas where cause and effect thinking is common include:

• Health and nutrition

For example, you might write a cause and effect essay about whether violent video games cause children to act out, or whether universal basic income programs cause people to live more stable lives. Choose something you can argue from a position of confidence.

Set a timer and freewrite for five minutes about the topic you have chosen.

Can you identify a potential thesis statement from your freewriting? Remember: The cause and effect essay opens with a general introduction to the topic, which then leads to a thesis that states the main cause, main effect, or various causes and effects of a condition or event. In other words, you don’t need to claim the only cause or effect — we know that ideas are complex.

Organizing Your Draft

Which makes the most sense for what you are trying to argue in your thesis statement?

Using point form, sketch out the structure of your essay: how many paragraphs, what will each one focus on, and how will you support it?

Writing a Cause and Effect Essay

Choose an event or condition that you think has an interesting cause and effect relationship. Introduce your topic in an engaging way. End your introduction with a thesis that states the main cause, the main effect, or both.

Organize your essay by starting with either the cause then effect structure, or the effect then cause structure. Within each section, you should clearly explain and support the causes and effects using a full range of evidence. If you are writing about multiple causes or multiple effects, you may choose to sequence either in order of importance. In other words, order the causes from least to most important (or vice versa), or order the effects from least important to most important (or vice versa).

Use the phrases of causation when trying to forge connections between various events or conditions. This will help organize your ideas and orient the reader. End your essay with a conclusion that summarizes your main points and reinforces your thesis. See  Appendix 1: Readings: Examples of Essays  to read a sample cause and effect essay.

Key Takeaways

• The purpose of the cause and effect essay is to determine how various phenomena are related.
• The thesis states what the writer sees as the main cause, main effect, or various causes and effects of a condition or event.
• The cause and effect essay can be organized in one of these two primary ways:
• Start with the cause and then talk about the effect.
• Start with the effect and then talk about the cause.
• Strong evidence is particularly important in the cause and effect essay due to the complexity of determining connections between phenomena.
• Phrases of causation are helpful to signal links between various elements in the essay.

Essay 1: Expository essay (15%)

In week 7, you will need to submit an expository essay on one of the following topics. Consider these topics as you work through the rest of this chapter and the next. You will need to choose one topic from one of the rhetorical modes below and write a 750- to 900-word essay. You will need to produce a logically organized essay with a thesis statement, well developed and logically organized paragraphs (with topic sentences), and an introduction and conclusion. You will need to support your ideas using one to three sources and include an APA reference list and citations as outlined in the JIBC APA Style Guide. You need to also demonstrate appropriate use of grammar and correct spelling. Remember, your essay should not just be a story; it should demonstrate logical organization and idea development.

Choose any one of the exercises you have completed for Self-Practice 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, or 4.9 and develop it into your Expository Essay. Consult with your instructor or your classmates if you are having a hard time deciding which activity to develop further.

You need to submit this assignment to your instructor for marking . (15%)

ENGL Resources Copyright © by Tara Horkoff. All Rights Reserved.

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Covering Innovation & Inequality in Education

Another million adults ‘have stepped off the path to the middle class’

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Slower economic growth. Continued labor shortages. Lower life expectancy. Higher levels of divorce. More demand for social services, but less tax revenue to pay for it.

A sharp and persistent decline in the number of Americans going to college — down by nearly a million since the start of the pandemic, according to newly released figures, and by nearly three million over the last decade — could alter American society for the worse, even as economic rival nations such as China vastly increase university enrollment, researchers who study this warn.

“It is a crisis, and I don’t think it’s widely recognized yet that it is,” said Jason Lane, dean of Miami University’s College of Education, Health and Society.

The reasons for the drop in college-going have been widely discussed — declining birth rates , the widespread immediate availability of jobs, greater public skepticism of the need for higher education — but the potential long-term effects of it have gotten less attention.

People without education past high school earn significantly less than classmates who go on to earn bachelor’s degrees and are more likely to live in poverty and less likely to be employed. They’re more prone to depression, live shorter lives, need more government assistance, pay less in taxes, divorce more frequently and vote and volunteer less often.

With fewer people going to college, “society is going to be less healthy,” Lane said. “It’s going to be less economically successful. It’s going to be harder to find folks to fill the jobs of the future, and there will be lower tax revenues because there won’t be as many people in high-paying jobs. It will be harder for innovation to occur.”

The growing gap in educational attainment could also worsen existing divisions over politics, socioeconomic status, race and national origin, said Adriana Lleras-Muney, an economist at UCLA.

Related: How a decline in community college students is a big problem for the economy

“We’re seeing a lot more people moving into the very unlucky group instead of the lucky group,” said Lleras-Muney. “That will be very bad for them personally. It will start showing up in their health, their likelihood of remaining in marriage — you name it.”

Among those most affected: children from low-income families, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, which reports “unprecedented” declines in the number of students from high-poverty and low-income high schools who immediately go on to higher education.

“The gains that we made in reducing class-based and racial inequality are being wiped away,” said Awilda Rodriguez, an associate professor at the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education.

“It is a crisis, and I don’t think it’s widely recognized yet that it is.” Jason Lane, dean, Miami University College of Education, Health and Society

Men in particular have disproportionately stopped going to college; undergraduate enrollment of men is down by more than 10 percent since the start of the pandemic.

“What does that mean for the modern American family? There are implications here that just go miles and miles and miles,” said Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

“We have a million adults in this country that have stepped off the path to the middle class. That’s the real headline,” Sullivan said. “This will be viewed as one of the great disruptions, not just because of the pandemic, but because of the economic, the social and the health-related implications.”

High school graduates who don’t go further in their educations earn a median of $24,900 a year less during their working lives than people with bachelor’s degrees, the College Board calculates.

They are nearly 40 percent more likely to be unemployed , the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, and nearly four times more likely to be living in poverty , according to the Pew Research Center. They’re also more susceptible to economic downturns. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, people without degrees were three times more likely to have lost their jobs than people with them, Pew says.

Related: Colleges face reckoning as plummeting birthrate worsens enrollment declines

Because they earn less, people whose formal education ends with high school pay 45 percent less in local, state and federal taxes than people with bachelor’s degrees, according to the College Board.

Yet they require greater social services. High school graduates who don’t go on to college are two and a half times more likely than those with bachelor’s degrees to receive Medicaid benefits , four times more likely to get food stamps and four times more likely to need public housing, the College Board finds, while their kids are three times more likely to qualify for free school lunches.

People without college educations also are less likely to vote than people with them, according to the Census Bureau; half as likely to volunteer , the College Board says; and more likely to divorce , reports the Bureau of Labor Statistics; almost half of married couples with less education split up, compared to 30 percent who are college graduates.

“We have a million adults in this country that have stepped off the path to the middle class. That’s the real headline.” Monty Sullivan, president, Louisiana Community and Technical College System

Various studies have found that people without college educations even die younger than people with them, by from five to 12 years, depending on the study. In fact, life expectancy has increased since 2010 for people who went to college even as it’s declined for those who didn’t, according to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and others.

“These life-expectancy gaps are just going to get even larger than they already are,” said Lleras-Muney, who studies the connection between education and health. “We might not see that for a while because the cohorts that are graduating now are not going to start dying in significant numbers for another 40 or 50 years. But we will see people being in worse health,” putting added strain on the health care system.

Related: Racial gaps in college degrees are widening, just when states need them to narrow

Higher death rates for less well-educated Americans in the 2010s were in part the result of smoking, drug and alcohol use and suicide, the researchers found; among other things, people with only high school diplomas are nearly four times more likely to smoke than college graduates, according to the College Board, and researchers at the universities of Texas and South Carolina find they have a higher incidence of depression .

All of these things are raising alarm about the broader impact of falling college enrollment on society and the economy.

Fewer college graduates mean not enough workers to fill high-paying jobs being left by fast-retiring baby boomers, for instance.

“There will be fewer jobs that people can get with just a high school diploma, so this will be an issue as more and more jobs require a college degree but fewer and fewer students go to college,” said Jennifer Ma, senior policy research scientist at the College Board, who called the pandemic enrollment drop “a really scary number.”

That means current-day labor shortages and logistics interruptions may be harbingers of things to come, said Lane, of Miami University.

“What we’re seeing right now is hospitals understaffed, supply chain concerns, schools closing because we don’t have enough people to keep them open,” he said. “But what happens when we don’t have enough people studying to be teachers, or to be nurses?”

Lower earnings also mean less consumer spending, which translates to slower growth and affects the broader standard of living.

America’s college and university enrollment decline is taking place against a backdrop of aggressive investment in higher education by international economic rivals such as China.

The United States has fallen from third to 12th since 2000 among the 38 member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in the proportion of its population age 25 to 34 with degrees, behind Canada, Korea, Russia, and others.

If Americans keep choosing not to go to college, “the U.S. will continue its slide,” said Jamil Salmi, a global higher education expert and former higher education coordinator at the World Bank. “It may make other economies more attractive. We might see firms relocating to those countries.”

Related: From Google ads to NFL sponsorships: Colleges throw billions at marketing themselves to attract students

Although it’s still well behind the United States in the proportion of its population with degrees, China has boosted its university enrollment six-fold since 2000, to about 45 million, according to World Education Services, a nonprofit that evaluates international educational credentials.

Chinese scholars have already surpassed their American counterparts in the number of research papers they publish , the National Science Foundation says, though the U.S. still does better when measured by the frequency with which those papers are cited.

Chinese universities produce more Ph.D.s in science, engineering, technology and math, an analysis by the Georgetown University Center for Security and Emerging Technology found; by 2025, it says, China will be turning out nearly twice as many graduates with doctorates in those fields than American universities will.

“The gains that we made in reducing class-based and racial inequality are being wiped away.” Awilda Rodriguez, associate professor, University of Michigan Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education

One upside, some policymakers said, is that a smaller supply of people with degrees will accelerate the budding practice by employers of considering job and life experience instead.

“That’s something companies are already becoming much more focused on — what skills does someone have versus what piece of paper do they have,” Sullivan said.

Already, more listings for jobs that pay above the national median wage are accepting applicants with less than bachelor’s degrees , a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia found.

Related: Credential chaos: Growing “maze” of education credentials is confusing consumers and employers

Which is more bad news for the sector that’s affected most immediately by the enrollment decline: the $632 billion higher education industry , which employs four million people , according to federal government statistics, and is on many campuses struggling to fill seats.

That could force the sector to do more to lower barriers that prevent prospective students — especially lower-income ones — from getting to and through college, Rodriguez said.

“We could be on the precipice of being pushed to thinking about how higher education could be more accessible — more equitable,” Rodriguez said.

“It’s not just about productivity or workforce development, though all of those things are true,” she said. “It’s about making opportunities available to students.”

This story about low college enrollment was produced by The Hechinger Report , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for our higher education newsletter .

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6 replies on “Another million adults ‘have stepped off the path to the middle class’”

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Interesting that in many of the discussions of higher education the word ‘education’ is rarely mentioned.

Once attending college was not necessarily about getting a higher paying job. It was about broadening the mind, learning how to learn, exploring topics that one would never stumble across otherwise. It taught students how to put together ideas into sentences and paragraphs, to understand a larger world than their city or town, how to conceive solutions to problems and implement them. An education inspired self confidence and a sense of achievement as a reward in itself. A side effect was a highly trained, thinking group of individuals who filled the need for a work force to drive the build-up of an ever more technologically complex world. This side effect was recognized as desirable and drove the push for the State Colleges, which were intended to provide affordable higher education for blue collar families. This they did until the 1980’s. At that point the agenda changed. No longer about affordably ‘educating’ people universities were instructed to train a workforce for corporate America and to earn their keep while doing it.

Swiftly the face of the state schools began to change. The basic classrooms and dormitories were scraped in favor of the country club image. Climbing walls, golf courses and swimming pools were required to justify charging more money and to attract an ever growing stream of ‘customers’. Tuition increases were implemented accordingly every semester. Unfortunately, the quality of the ‘education’ did not keep pace with the increases. Administrators replaced academics, new buildings replaced content and the student became a consumer.

It seems this corporatization of higher education has almost come full cycle. As life-time jobs in a chosen field dwindle to nil, as AI replaces humanity in almost all the technological fields, slim pickings are left for the masses of graduates in the ‘job’ market. Instead of a high paying job most graduates have nothing to look forward to but debt. I often wonder if the quality of the education I received forty years ago at one tenth the price is only one tenth as good as the one I would receive today. I seriously doubt it. Unfortunately, today’s students are coming to the same conclusion.

While I agree with the statistics confirming that having a college degree historically has generally resulted in a better salary than graduates without college degrees, yet all too frequently it has resulted in lifelong debt for too many of those college graduates. (Not to mention, college debt accumulated by those that attended more for the college experience than for academics; or by those that attempted but failed at completing their college degree.) And while I agree that students signed for such debt should be responsible and pay it back; I also find it less than helpful to charge more interest on student loans than what one would pay on a car loan or mortgage. I do not understand why interest rates for student loans cannot be charged at a very low interest rate as well as provided as a credit or tax deduction on one’s income taxes (whichever provides a better result for the student.) There should be additional options provided which does not make an individual financially indentured and worse off for having chosen to attend college.

Education is the key to getting out of poverty and exiting the ghettos and barrios for the low economic and minority groups. It gives them a key to creating opportunities to evolve personally and gain respect and dignity for themselves. The pandemic has curtailed the growth of attending college for these groups and it will take a long time to get back to get into a growth pattern again. Counseling and mentoring are the key to helping motivate these students to see the real value of a college education and that there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel if they make the effort.

You presented quite a bit of correlational data was presented in this article. Much of it may be misleading. The connection between higher education and a person’s positive life outcomes may have more to do with a person’s family background. People from higher SES families attain favorable jobs and disproportionately finish college. Those from lower SES families struggle regardless of their education. International statistics on Intergenerational Mobility show that an American’s income depends on that of their parents and grandparents more than in most other advanced countries.

Decreasing college enrollments will not necessarily retard or decrease national income. A nation’s level of education is not related to a nation’s income as shown by economists like Eric A Hanushek. Increasing spending on higher education is a waste of resources.

America can afford to have fewer college admissions. About 50% of all students admitted to college do not complete within six years and 41% of all college graduates do not work in a job that requires a college degree according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Many students are stuck with college debt and lose years of potential income without realizing the benefits of having a college level job. These are more likely to include students from low SES families. We do not need to increase the number of students who enter college. We need to increase the percentage of students who finish college and get college level jobs.

All education spending is under pressure in the United States today. To best help children from SES families, we must be careful how education resources are allocated. Children from low SES families are not likely to be helped by increasing college admissions. Research shows that these children would be most helped by expanding early childhood education and by increasing counseling services for these students in Secondary Schools and Colleges to assure they finish college and find suitable employment after college. Decreasing the number of colleges and college programs would free up resources for these more cost effective educational priorities.

Interesting that you want to talk about all the things not having a degree can lead to, but not at all about why people aren’t getting degrees anymore. Is this just an ad to try to scare people back into the classroom? All despite how ridiculous the costs are and how that keeps rising (along with the basic cost of living)? Perhaps you could write about the problems and solutions, next time. Otherwise, what is the point of this “report”?

This article misses the point in some many aspect. The point of education is to engligthen and empower people to be better version of themselves and become better and well informed citizens.. Financially destroying people’s lives with loans they may never be able to pay off till they die is unethical and not what education is about. Second ly educating people just to get jobs that will one day be automated is not only unethical but a ponzi scheme.

There will be terrible price to pay if American education continue to go down on this path.

Letters are closed

Career Planning

Should I Go to Unive...

Should i go to university 10 pros and 10 cons to consider.

To go or not to earn an academic degree? That is the question.

• Updated 3 Jul 2024
• 13 min read

Joanna Zambas

Content Manager and Career Expert

Reviewed by Melina Theodorou

Pursuing higher education allows you to develop knowledge, learn new skills and better your professional prospects. That said, going to university comes with its set of advantages and disadvantages, both of which you must consider before enrolling in a course.

Below, we’ll walk you through the pros and cons of going to university to help you make a more confident and informed decision.

Pros of going to university

Here are 10 benefits of going to university worth considering:

1. You’ll be able to secure specialised jobs

Gaining a university degree in your area of interest will improve your chances of securing a job role in specialised fields. Indeed, most skilled jobs require academic training as well as a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Some examples include careers in healthcare, engineering, education, law and accounting.

So, while there are many alternatives to university , a university education is essential for certain roles and careers.

2. You’ll earn more money

Did you know that college graduates earn significantly more than high school leavers?

So, if you’re a high school student aspiring towards having a lucrative career, a college degree will give you a head start.

Meanwhile, if you’re a professional with industry experience and you’re hoping to land a promotion or develop your career further, a university degree can certainly help. That said, this will also depend on your industry as well as your employer.

3. You’ll develop transferable skills

Transferable skills refer to a set of skills that you can use in any job role. Some of the most useful transferable skills include communication , critical thinking, teamwork, multitasking, leadership and creativity.

So, attending a university will not only provide you with specific subject knowledge but also a chance to hone other skills that make you more employable .

4. You’ll broaden your mind

Going to university gives you a chance to move somewhere new, meet people from diverse backgrounds, and make friends from across the world.

Not only will you broaden your social circle but your mindset, too.

Plus, apart from studying, you can throw yourself into other extracurriculars that revolve around culture, politics, arts and sports. All of which will contribute to your personal growth.

5. You’ll gain expertise in your favorite subject

If you know what field you wish to pursue a career in or are passionate about a particular subject and want to learn more about it, then college could be for you.

Pursuing a degree will help you become an expert in your areas of interest and allow you to delve deeper into these topics. You could even pursue a career within academia by obtaining a master’s and PhD qualification after finishing your undergraduate studies.

6. You’ll hone your research skills

A university degree teaches you how to think analytically and critically, but also how to conduct thorough research, question assumptions, become apt at solving problems and deduce informative conclusions.

Whether it’s research for a bio-med project or a literature thesis, this is a skill that is invaluable to employers, and one that you will utilize time and time again throughout your career.

7. You’ll have access to networking opportunities

Your professional network plays a critical role in your success in this day and age.

University will allow you to create and broaden your network of professional contacts, be it through volunteering opportunities , internships or meet-and-greets that can bring you in touch with potential employers and people who can support you in your future endeavors.

8. You’ll become more independent

For young students, university life gives you a taste of living independently. Not only are you exposed to new social settings but you also learn about basic life skills such as doing the laundry, cooking and paying bills.

This newfound sense of independence will give you a chance to grow into an adult and give you more responsibility over yourself. It may sound daunting at first, but you’ll learn a lot and grow from this experience.

9. You’ll be able to see the world

If you choose to enroll in an academic institution in a different country, this will give you the chance to travel and study at the same time. At many universities, you’ll also have the option to do a year abroad , and there may also be courses that include field trips to different countries.

So, if you’re passionate about traveling and exploring new places, university could definitely open up a few opportunities for you to do just that.

10. You’ll gain work experience

As a university student, you’ll have your fair pick of internships and part-time jobs to choose from, which will allow you to attain experience and gain technical skills. Some degree programs offer a year in industry, but also job placement opportunities that you can pursue during summer breaks.

This will ultimately give you a head start as a graduate looking for entry-level positions, and it will certainly contribute to your résumé.

Cons of going to university

Like everything else, going to university has its shortcomings. Here are 10 disadvantages of going to university.

1. You’ll end up in debt

Everyone knows how expensive education is nowadays. Therefore, unless you have the financial means to pay for your education upfront, you’ll be graduating not just with a degree but also a considerable debt .

Plus, there other expenses you need to take into consideration, including your accommodation costs as well as living expenses.

That said, you can always apply for financial aid, scholarships and bursaries that will lift some of the financial burden off your shoulders.

2. You’ll commit a long time to your studies

Going to university is a long-term commitment, which could require three to eight years of your life, depending on the course you choose to take.

This can be a real challenge if you’re a working professional, because you’ll have to give up your full-time job to return to university.

But even if you’re a young student, this factor can still be a consideration for you. After all, you’ll be depriving yourself of years of income and piling on student debt. That said, part-time study options could allow you to work while you work towards your degree .

3. You won’t be guaranteed a job

The only guarantee you get from going to university is that you’ll be graduating with a degree (if you work hard enough). Apart from that, there is no guarantee that you’ll find a job in your field easily or that you’ll be promoted.

The job market remains quite competitive, and you’ll need to assemble a variety of skills, qualifications and experience in order to stand out from other candidates. However, on many occasions, a college degree could be a minimum requirement to qualify for a role.

4. You’ll lack technical skills

Not all degrees offer hands-on experience and the chance to develop technical skills .

While many entry-level roles do offer training, your lack of technical skills could prolong how quickly you land a job and kick-start your career.

Internships, part-time work and volunteering are all great options to attain some technical experience in the fields you’re interested in.

5. There won’t be a lot of contact time

Some courses may offer significantly less contact time than others.

At school, you may have gotten a solid eight hours of classes, five days a week, but at university, you might find that you only have five to eight hours of lectures, seminars and workshops a week. While this does depend on the faculty and course you select, it could still be deterring to receive such few hours of teaching considering the extravagant tuition fees you will be paying.

A lot of courses require independent study and research, so you’ll likely find yourself more often sitting in the library than in a lecture hall.

6. It can be overwhelming

While studying at a university can be exciting, it can also be an overwhelming experience, especially if you’re living far away from home. Moving away can be stressful and very hard for those attached to their family and friends.

Homesickness is quite common, especially among college freshmen, but it’s something you can overcome with time, especially if you devote yourself to your studies.

7. You may earn less than an apprentice

It may come as a surprise, but you can earn more with an apprenticeship than with an undergraduate degree.

Apprentices get a pay increase through an award program as they progress from one level to another; they may earn a higher salary than you based on the time they have been working in a company or because of their level of competency and experience.

So, in some cases, embarking on an apprenticeship may be a more viable option than pursuing a degree in that field.

8. You’ll have intense workload

School is hard.

On top of seminars and lectures, there’s also mid-term exams, coursework, projects and essays to be written . Juggling this kind of workload can be overwhelming, especially if you also choose to work during your studies or decide to take part in sports and societies, which will also take up a good chunk of your time.

If you’re prone to stress and you struggle with multitasking and organization, university could be quite challenging, but you’ll adapt and learn how to cope with your workload with time.

9. It requires a lot of self-discipline

Throughout your degree, you’ll be responsible for managing your own time and studies. It will require a lot of self-discipline on your part.

Of course, this is a great learning experience and an opportunity to grow, but if you don’t feel ready to take this kind of step, then perhaps you could consider other alternatives to university and enroll when you are ready.

10. You might change your mind

What if you register on a course and later change your mind to choose a different career path ? Well, you’ll have to wait till next semester to make the switch.

However, the university may not transfer your previously acquired credit hours to the new academic program, so you might have to start all over again. However, if you end up studying the subject you’re truly passionate about, then it will be worth it!

How to decide if you should go to university

Reflecting on the following questions can help when you’re stuck in this dilemma. Writing down your answers in a journal or your notes app can help, as you’ll be able to revisit them at a later stage and see what still resonates.

1. What is your end goal?

Not everyone has a clear picture of what they would like their future to look like. It can be hard to picture “the rest of your life” when you’ve just finished school, after all. But although your circumstances and some of your preferences might change over time, some things, like your values, likely won’t.

If you get pure joy out of something (let’s say traveling or caring for animals ), it’s unlikely that it will go away anytime soon. So, ask yourself: would working 9 to 5 from a small cubicle make me happy? Would I want more flexibility and a better work–life balance? Would I be better off being my own boss?

Consider your character and where you feel most “at home”. That will give you a hint as to what lifestyle would suit you, and you can start setting goals to get there.

2. Is a degree required for your desired profession?

If your desired career path doesn’t strictly require a degree, you could be better off completing an apprenticeship or internship instead of going to university.

Enrolling in an associate’s degree instead of a bachelor’s degree, or completing a shorter diploma, combined with your work experience could give you an advantage over other candidates while also removing the need to stay in university for four years or more.

3. Can you afford it?

Although university can be costly, an associate’s degree can earn you nearly half a million dollars more over the span of your career than if you had not attended university at all. A bachelor’s degree, meanwhile, can earn you twice as much — that’s according to a 2024 report by the Georgetown University Centre on Education and the Workforce. When researching different ways of funding your studies, keep these figures in mind!

Having said that, some industries are likelier to pay more attention to your work experience than your educational qualifications — so, be sure to do your research into the typical requirements for your target role, any prospective employers you have in mind, and your industry more generally.

4. Have you considered any other options?

If it’s not a loud “yes!”, it’s likely a “no”. So, rather than take out student loans and push yourself to do something you’re not fully committed to, explore your options — and give yourself a deadline if the idea of exploring indefinitely makes you anxious.

You could, for example, work for six months to build your skill set, earn some money, and make professional connections; or you could volunteer, combining part-time work with helping others. If it doesn’t turn out to be what you wanted, you can submit your college application at the next opportunity.

If you find work in a relevant field to the one you dream of working in, even better! It will give you a real flavor of what the work is like, which will be an eye-opener.

5. Do you see yourself returning to school later in life?

People will tell you that it’s never too late to follow your dreams, and that you can always change your mind. While it’s true that attending university as an older adult is by no means impossible, it does come with its own set of challenges.

You’ll be juggling studying with working, at the least. Throw parenting, caregiving or other responsibilities that may come with being an older adult into the mix, and you see how little time you’re left with for rest, hobbies and socializing — all of which are vital components in your wellbeing.

Sometimes, the best time is now.

Final thoughts

In 2023, 61% of recent high school graduates went on to enroll in colleges and universities. Though that’s the majority, there is still a significant number of young adults who choose different paths; some go on to find work, some take a gap year , and some (no doubt) graduate and have no plan at all.

No matter how you look at it, any decision you make is bound to have its positives and negatives. So, give yourself enough time to reflect, weigh all the pros and cons, and don’t entirely dismiss your intuition. Sometimes we know what we want but second-guess ourselves anyway.

Join the discussion! Can you think of any other reasons you should or shouldn’t go to university? Share them with us in the comments section below!

This article is a partial update of an earlier version originally published on August 25, 2017, and contains contributions by Electra Michaelidou. In the update, we added a new section called “How to decide if you should go to university”.

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• The Rising Cost of Not Going to College

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Education and Economic Outcomes Among the Young
• Chapter 2: Public Views on the Value of Education
• Appendix A: Additional Charts on the Labor Market
• Appendix B: Data Sources
• Appendix C: Young Adult Living Arrangements and Household Incomes

For those who question the value of college in this era of soaring student debt and high unemployment, the attitudes and experiences of today’s young adults—members of the so-called Millennial generation—provide a compelling answer. On virtually every measure of economic well-being and career attainment—from personal earnings to job satisfaction to the share employed full time—young college graduates are outperforming their peers with less education. And when today’s young adults are compared with previous generations, the disparity in economic outcomes between college graduates and those with a high school diploma or less formal schooling has never been greater in the modern era.

These assessments are based on findings from a new nationally representative Pew Research Center survey of 2,002 adults supplemented by a Pew Research analysis of economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The economic analysis finds that Millennial college graduates ages 25 to 32 1 who are working full time earn more annually—about $17,500 more—than employed young adults holding only a high school diploma. The pay gap was significantly smaller in previous generations. 2 College-educated Millennials also are more likely to be employed full time than their less-educated counterparts (89% vs. 82%) and significantly less likely to be unemployed (3.8% vs. 12.2%).

The survey also finds that among employed Millennials, college graduates are significantly more likely than those without any college experience to say that their education has been “very useful” in preparing them for work and a career (46% vs. 31%). And these better educated young adults are more likely to say they have the necessary education and training to advance in their careers (63% vs. 41%).

But do these benefits outweigh the financial burden imposed by four or more years of college? Among Millennials ages 25 to 32, the answer is clearly yes: About nine-in-ten with at least a bachelor’s degree say college has already paid off (72%) or will pay off in the future (17%). Even among the two-thirds of college-educated Millennials who borrowed money to pay for their schooling, about nine-in-ten (86%) say their degrees have been worth it or expect that they will be in the future.

Of course, the economic and career benefits of a college degree are not limited to Millennials. Overall, the survey and economic analysis consistently find that college graduates regardless of generation are doing better than those with less education. 3

But the Pew Research study also finds that on some key measures, the largest and most striking disparities between college graduates and those with less education surface in the Millennial generation.

For example, in 1979 when the first wave of Baby Boomers were the same age that Millennials are today, the typical high school graduate earned about three-quarters (77%) of what a college graduate made. Today, Millennials with only a high school diploma earn 62% of what the typical college graduate earns.

To be sure, the Great Recession and the subsequent slow recovery hit the Millennial generation particularly hard. 4 Neither college graduates nor those with less education were spared. On some key measures such as the percentage who are unemployed or the share living in poverty, this generation of college-educated adults is faring worse than Gen Xers, Baby Boomers or members of the Silent generation when they were in their mid-20s and early 30s.

But today’s high school graduates are doing even worse, both in comparison to their college-educated peers and when measured against other generations of high school graduates at a similar point in their lives.

For example, among those ages 25 to 32, fully 22% with only a high school diploma are living in poverty, compared with 6% of today’s college-educated young adults. In contrast, only 7% of Baby Boomers who had only a high school diploma were in poverty in 1979 when they were in their late 20s and early 30s.

To examine the value of education in today’s job market, the Pew Research Center drew from two complementary data sources. The first is a nationally representative survey conducted Oct. 7-27, 2013, of 2,002 adults, including 630 Millennials ages 25-32, the age at which most of these young adults will have completed their formal education and started their working lives. This survey captured the views of today’s adults toward their education, their job and their experiences in the workforce.

To measure how the economic outcomes of older Millennials compare with those of other generations at a comparable age, the Pew Research demographic analysis drew from data collected in the government’s Current Population Survey. The CPS is a large-sample survey that has been conducted monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau for more than six decades.

Specifically, Pew analysts examined CPS data collected last year among 25- to 32-year-olds and then examined data among 25- to 32-year-olds in four earlier years: Silents in 1965 (ages 68 to 85 at the time of the Pew Research survey and Current Population Survey); the first or “early” wave of Baby Boomers in 1979 (ages 59 to 67 in 2013), the younger or “late” wave of Baby Boomers in 1986 (ages 49 to 58 in 2013) and Gen Xers in 1995 (ages 33 to 48 in 2013).

The Rise of the College Graduate

Today’s Millennials are the best-educated generation in history; fully a third (34%) have at least a bachelor’s degree. In contrast, only 13% of 25- to 32-year-olds in 1965—the Silent generation—had a college degree, a proportion that increased to 24% in the late 1970s and 1980s when Boomers were young adults. In contrast, the proportion with a high school diploma has declined from 43% in 1965 to barely a quarter (26%) today.

At the same time the share of college graduates has grown, the value of their degrees has increased. Between 1965 and last year, the median annual earnings of 25- to 32-year-olds with a college degree grew from $38,833 to $45,500 in 2012 dollars, nearly a $7,000 increase.

Taken together, these two facts—the growing economic return to a college degree and the larger share of college graduates in the Millennial generation—might suggest that the Millennial generation should be earning more than earlier generations of young adults.

But they’re not. The overall median earnings of today’s Millennials ($35,000) aren’t much different than the earnings of early Boomers ($34,883) or Gen Xers ($32,173) and only somewhat higher than Silents ($30,982) at comparable ages.

The Declining Value of a High School Diploma

The explanation for this puzzling finding lies in another major economic trend reshaping the economic landscape: The dramatic decline in the value of a high school education. While earnings of those with a college degree rose, the typical high school graduate’s earnings fell by more than $3,000, from $31,384 in 1965 to $28,000 in 2013. This decline, the Pew Research analysis found, has been large enough to nearly offset the gains of college graduates.

The steadily widening earnings gap by educational attainment is further highlighted when the analysis shifts to track the difference over time in median earnings of college graduates versus those with a high school diploma.

In 1965, young college graduates earned $7,499 more than those with a high school diploma. But the earnings gap by educational attainment has steadily widened since then, and today it has more than doubled to $17,500 among Millennials ages 25 to 32.

Other Labor Market Outcomes

To be sure, the Great Recession and painfully slow recovery have taken their toll on the Millennial generation, including the college-educated.

Young college graduates are having more difficulty landing work than earlier cohorts. They are more likely to be unemployed and have to search longer for a job than earlier generations of young adults.

But the picture is consistently bleaker for less-educated workers: On a range of measures, they not only fare worse than the college-educated, but they are doing worse than earlier generations at a similar age.

For example, the unemployment rate for Millennials with a college degree is more than double the rate for college-educated Silents in 1965 (3.8% vs. 1.4%). But the unemployment rate for Millennials with only a high school diploma is even higher: 12.2%, or more than 8 percentage points more than for college graduates and almost triple the unemployment rate of Silents with a high school diploma in 1965.

The same pattern resurfaces when the measure shifts to the length of time the typical job seeker spends looking for work. In 2013 the average unemployed college-educated Millennial had been looking for work for 27 weeks—more than double the time it took an unemployed college-educated 25- to 32-year-old in 1979 to get a job (12 weeks). Again, today’s young high school graduates fare worse on this measure than the college-educated or their peers in earlier generations. According to the analysis, Millennial high school graduates spend, on average, four weeks longer looking for work than college graduates (31 weeks vs. 27 weeks) and more than twice as long as similarly educated early Boomers did in 1979 (12 weeks).

Similarly, in terms of hours worked, likelihood of full-time employment and overall wealth, today’s young college graduates fare worse than their peers in earlier generations. But again, Millennials without a college degree fare worse, not only in comparison to their college-educated contemporaries but also when compared with similarly educated young adults in earlier generations.

The Value of a College Major

As the previous sections show, having a college degree is helpful in today’s job market. But depending on their major field of study, some are more relevant on the job than others, the Pew Research survey finds.

To measure the value of their college studies, all college graduates were asked their major or, if they held a graduate or professional degree, their field of study. Overall, 37% say they were social science, liberal arts or education majors, a third (33%) say they studied a branch of science or engineering and a quarter (26%) majored in business. The remainder said they were studying or training for a vocational occupation.

Overall, those who studied science or engineering are the most likely to say that their current job is “very closely” related to their college or graduate field of study (60% vs. 43% for both social science, liberal arts or education majors and business majors).

At the same time, those who majored in science or engineering are less likely than social science, liberal arts or education majors to say in response to another survey question that they should have chosen a different major as an undergraduate to better prepare them for the job they wanted.

According to the survey, only about a quarter of science and engineering majors regretted their decision (24%), compared with 33% of those whose degree is in social science, liberal arts or education. Some 28% of business majors say they would have been better prepared for the job they wanted if they had chosen a different major. (Overall, the survey found that 29% say they should have chosen a different major to better prepare them for their ideal job.)

Major Regrets

In addition to selecting a different major, the Pew Research survey asked college graduates whether, while still in school, they could have better prepared for the type of job they wanted by gaining more work experience, studying harder or beginning their job search earlier.

About three-quarters of all college graduates say taking at least one of those four steps would have enhanced their chances to land their ideal job. Leading the should-have-done list: getting more work experience while still in school. Half say taking this step would have put them in a better position to get the kind of job they wanted. About four-in-ten (38%) regret not studying harder, while three-in-ten say they should have started looking for a job sooner (30%) or picked a different major (29%).

When analyzed together, the survey suggests that, among these items tested, only about a quarter (26%) of all college graduates have no regrets, while 21% say they should have done at least three or all four things differently while in college to enhance their chances for a job they wanted.

The survey also found that Millennials are more likely than Boomers to have multiple regrets about their college days. Three-in-ten (31%) of all Millennials and 17% of Boomers say they should have done three or all four things differently in order to prepare themselves for the job they wanted. Some 22% of Gen Xers say the same.

The remainder of this report is organized in the following way. The first chapter uses Census Bureau data to compare how Millennials ages 25 to 32 with varying levels of education are faring economically. It also examines how economic outcomes by level of education have changed over time by comparing the economic fortunes of Millennials with those of similarly educated Gen Xers, Baby Boomers and Silents at comparable ages.

The second chapter is based exclusively on data from a recent Pew Research Center survey. It examines how all adults assess the value of their education in preparing them for the workforce and specifically how these views differ by levels of education.

About the Data

Findings in this report are based mainly on data from: (1) The Current Population Survey and (2) A new Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2013.

Data on Labor Market and Economic Outcomes: The labor market and economic data are derived from the Current Population Survey (CPS). Conducted jointly by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the CPS is a monthly survey of approximately 55,000 households and is the source of the nation’s official statistics on unemployment. The CPS is nationally representative of the civilian noninstitutionalized population. This analysis uses the Annual Social and Economic Supplement collected in March of each year. The March CPS features an expanded sample size (about 75,000 households in 2013) and is the basis for the widely noted Census Bureau’s annual Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage estimates reported each fall (DeNavas-Walt, Proctor and Smith ,2013). The data analysis used the University of Minnesota Population Center’s integrated version of the March CPS (King, Ruggles, Alexander, Flood, Genadek, Schroeder, Trampe, and Vick ,2010).

Survey Data: The Pew Research survey was conducted October 7-27, 2013, with a nationally representative sample of 2,002 adults age 18 and older, including 982 adults ages 18 to 34. A total of 479 interviews were completed with respondents contacted by landline telephone and 1,523 with those contacted on their cellular phones. In order to increase the number of 25- to 34-year-old respondents in the sample, additional interviews were conducted with that cohort. Data are weighted to produce a final sample that is representative of the general population of adults in the United States. Survey interviews were conducted in English and Spanish under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points for results based on the total sample at the 95% confidence level.

• The Millennial generation includes those born after 1980 (which would include adults ages 18 to 32 in 2013). Unless otherwise noted in the text, references in this report to the economic outcomes of Millennials are based only on those ages 25 to 32, a period in which most young adults have completed their formal education and have entered the workforce. ↩
• Throughout this report, references to those who are “high school graduates” or who have a diploma refer to those who have attained a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. ↩
• For a detailed look at economic outcomes by education, see the Pew Research Center blog post “ The growing economic clout of the college educated ” by Richard Fry. ↩
• For a detailed look at the impact of the Great Recession on various demographic groups, see the Pew Research Center report “How the Great Recession Has Changed Life in America” ↩

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How Important is the College Essay?

What’s covered:, factors that impact the importance of college essays, final thoughts, where to get your essay edited.

You know it’s important to have a high GPA, strong standardized tests scores, and extracurricular activities for your college application. But what about the essay? Just how much does it really matter to your overall academic profile? 

The essay is always important, but just how much it will influence your overall application varies by the school to which you are applying, as well as your individual profile. We’ll break it down further in this post.

At the top 250 schools, your essays generally account for 25% of your overall application. This is only slightly behind the 30% for extracurriculars. Essays are actually ahead of the 20% for grades and coursework, 15% for test scores, and 10% for recommendations and interviews. 

Now that many schools are going test-optional or test-blind , however, this breakdown changes slightly. In these situations, test scores no longer account for 15%, meaning that other portions of your application, including essays, are given more weight and consideration.

You might be surprised to learn that essays are that important, but keep in mind that at top schools, there are at least 4 academically-qualified candidates for every open spot. To truly assess an applicant’s fit with the school, admissions officers need the essays. Essays are your one opportunity to share your voice, your unique experiences, and your perspective.

While there is a general breakdown as to how important essays are, their actual influence will vary based on several factors:

1. School size and type

Huge public schools tend to have more applicants than private schools, as well as limited resources with which to evaluate candidates. State schools tend to screen candidates first using GPA and test scores, before reviewing extracurricular activities and essays. At these schools, essays matter less if you have particularly strong academics. The more selective the school, however, the more important essays are. For instance, essays likely matter more at UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan compared to the University of Nebraska or University of Arizona. This is because more selective schools often have more qualified applicants, so essays are used kind of as a tie-breaker. 

In contrast, smaller colleges, especially liberal arts schools, tend to take a more holistic approach to evaluating candidates, since these colleges tend to be more self-selective and receive fewer applications. Therefore, they can devote more time and resources to each individual application.

Top private schools like the Ivies and similar-tier colleges also prefer to use a holistic approach when evaluating students, seeking to understand the candidate and their background as a whole. At top-tier colleges, many of the candidates are already excellent students who have stellar grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities, so essays provide an additional way to differentiate candidates and understand their entire profiles and personalities. As a result, essays are extremely important at these schools, even for those with stellar academics.

2. The strength of your profile

If you are a “borderline” candidate, with good but less-competitive grades and test scores, a strong essay could push you into the admitted pool. However, your essay is unlikely to compensate for grades and test scores that are too far below average, since academics are the primary basis of evaluation.

For the student who otherwise presents an outstanding profile, with a high GPA, competitive test scores, and stellar extracurricular activities, the essay may have a smaller impact on your overall application, because you have already demonstrated your ability to succeed. However, you should still aim to write a strong essay, especially if your dream colleges are highly-selective. 

Under no circumstances should you ever “blow off” your college essay. Even if the rest of your profile makes you a top candidate for competitive colleges, your essay always matters. In fact, your essay could end up hurting an application for an otherwise strong candidate if it appears hastily written or not well thought-out.

3. Your intended major

Factoring in your particular interests, talents, and intended major makes the importance of the essay even more nuanced. If you intend to study a humanities subject such as Journalism, Creative Writing, or English, and list writing-oriented extracurricular activities (such as your school newspaper) on your application, your essay needs to reflect your talent and chosen major. If colleges see that your focus is writing and receive a poorly-written or uninspired essay, they will be confused — and may wonder how well you understand your own strengths.

On the other hand, if your focus is clearly on a subject in which writing personally and creatively is not as essential, such as STEM, admissions committees may provide a little more leeway and judge your essay a little less harshly. You still need to present a well-written and carefully-considered essay, of course. If you know writing is somewhat of a weakness, have teachers, guidance counselors, friends, and family members read it and offer feedback. However, colleges will generally understand that your talents lie elsewhere.

4. Test-optional/Test-blind policies

When colleges go test-optional or test-blind , standardized test scores are given less or no consideration in the admissions process. This means that the other aspects of your application will be more important. So, if you’re planning on applying to schools with test-optional or test-blind policies, keep in mind that your essays will be given even more consideration. Alternatively, if you’re applying to a school where standardized tests are required, your essays may be weighted slightly less.

In either case, you should be making sure your essays are as strong as possible. As schools are increasingly turning test-optional and test-blind in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, admissions processes are constantly changing in unpredictable ways. Your essays are the most personalized part of your application and are your chance to tell admissions officers your unique story. So, make sure that your essays are in great shape and are conveying your personality in an authentic and interesting way.

Essays are an extremely important part of the college admissions process. While certain factors may impact the relative influence of essays, you should always put in your best effort. 

If you’re looking for more help on how to write a strong essay, check out these posts:

How to Write the Common App Essays (with Examples!)

How to Write the “Why This Major” Essay

How to Write the “Why This College” Essay

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? It’s always useful to have another set of eyes look at your essays to make sure they are in great shape. No matter where you are in the writing process, you can check out our Peer and Expert Essay Review to get some insight into how to improve your college essays! 

With our free peer review, you can have others take a look at your essay and provide useful feedback. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. Alternatively, try out our paid expert essay review to get expert advice and detailed tips on what to improve in your essays!

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Working While Going to College: Pros and Cons Essay

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Introduction

Reasons for working during college, positive effects of working during college, negative effects of working during college.

At the present day, the majority of students chose work while going to college, they take a part-time job and attend classes, or they chose a full-time occupation during the summer. Some students have a financial necessity to find work before graduation, while others are ready to sacrifice their free time, entertainment, and communication with group mates to provide themselves with a comfortable living and become adaptable, responsible, and mature. Like any activity, working while going to college has positive and negative effects on young people. The purpose of this essay is to examine the reasons that encourage students to work while studying and the impact of working during college.

Working during college has its reasons and may be highly beneficial. Although a significant number of students are frequently apprehensive about applying for a part-time or even full-time job during college, this possibility may be taken into consideration. However, a student should thoroughly evaluate his or her strengths, flexibility, and potential necessity of working. One of the most substantial reasons to work while going to college is the ability to earn money. A working student may independently pay for his or her classes, reduce the amount of money that was borrowed for education, or have the ability to afford a comfortable living. In particular cases, when companies offer students the benefits of a full-time job for the execution of part-time work, young people may start their retirement savings while they are still studying. Another reason for working while going to college is the improvement of personal and professional skills. Even if a taken part-time job is not connected with obtainable education and future profession, it will inevitably require time management and decision-making skills, or the ability to build understanding with a large number of diverse people. In general, working during college is a positive personal life experience, students may try various kinds of activities, test their abilities, or get acquainted and apparently form a friendship with a great number of people.

Working while going to college has a substantial number of positive effects. First of all, getting a job during college provides students with an income and helps them to make student loan payments. Student loan debt is a significant issue for many students, the necessity to pay it after graduation slows down life progress and postpones the essential ambitions such as homeownership and starting a family. Working during college gives young people the possibility to graduate without substantial financial obligations. Another positive impact of the combination of work with studying is the receiving of valuable job experience. Students who are working during college accumulate knowledge, improve self-discipline, and develop their professional and communicative skills. Finding a job that corresponds with a chosen profession may positively affect a resume and provide career development immediately after finishing the study. Even if job experience received during part-time work is not closely related to the field of study, working students learn work ethic, and get additional information that may be highly useful in the future. Such students obviously get more chances to fit a particular position after graduation compared with young people without any experience at all.

Despite the positive impact of working while going to college on students’ future career, self-development, and financial obligations, a job taken in college may influence students adversely. As young people who work frequently choose their jobs instead of study time and prefer practical skills to theoretical knowledge, it significantly affects their grades in a negative way. Students with work frequently have a serious risk of getting expelled, as the necessity to work effectively for extended hours eliminates the possibility of studying to the full extent. The constant receiving of low grades results in deferring or quitting courses. If a job takes much time and effort, it makes students distracted and influences their social life, insulating them from entertainment, communication, and activities with group mates. Negative effects of working while studying on grades, a lack of sleep and social life, and tension at work due to managing deadlines significantly increase the working students’ level of stress. One more potential though not inevitable negative effect of working while going to college is an elevated risk of students’ obesity. Working young people frequently do not have time for balanced and healthy meals, and the consumption of fast food and other high-sugar meals may lead to severe health problems, like obesity, diabetes, and other diseases.

Students have various reasons to work while going to college, the most substantial reason is the ability to pay classes, reduce the student loan debt before graduation, and start retirement savings in the case of full-time job benefits for part-time work from particular companies. Working while going to college improves students’ personal and professional skills and provides a positive life experience. Working in college has both positive and negative effects on students. It helps with student loan payments and significantly influences the successful start of a career due to received experience, skills, and knowledge. However, a lack of sleep and social life, tension at work due to managing deadlines, and extended working hours have a negative impact on students’ grades and increase the risk of getting expelled. As working students frequently eat fast food due to a lack of time for healthy meals, it may result in severe diseases.

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‘When Normal Life Stopped’: College Essays Reflect a Turbulent Year

This year’s admissions essays became a platform for high school seniors to reflect on the pandemic, race and loss.

By Anemona Hartocollis

This year perhaps more than ever before, the college essay has served as a canvas for high school seniors to reflect on a turbulent and, for many, sorrowful year. It has been a psychiatrist’s couch, a road map to a more hopeful future, a chance to pour out intimate feelings about loneliness and injustice.

In response to a request from The New York Times, more than 900 seniors submitted the personal essays they wrote for their college applications. Reading them is like a trip through two of the biggest news events of recent decades: the devastation wrought by the coronavirus, and the rise of a new civil rights movement.

In the wake of the high-profile deaths of Black people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police officers, students shared how they had wrestled with racism in their own lives. Many dipped their feet into the politics of protest, finding themselves strengthened by their activism, yet sometimes conflicted.

And in the midst of the most far-reaching pandemic in a century, they described the isolation and loss that have pervaded every aspect of their lives since schools suddenly shut down a year ago. They sought to articulate how they have managed while cut off from friends and activities they had cultivated for years.

To some degree, the students were responding to prompts on the applications, with their essays taking on even more weight in a year when many colleges waived standardized test scores and when extracurricular activities were wiped out.

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Making the Transition from High School to College Essay Writing

In the month before my high school graduation, everything suddenly turned slow. Hallways, filled with Virginia humidity, had a molasses quality to them. I wrote my last high school paper then: an essay on Shakespeare’s Hamlet . In it, I wrote about Hamlet’s idealism and his relationship with his father postmortem; essentially, I made sweeping generalizations and focused on overarching themes. The essay was nothing like my college papers.

In high school, I started my essay process by researching scholarly articles on sites like JSTOR or the MLA International Bibliography . I’d read scholars’ takes on what I was writing about at the time— Hamlet , Wuthering Heights , Emily Dickinson’s poems—and begin to craft an idea, which would then translate into a thesis. To support my argument, I’d include paragraphs from my primary texts. Instead of analyzing the texts myself, I’d quote the analyses of the secondary sources. At the end, I’d gather my citations in a works-cited list, staple the paper together, and turn it in.

In college, my well-oiled routine changed; my papers now consist largely of my own ideas and analysis. I still engage with secondary sources and include works-cited lists and other kinds of bibliographies in my essays. After all, in higher education, where you’re surrounded by academics—who make a living from their original thoughts—crediting sources becomes even more important. But for me, entering the hallowed halls of university meant writing essays in a new way. College is a land of academic freedom. Free from testing standards and unoriginal, rigid curricula, I enrolled in English classes like American Horror and James Joyce’s Ulysses. In these classes, I relearned how to write a research paper. 

My process begins while I’m reading a text for class, weeks before my professor even mentions an essay assignment. I like to annotate the text, underlining passages, jotting down possible essay ideas, categorizing paragraphs thematically, and so on. (I can never sell any of my books secondhand because they’re all crammed with marginalia.) Once the assignment has been introduced, I quickly pull together a few topic ideas and schedule a meeting during office hours to discuss them with my professor. Office hours are an underrated resource: most professors sit and wait in their office during these hours, so why not fill that time with discourse on the latest book you’ve been reading or possible essay topics? At the least, you get a stimulating intellectual conversation, and at the most, you’ll be able to easily ask that professor for a recommendation letter when the time comes.

After I’ve ironed out my topic, I begin by skimming through the text again (yes, the whole text) and picking out small passages to quote. My extensive marginalia now come into play, leading me to the snippets I want to analyze. As an English major, I primarily focus on textual analysis—meaning that I examine words and punctuation in depth, with the help of the Oxford English Dictionary , to connect them to broader themes. Just as in high school, I use peer-reviewed journals from online databases in my papers, but now I avoid relying on them heavily.

So, for example, for my paper in my James Joyce’s Ulysses class, I analyzed quotations from the “Circe” chapter to argue that Joyce was subversively promoting orientalist ideas. Each paragraph focused on a sentence where words and images had secondary meanings linked with orientalist theory. To reinforce my thesis, I tied in works like Edward Said’s Orientalism and Brad Bannon’s article “Joyce, Coleridge, and the Eastern Aesthetic,” from the James Joyce Quarterly . In my papers, I view my secondary sources as a medium that allows me to converse with their authors. So while I agreed with Said’s theory, I also addressed scholars who countered his argument. Likewise, I disagreed with Bannon’s thesis that Joyce was justified in his use of the orientalist aesthetic and laid out my reasons.

This method doesn’t solely apply to papers about literary texts. My final paper for my American Horror class focused on the characters Wendy and Jack in Stanley Kubrick’s film The Shining. I used textual analysis to argue that Wendy embodies male, patriarchal characteristics, threatening Jack’s place as the head of the family, thus sending Jack into madness. In film studies, textual analysis involves examining dialogue, costumes, or scenery in vivid detail. For my analysis of the film, I wove in quotations from other sources, such as Barbara Creed’s essay “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection” and Frank Manchel’s piece “What about Jack? Another Perspective on Family Relationships in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining .” Unlike the secondary-source quotations in my high school papers, these quotations did not replace my conclusions but added to them.

But some things don’t change. As in high school, when I finished writing, I gathered my sources in a works-cited list, stapled the paper together, and turned it in.

Works Cited

Bannon, Brad. “Joyce, Coleridge, and the Eastern Aesthetic.” James Joyce Quarterly , vol. 48, no. 3, 2011, pp. 495–510. JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/ 23342956.

Creed, Barbara. “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection.” Screen , vol. 27, no. 1, 1 Jan. 1986, pp. 44–71. doi:10.1093/ screen/27.1.44.

Joyce, James. Ulysses . Random House, 1961.

Kubrick, Stanley, director. The Shining . Warner Bros., 1980.

Manchel, Frank. “What about Jack? Another Perspective on Family Relationships in Stanley  Kubrick’s The Shining .” Literature / Film Quarterly , vol. 23, no. 1, 1995, pp. 68–78. JSTOR , www.jstor.org/stable/43798713.

Said, Edward W. Orientalism . 25th anniversary ed., Vintage Books, 2003.

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark . New Folger’s ed., Washington Square Press / Pocket Books, 1992.

Steve Colburn 04 October 2018 AT 05:10 PM

Thank you to Alice Yang for a very engaging essay. Does that ever take me back to the transition from High School to college, from underclasswork to upperclasswork, from undergrad work to grad school. It also took me back to my years spent teaching composition, literary analysis, and creative writing workshops. Well done!

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The Impact of a College Education

by Brian Bridges, Ph.D.

Is college really worth it? By now, we’ve all heard the cautionary tales of college grads who claim their degrees weren’t worth the time or money. The concern is valid, especially as the cost of tuition continues to increase across the nation. Plenty of evidence, however, shows that going to college is a worthwhile investment. With careful planning, getting a degree can be the first step toward a promising future.

For many graduates, a college degree is key to achieving success in the workforce. While it’s true that the average cost of college continues to increase, the wages of Americans without a degree are simultaneously decreasing . Nearly 23% of African Americans, age 25 or older, hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to the national rate of 33%. In 2015, the unemployment rate for Americans aged 25-34 with at least a bachelor’s degree was 2.6 percent. High school graduates in this age range, on the other hand, were unemployed at a rate of 8.1 percent. As jobs that only require a high school diploma become less lucrative, they are also becoming less available. By 2020, approximately two-thirds of job openings will require postsecondary education or training.

When it comes to increasing the chances of finding a job and obtaining a good salary, a college degree is an indispensable tool. Though finding a way to pay off student loans is a concern for many, most graduates will earn far more than the cost of tuition thanks to having a degree. The College Board reports that by age 34, the average bachelor’s degree recipient will have recouped the cost of their education. College usually pays for itself, even for students who have accumulated debt to pay tuition.

“An HBCU graduate can expect to earn an additional $927,000 in their lifetime”

Less intuitive, perhaps, are the ways in which colleges and universities benefit their surrounding communities. Colleges produce community-minded individuals . College graduates are more than twice as likely to volunteer in their communities, for example, than Americans without a degree. In the 2014 midterm election, 45% of American college graduates aged 25 to 44 voted. This is over twice the rate at which high school graduates in the same age group voted (20%). Additionally, colleges and universities are beneficial to their local economies. Public investments in higher education tend to encourage an increase in sales, property, and state income taxes. UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute reports that historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) alone generate $14.8 billion in national economic impact each year, while producing 134,090 jobs for their local and regional economies altogether.

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See how UNCF can Help Make College More Affordable

As HBCUs transform their communities, they make an impact on the lives of their students as well. Though HBCUs make up only three percent of the country’s colleges and universities, they enroll 10% of all African American students and produce almost 20% of all African American graduates. HBCUs often lighten the financial burden of college while equipping their students with the skills they need to succeed in the workforce. In fact, an HBCU graduate can expect to earn an additional $927,000 in their lifetime . That’s a lot of money! This is 56% more than they could expect to earn without their HBCU degrees or certificates.

Considering the benefits, college is the smart choice for those seeking new career opportunities and for those hoping to support their communities. Still, this is not to ignore the fact that the process of finding the right college, selecting the right major, and paying off tuition can be difficult and confusing. For this reason, finding resources and support is key for a prospective college student’s success. Talk to a guidance counselor at your high school or find resources at your local UNCF office to assist you in choosing the right college for you and to help you navigate financial aid and scholarships. The cost of going to college may seem daunting, and understandably so. But despite the challenges, a college degree could be your next step to success.

Brian Bridges, Ph.D., is the former UNCF vice president of research and member engagement and led UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute (FDPRI) and the Institute for Capacity Building (ICB).

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How to End a College Admissions Essay | 4 Winning Strategies

Published on October 16, 2021 by Meredith Testa . Revised on May 31, 2023.

The ending of your college essay should leave your reader with a sense of closure and a strong final impression.

Table of contents

Endings to avoid, option 1: return to the beginning, option 2: look forward, option 3: reveal your main point, option 4: end on an action, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

A bad conclusion can bring your whole essay down, so make sure to avoid these common mistakes.

Summarizing

Unlike an academic essay, an admissions essay shouldn’t restate your points. Avoid ending with a summary; there’s no need to repeat what you’ve already written.

Phrases like “in conclusion,” “overall,” or “to sum it up” signal that you have nothing to add to what you’ve already written, so an admissions officer may stop reading.

Stating the obvious

Instead of stating the obvious, let your work speak for itself and allow readers to draw their own conclusions. If your essay details various times that you worked tirelessly to go above and beyond, don’t finish it by stating “I’m hardworking.” Admissions officers are smart enough to figure that out on their own.

You should also avoid talking about how you hope to be accepted. Admissions officers know you want to be accepted—that’s why you applied! It’s okay to connect what you discuss in the essay to your potential future career or college experience, but don’t beg for admission. Stay focused on your essay’s core topic.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Many successful essays follow a “sandwich,” or full-circle, structure , meaning that they start with some image or idea, veer away from it in the middle, and then return to it at the end.

This structure is clean, self-contained, and satisfying for readers, so it’s a great choice if it works with the topic you’ve chosen.

In the “sandwich” essay outlined below, a student discusses his passion for musical theater. Instead of simply stating that interest, his essay starts with a funny anecdote about a minor fire that erupted on set. At the end, it returns to this anecdote, creating a sense of closure.

• Intro: I may be the world’s worst firefighter.
• Flashback to working on the school musical
• Demonstrate my passion for theatre
• Detail the story of the theater set catching fire
• Show how I made the most of the situation
• Conclusion: I proved my value as a director, an actor, and a writer that week一even if I was a terrible firefighter.

Many successful essays end by looking forward to the future. These endings are generally hopeful and positive—always great qualities in an admissions essay—and often connect the student to the college or their academic goals.

Although these endings can be highly effective, it can be challenging to keep them from sounding cliché. Keep your ending specific to you, and don’t default to generalities, which can make your essay seem bland and unoriginal.

Below are a good and a bad example of how you could write a “looking forward” ending for the musical theater “firefighter” essay.

Sometimes, holding back your main point can be a good strategy. If your essay recounts several experiences, you could save your main message for the conclusion, only explaining what ties all the stories together at the very end.

When done well, this ending leaves the reader thinking about the main point you want them to take from your essay. It’s also a memorable structure that can stand out.

However, if you choose this approach, it can be challenging to keep the essay interesting enough that the reader pays attention throughout.

In the essay outlined below, a student gives us snapshots of her experience of gymnastics at different stages in her life. In the conclusion, she ties the stories together and shares the insight that they taught her about different aspects of her character and values.

• Passionate, excited
• Sister born that day—began to consider people beyond myself
• Realizing that no matter how much I love gymnastics, there are more important things
• I’d been working especially hard to qualify for that level
• It came after many setbacks and failures
• I had to give up time with friends, first homecoming dance of high school, and other activities, and I considered quitting
• Conclusion: I’m still all of those selves: the passionate 7-year-old, the caring 11-year-old, and the determined 15-year-old. Gymnastics has been a constant throughout my life, but beyond the balance beam, it has also shown me how to change and grow.

Ending on an action can be a strong way to wrap up your essay. That might mean including a literal action, dialogue, or continuation of the story.

These endings leave the reader wanting more rather than wishing the essay had ended sooner. They’re interesting and can help you avoid boring your reader.

Here’s an example of how this ending could work for the gymnastics essay.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

There are a few strategies you can use for a memorable ending to your college essay :

• Return to the beginning with a “full circle” structure
• Reveal the main point or insight in your story
• Look to the future
• End on an action

The best technique will depend on your topic choice, essay outline, and writing style. You can write several endings using different techniques to see which works best.

Unlike a five-paragraph essay, your admissions essay should not end by summarizing the points you’ve already made. It’s better to be creative and aim for a strong final impression.

You should also avoid stating the obvious (for example, saying that you hope to be accepted).

There are no set rules for how to structure a college application essay , but these are two common structures that work:

• A montage structure, a series of vignettes with a common theme.
• A narrative structure, a single story that shows your personal growth or how you overcame a challenge.

Avoid the five-paragraph essay structure that you learned in high school.

When revising your college essay , first check for big-picture issues regarding message, flow, tone, style , and clarity. Then, focus on eliminating grammar and punctuation errors.

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More threats in Springfield, Ohio: College closes campus as fear grips community

"We need help, not hate," says Springfield mayor

A new bomb threat prompted officials Sunday at Clark State College in Springfield, Ohio, to close the campus this week and hold classes virtually, the school said.

Clark officials said it received an email of a bomb threat to the Springfield campus on Sunday, a day after it received another emailed threat on Saturday threatening a possible shooting.

"We took immediate action with the Springfield Police Department and they have ensured our campus is secure and safe," the college said in a statement.

The college said that "out of an abundance of caution," it will conduct all instruction virtually and close all of its campuses for the week of Sept. 16-20, adding, "We will always prioritize the safety and wellness of our students, employees and community."

"We understand the anxiety that such incidents can cause and we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and care," Clark officials said. "As a proactive measure, Springfield Police will also increase their security presence on campus, and we are working with our wellness team and partners to provide additional counseling services."

Bomb threats made on Saturday targeted three medical facilities, an unspecified fourth facility and Wittenberg University, a small private liberal arts college in Springfield, officials said.

Wittenberg officials canceled all activities scheduled for Sunday due to a threat that "targeted Haitian members of our community," the university said in an alert on Saturday.

"Wittenberg University is currently taking extreme precautions following an email that threatened a potential shooting on-campus tomorrow," the university said in a statement on Saturday.

An FBI spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that the FBI "is working in coordination with the Springfield Police Department and Wittenberg University to determine the credibility of recent threats, share information, and take appropriate investigative action. We encourage the public to remain vigilant and to report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement."

As a result of the threats, local police conducted sweeps of the colleges and medical facilities targeted and cleared them. Some have already reopened, a police official told ABC News.

Springfield Regional Medical Center, Ohio Valley Surgical Hospital and Kettering Health Springfield were listed by authorities as targets.

The Springfield Police Division has beefed up its staffing as it deals with threats stemming from unsubstantiated claims about the Haitian migrant community.

Two elementary schools were evacuated and a middle school was closed on Friday in the wake of a threat sent via email in Springfield, according to the school district and the mayor.

The elementary schools released students to their parents, officials said.

It's unclear if the person who sent Friday's threat is the same person who sent the other threats, Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told ABC News.

On Thursday morning, bomb threats were sent via email "to multiple agencies and media outlets" in the city, according to the city commission office.

Explosive-detecting K-9s helped police clear multiple facilities listed in the threat, including two elementary schools, City Hall and a few driver's license bureaus, Springfield Police Chief Allison Elliott told reporters. The county court facilities were also cleared "out of an abundance of caution," she said.

MORE: Ohio's GOP governor dispels Republican claims that Haitian migrants are eating pets

The FBI is working with local police to help identify the source of the threat, Elliott said.

The mayor said there's a lot of fear in Springfield in the wake of the threats.

"This is a very concerning time for our citizens, and frankly, a lot of people are tired of just, you know, the things that have been spread about our community that are just negative and not true. We need help, not hate," Rue told ABC News on Friday.

The mayor said he believes these threats are directly connected to the baseless rumors spread online in the wake of viral social media posts claiming Haitian migrants were abducting people's pets in Springfield in order to eat them. The rumors were amplified by right-wing politicians, including former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance.

"In Springfield, they're eating the dogs," Trump said at Tuesday night's presidential debate. "The people that came in, they're eating the cats, they're eating, they're eating the pets of the people that live there."

A spokesperson for the city of Springfield told ABC News these claims are false, and that there have been "no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals in the immigrant community."

MORE: Springfield, Ohio, parents ask Trump and Vance to stop using their child as 'political tool'

"Additionally, there have been no verified instances of immigrants engaging in illegal activities such as squatting or littering in front of residents' homes," the spokesperson said. "Furthermore, no reports have been made regarding members of the immigrant community deliberately disrupting traffic."

The mayor added, "Your pets are safe in Springfield."

Springfield estimates there are around 12,000 to 15,000 immigrants living in the county; migrants have been drawn to the region because of the low cost of living and work opportunities, according to the city. The rapid rise in population has strained housing, health care and school resources, according to the city. City officials also said the migrants are in the country legally and that many are recipients of Temporary Protected Status.

The Haitian Bridge Alliance condemned the "baseless and inflammatory" claims about Haitian migrants, arguing they "not only perpetuate harmful stereotypes but also contribute to the dangerous stigmatization of immigrant communities, particularly Black immigrants from the Republic of Haiti."

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who dispelled the rumors this week, said the state would send more resources to Springfield.

The mayor stressed, "Anybody on the national stage that takes a microphone, needs to understand what they could do to communities like Springfield with their words. They're not helping. They're hurting communities like ours with their words."

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

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