Why I'm adamant that my daughters get more than a degree from college
I refuse to allow my daughters to get distracted by the ‘best college’ BS.
A recent column was about the process leading up to my daughter selecting a college that’s the best match for her goals and desired major. Going back through some earlier posts I’d written about college, I discovered the one below, which I wrote in 2015 during a daddy-daughter trip to Utah.
My daughters are quite young, but we still occasionally talk about college. They always ask about “the best schools” and what they can do to help their chances of gaining entry.
I’m excited as can be that they are interested — excited even — about continuing their education and doing so in a challenging environment.
But that’s only a small part of what I want them to focus on as they move along the youth-young adult-adult continuum.
I want them to be healthy, happy, godly, successful and financially independent.
But lately, I’ve been making another even more significant point with regard to college:
“Going to great school does not ensure you’ll be anymore successful. In fact, the vast majority of people who attend the most prestigious schools are going to end up with lots of debt and working at a regular job they may or may not enjoy, just like everyone else. What I want for each of you, with regard to college at least, is to find the best school for you.
“The school where you can grow, learn and thrive. Most important, I want you to spend a great deal of time thinking beyond simply school and the education you’re getting. I want you to be in a place that’s rich with experiences and culture, a place where you can grow friendships, expand your gaze beyond the world you know and build the sort of network and skills that’ll enable you to come out of college thinking beyond simply getting a job.
“I want you to leave college equipped with far more than an education. I want you to be aware, enterprising, compassionate builders of the world you wish to inhabit.”
Hard to believe that this conversation took place eight years ago.