Higher Education

A few years ago I got into a conversation with some professors from Elizabethtown College over a pint of Guinness in the Elizabethtown Inn. The subject, interestingly enough, was the cost of college. The professors were asking of themselves and each other if they were worth the tremendous expense students pay.

Elizabethtown College is a small, private school, and is very expensive. We're fortunate to have several colleges very similar to Elizabethtown in this area, and they're all small, very well-respected, and very expensive. They all do add a lot to the local cultures and economies.

The professors, through intense debate, concluded that the cost of higher education made it a luxury, not a necessity.

Could someone attend a school that cost much, much, much less and still achieve success? Of course.

Could someone simply skip college and still achieve success? Of course.

But it's kind of like deciding what car to drive. A VW Bug is going to get me there. And so is a Porsche 911 Sportster.

There is a lot about attending college that I think helps broaden perspectives greatly. And I think that is good, a good luxury. Philosophy may not give you a direct lesson in how to be a success in business, but it will make you think of larger aspects involved in being a success in business.

College brings together faces from many places exposing a student to new ideas, new concepts, new music, new approaches. And I think that is good, a good luxury.

But there are some drawbacks too.

I'm afraid whoever built the first dormitory just didn't think it through. A couple hundred 18-year olds living away from home for the first time all in the same building????

Jeesh.

I lasted one semester in the dorm and then moved off campus. Non-stop noise, non-stop hi-jinx, non-stop practical jokes and general hysteria, it was complete insanity.

During my brother's first day at Virginia Tech someone tossed a TV from a fourth story dorm room window.

During my first week someone on my hall introduced himself as "Nude Man," and he made occasional runs across campus in a red cape, a mask, and bikini briefs.

I made sure to stay friendly, yet somewhat distant from everyone. It increased my chances of not getting "pennied" into my room. Someone learned that if you jammed about four stacked pennies between a door and a doorway you could completely lock someone into their door room. And after locked in all kinds of fun things could be blown under the door with a hair dryer - like baby powder.

I successfully escaped being the victim to any of that. It helps to be 6'4" and have a good serious expression.

Now I ask you...is the college experience a necessity or a luxury?

It's a luxury. But one well worth having.