As the 2023-2024 school year comes to a close, high school seniors across the country are beginning to anticipate their next steps. Many of these students are college bound- looking forward to what is promised to be the best four years of their lives. 

A thrilling combination of personal freedom and the ability to reinvent oneself, the college experience promises students the opportunity to discover themselves and meet lifelong friends. 

This expectation of the college experience has become a driving factor in student’s post secondary decisions- outranking more practical aspects such as finances, or even the education they will receive. College freshman Paige Johnson claimed that the promise of a college experience played a large role in her decision. “I really wanted to experience college before becoming a working adult,” Johnson said. 

Even students choosing to forgo a traditional four-year college take lengths to experience college life. Many community college bound students from the PV area enroll in Kirkwood community college rather than Scott because Kirkwood is closer to the University of Iowa geographically. This allows students to partake in some of the campus life without being enrolled in the university. 

Despite the benefits of the college experience, many students find costs to be a barrier from participating. As college tuition prices rise every year, and professional compensations aren’t sufficient to pay back loans, students face a difficult decision: place themselves in potential financial hardship or miss out on pivotal life experiences. 

Johnson explained that many college campuses provide opportunities to further careers even beyond degrees, which could help students close the gap between beginning wages and loan payments. “I also have the opportunity to network and build connections to future potential employers, increasing future job opportunities,” Johnson added.

While the college experience is certainly a large draw for some students, others find that other factors play a large role in post plans.

 Senior Madison Maxwell explained that college experience, while enriching, isn’t the most important factor to consider when deciding what to do after high school. “ I think you should choose a school based on the classes it has for you, how much you would fit, depending on money and travel distance,” Maxwell argues. 

While both 4-year universities and other programs have benefits and drawbacks, the college experience is far more than a waste of time and money. The personal growth and increased responsibility learned on college campuses teach important lessons hard earned elsewhere. After experiencing the college experience during her first year at a university, Johnson reflects that the college experience is, “a really great way to gradually transition from a teenager to a working adult, while enjoying your late teens/early twenties.”