Overview
This section contains resources for helping students understand what they want to get out of attending college and distinguish which types of colleges may help them better achieve their goals.
Objectives
Students should be able to:
- Explain the benefits and disadvantages of college education;
- Describe and explain various reasons for attending college; and
- Identify and explain the different types of college experiences.
Introductory Questions:
- From whom or where have you heard that college is important? What reasons were given?
- What have you heard about college that seems appealing to you and why?
- What are some of your future goals? Do you know if they require a college degree?
- What do you already know about the different kinds of colleges that exist?
Suggested Class Sequence(s)
Class sequences are connected topics with activities, worksheets, and readings which take two or more days of class to complete.
Why Attend College? (5 day sequence)
Includes two lessons about why people go to college, one lesson on the purpose of college, one on different types of college experiences, and another on the value of college education.
Videos
Short videos help tap into multiple modes of learning and can provide a good introduction to or illustration of a topic. See suggested protocols for classroom viewing.
- Is College Worth the Time and Money? (9:02)
Analyzes the advantages and possible drawbacks of attending college; this video is paired with the Is College Worth It? activity.
Readings
All readings should be paired with a structure or protocol, especially if any reading will be completed in class.
All readings included below are incorporated into the activities in the Why Attend College sequence and in the stand alone activities listed below.
- “College Students: School Is Not Your Job”
Editorial by Jonathan Malesic arguing that college is valuable beyond the practical; this reading is paired with the Purpose of College: Employment or Self-Discovery? activity. - First in the Family: Your High School Years
Provides sample reasons for attending college and examples of different types of college experiences; advice book, written with college students who were the first in their families to go past high school. - First in the Family: Your College Years
Provides sample reasons for attending college and examples of different types of college experiences; tips and advice from and for first-generation students as they begin college.
Activities
Activities include individual or group tasks that can be completed in less than one class period; some activities may be repeated in a sequence and are re-listed here for ease of access.
- Why Do People Attend College?
Explore various reasons for going to college. - Interviewing People Who Attended College
Conduct interviews with members of the college community to determine their reasons for attending college. - The Purpose of College: Employment or Self-Discovery?
Debate the purpose of college; this activity is paired with the “College Students: School Is Not Your Job” by Jonathan Malesic. - Is College Worth It?
Analyze and debate the advantages and possible drawbacks of attending college; this activity is paired with the “Is College Worth It” video.
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