What makes college worth it for you and others in the long run?

Well, there are definitely things here that you’ll learn that you probably wouldn’t learn elsewhere. Like having facilitated education is often more useful than just trying to learn random things on the internet or in a library. But I think the thing that makes college worth it the most is like the relationships that you build. I’ve met so many different people, and I’ve gotten to have so many different opportunities. And I’ve met people from all over the world that I never would have been able to meet otherwise. So that to me, is what makes it worth it.

So networking and meeting people that are valuable to your future potential opportunities is a big part?

Yeah, meeting people is a big part, and they don’t necessarily have to lead towards future opportunities, or any career goals or anything, but just being able to impact people’s lives in little ways that you couldn’t do before, and how they’ve helped you change into a better person. And I think that was the biggest thing for me that makes college worth it when I reflect and ask, why am I in all this debt.

What kinds of things do you think that you have learned in college that you would not have learned if you had decided to just go straight into the workforce?

I definitely wouldn’t know as much about my major–all the technical things about it. I was a pretty good writer in high school, but I didn’t know the little details about the language. So that was really, really helpful. Also, random courses that I’ve taken, like to fill honors requirements and things, like I learned more about Sci-Fi than I ever would have thought I would have learned and gained an appreciation of it; I learned a lot about opera that I probably wouldn’t have learned. and again, got an appreciation of it; perspectives on happiness; different creative writing techniques, and learning that I can kind of write poetry (I always steered clear of it). So things of that nature.

What are your goals for after graduation?

I’m not really sure what I’m gonna do right when I graduate. I know I would like to travel to as many countries as possible. I want to write books one day, preferably like young adult fiction or children’s fiction, to inspire younger generations to read more. Yeah, I just kind of want to go with the flow and see where life takes me. I’m pretty flexible and do a number of different things. So I’ll be happy.

One thing that you would like to change about the world in general, through your lifetime, is getting more people to read just read in general, or read nonfiction books?

Yeah, well, I mean, I guess they could read nonfiction if they wanted, but fiction is where I feel I have the most creative liberty so that’s probably where I will go. But there are some very interesting nonfiction books. Just reading, in general, is very beneficial to developing the mind, to helping people make wiser decisions. Yeah, I want to make the world a better place. But I think a lot of people do.