Higher education

An important goal of education is to learj about yourself. Once you are seperate from your parents, you are on your own. You afe forced to deal with al different kinds of people and issues. You make an investment in yourself and in your future.
I can understand why some people woukd think that a college or university education should be available only to good students. Higher education is very expensive. It might seem like a waste of money to send someone to college who might not be able to handle the course work. Higher education is also a big investment of time. Maybe it would make more sense for a mediocre student to use that time getting a job and starting to earn money. Also , there are trade schools for students who are not academically inclined. Here they can learn a trade and a way to earn living. Why should they go to college or university? Besides, if they go to college and fail, this will discourage then and make them inferior.

I do not agree witj this position. I think a college or university education should be available to all students. I think every student should have the opportunity to at least try his hand at college classes. Yes, higher education is expensive, but it is worth. Yes, higher eductation is a big investment of time, bur it is valueable investment. If a student finds out he or she can not handle the work, there is plenty of time after that to go to trade school or find a job. Failing at college might be hard on students' self-image, but learning how to handle failure is one of the hard lessons of life.
I think every student should be given a chance to see how far he can go. Students who werw at mediocre grades in secondary school might do very well in a different environment. College is more than just going to class. It is a time ti meet different people, separate from parents, begin to define yourself as a person. I think that is an experience every student should have