The First Principles Approach

What if I’m wrong?

I’ve been asking myself this question a lot recently. My time at Columbia has led me to challenge one of my strongest-held beliefs: the indubitable importance of higher education.

My argument is not that college is useless; it’s a time of significant growth in which young adults learn how to be independent and begin to envision the life they want to live. I am also fully aware that the value of college is often realized outside of the four years we spend on campus, in the form of a rich alumni network and name-brand recognition. However, while a college education has been a requisite for a “successful” life over the past decades, I do not believe this is true anymore. Learning more information via the university system does not seem conducive to preparing students for our world today, where virtually all information is available on the internet.