We Send Students to College. We Don't Prepare Them for It.

On May 1, millions of high school seniors committed to college, many with the understanding that a four-year degree is the next step toward stability and success.

But are students being prepared to make that decision in the first place?

The average college graduate now leaves school with roughly $30,000 in student loan debt, and Americans collectively owe more than $1.7 trillion. At the same time, fewer than two-thirds of students who start a four-year degree finish within six years.

For teenagers just beginning adult life, it is one of the largest financial decisions they will ever make, often made with limited experience weighing long-term trade-offs.

I was the first person in my family to earn a college degree. In my hometown of Danville, Ill., only about 17% of adults have one. When I graduated, my parents were proud, and so was I.

In many communities like mine, higher education is seen not just as an opportunity, but as a signal that someone is on the right path.

That expectation shapes decisions long before students ever step onto a college campus.

Like millions of families, mine believed a four-year degree wasn't just a good option. It was the only option.

Trade schools or apprenticeships were never mentioned. Working first and figuring things out later wasn't encouraged.

Students at my high school weren't asked what they wanted to build or learn. They were asked where they planned to enroll.

So, I followed the path laid out for me, enrolling at a liberal arts school in southern Indiana, confident I was making the right investment in my future.

I graduated with a degree and academic honors.

But looking back, I'm not sure I was prepared in the way that mattered most.

I learned how to succeed in school, how to meet expectations and how to write papers that would earn high marks.

What I didn't learn, at least not in the way I expected, was how to test ideas, challenge assumptions or build arguments from first principles.

This was before ChatGPT and AI shortcuts. But the real skill wasn't thinking – it was figuring out which arguments earned points and which cost them.

To be fair, my professors knew their material. But like many students, I was focused on succeeding within the system, not questioning it.

And that matters, because college is no longer a small decision.

College is often described as a “safe investment” that pays off over time. But students are not always given the tools, or the information, to evaluate that claim.

What’s the return on investment?
What are job placement outcomes?
Does this field even require a four-year degree?

Those questions are often deferred until after the decision has already been made.

Meanwhile, employers increasingly emphasize skills and experience over credentials, with industries across the country struggling to find workers with the training they actually need.

Even among students who do graduate, outcomes can vary widely depending on what they study and the paths they choose afterward.

None of this means college is without value. For many students, it remains a worthwhile investment.

But it is not the only path, and it should not be treated as one.

Students deserve a clearer picture of the costs, the risks and the alternatives. They deserve to hear that building a career can take many forms, not just one.

That includes greater exposure to apprenticeships and other pathways that can provide stability without the same level of financial risk.

And they deserve an education system that prepares them not just to enroll in college, but to think carefully about whether it is the right choice for them.

We have built a culture that treats college as a default rather than a decision. A more honest approach would give students the information, perspective and confidence to make their own decisions, not simply inherit one.