Student Essay - Ryan Kim Min Cheol, Year 10, Sayfol International School - Why do people attend college?

Ryan Kim Min Cheol, Year 10, Sayfol International School

Why do people attend college?

Nowadays, students study very hard and the average student in Korea studies for twelve hours a day. They normally have their meals and sleep in the car while their mother is driving them to their tuition after school. Some students even think of committing suicide and some really do. They study so hard in order to get into the college of their choice. But why is college so important? Why do people attend college? People attend college and university to gain qualification and certificates, to get deeper knowledge and to have new experiences. 

Firstly, people want to get qualifications and certificates. If a person graduated from a famous university, he or she would get the job of his or her dreams. Nowadays, employers don’t even care if potential employees are smart or competent. They only look at what universities they graduated from. Attending college has become so common that people in companies and businesses judge one another by looking at their qualifications. Therefore, people are seeking qualifications and certificates for job purposes and status in society. 

Secondly, people go to college to study a certain subject in greater depth and get more knowledge for their future career. If we are interested in a particular field, the most likely place to gain deeper knowledge in that particular subject is in college. Even though getting a job with qualifications is easy, keeping the job is hard if one does not have enough knowledge and expertise. We need to have skills for our work. In college, we don’t only learn about the subject, we also learn about reality and how to survive in society. Thus, we attend university to gain competence at our jobs and ability to handle life. 

Thirdly, we attend university to have new experiences and meet new people. People can be exposed to new encounters that they have never had before. For example, students can get to live independently without the constant control and nagging of their parents. They get to meet people from different backgrounds and even countries. Moreover, many people meet their future spouses while at college. Hence, we gain life experiences and become friends with people from all around the world in college or university. 

In conclusion, people attend college and university because of the qualifications, knowledge and experience. I hope you spend your college years very wisely without wasting any time, enjoying every moment as it is only a short period of time and it probably will not take place again.