> First off, I should have said MOST kids use college as a 4 year party on their parents money. My girlfriend is a college graduate from Uconn. I'm sure she's had her fair share of stupid parties. Actually I went to one, and it was one of the most idiotic things I ever witnessed. Anyway, she has a degree in Journalism. What's she doing now? Claims for an insurance agency.
>
> I just have a weird way of thinking that makes me nitpick everything. EVERYONE i know who has attended college has at least skipped one day to hang out with me for no important reason. I've stayed and been to many colleges. I used to live a mile and a half away from SUNY. A few miles from Temple (Which is lke the most frightening structure i've been to) some other small college in philly named Beaver (very cool) and of course Uconn. Every college, it was the same story. No one could tell me what they were learning, jus about the pahrties and the good take out places. Since then, i've always had an idea of college as a big apartments for teenagers.
>

I guess that, as in many other discussions, there are plenty of examples of both sides' arguments, even if that doesn't necessarily make any of them right.

> Don't get me wrong, I believe kids actually do go to college to learn, but what can they learn that I can't by just going to libraries, watching public speakers, and basically just living?
>

Nothing, basically. It would just take most people too long to find the books in the libraries on their own, instead of going somewhere to be told where to find them by someone who has been through the mill. Also, as Wolfspirit said, you get to discuss things with people at your own level. These people are bound to have views which you can't for the life of you imagine anyone actually defending. You wouldn't meet these people by spending your entire day at the library :).

> Wolfspirit said something in his post about going to college for the learning experience and not for a good job. Why can't I do that without going to college? Why is college so important? Why is it, when someone has something negative to say about college they get yelled at?
>

It seems to me that people at RinkForum don't really yell at you... But I'll agree with you that nowadays, society (as they call it) somehow assumes that you will follow the trodden path and climb as high in the educational system as you possibly can. I trust you have heard the rant that starts with "In _my_ age, we didn't have the possibilities young folks have today ...".

I plan to say here that it ain't always best to do as everyone else.

Julian