I'm currently producing a documentary about higher education reform titled The Elephant on Campus. I'm on a journey to interview people about their experiences and opinions on higher education. I'm looking for both positive and negative perspectives.

What say you, do you think college is worth it? Would you be willing to give your thoughts on camera?

I personally think the 4 year bachelor's degree is overpriced, overrated, and obsolete, but I also believe there are some positives that can be used in the movement towards reform.

You can learn more about the movie at

I have received promotions at work because I have a degree while the people with a high school diploma and associates have been pushed aside and told to go back to school.

so it has nothing to do with what these people actually know and the degree is used as a weeding out mechanism? i hope the promotions have to do with the knowledge one has and not simply b/c they have an arbitrary piece of paper.

why is it "arbitrary"?

I watched the first bit of footage. I pretty much agree w/ the Anya Kamenetz clip.

When I went to college at 18, it was a total waste of money. I got straight C's in an art program, barely got an associates and dropped out. When I went to college at 30, I got straight A's in an engineering program. I would leave class bummed out with the knowledge that it was impossible for me to absorb every little bit of knowledge available to me in class. The only thing I didn't absolutely love about school at 30 was the 21 year old kids in my class. They were slow on the uptake, fucked around too much and slowed the class down. I would argue that it's the 18-22 year olds that make college overpriced, overrated, and obsolete. I would also argue that colleges shouldn't admit anyone under the age of 26.

People should definitely wait to go to school if they want to get their $$$ worth. I took classes part-time for years as I could afford them and made sure I got good grades. As a result I received grants and scholarships that paid for most of my full-time school once I transferred all of my credits from a community college to the university. I think I graduated magna cum laude because I was paying for the shit myself. I loaned almost all of my books from the OSU and Columbus Metro libraries. I played it smart and aced my classes on the cheap, got drunk and played in 2 or 3 bands while I worked and went to school. When you are the one paying for it and you want to do well you can figure out quickly how to juggle all of your extracurriculars with your work.

The bell-curve never hurts, either. For some classes all you have to do is show up and you're ahead of half of the class.

Was it worth it? Probably. I wanted credit for what I already knew and I wanted to use it as a stepping stone for higher education as an option down the road.

So, I agree with the other folks: it's mostly a waste of time for younger people who don't give a shit and are probably going to school on someone else's dime (or some ill-advised ridiculous loan they took because they thought they were supposed to go to school like everybody else whether they were cut out for it or not).

I will never recoup the cost of law school; if I could return it for the cash I would.

My initial degree was a total sham. I fucked off a ton. Case in point, I went to a final and saw someone in class that I had met outside of class. They were suprised that they hadn't noticed me but I had skipped the prior 7 weeks of class.

Not going to college wasn't an option for me. My folks demanded that I go. I suppose had I gotten a job, I would probably have kids or done something more stupid than going to college.

My second time through, I crushed that shit. Still not quite working in my field but that may change soon.

it's called higher education for a reason. half of getting through school is just learning about how you learn and maxing that out.

i took a class that was on the curve and saw kids totally fucking stressed. i sat there watching kids around me tear their fucking hair out. one girl literally crying. i bubbled that bitch out and left in 5 minutes. i actually eenie meenie minee moed 90% of that thing barely reading some questions. people stared at me cause i was done so quick. fact was, i didn't know shit. it was the hardest, most unbelievably difficult chem class ever. i knew everyone was SOL. even if they did know a lot, it was crazy hard.

I got a C+.

I don't see the purpose of those insane college classes. I mean, I would rather teach and have students learn rather than make some insane tests and watch kids geek out and have to curve it. Unless, of course, it is a college for sadists.

one kid told me they thought it was a weeding class. a way to keep kids not really interested in their college, from majoring in chemistry. only the brightest and most serious and will stick with it.

that being said, it was worth it. i learned a lot about people, the world and myself. and i got a decent job at the end.

I have a degree in Magazine Journalism. Am I working at a magazine or as a journalist? No. Do I consider my college education/degree worthless? No way. I actually do use what I learned in school at my current job (dare I say career?).

That being said, there were very few classes that challenged me and NONE of those were in my major. I don't know if that means the classes were ridiculously easy (I don't think they were; Scripps School of Journalism at OU is pretty highly regarded), or just that I was particularly suited for the major.

I enjoyed college. If I were still paying off loans I might have a different view.

even if you don't specifically use or go into the field you majored in, you use all that knowledge in different ways. i majored in poli sci and never went into political sciencing, but i use that background of researching and formulating and writing etc etc all day long.