At some point, your teen may ask, “Why should I go to college?” When they do, here are five reasons for college to share with your child.
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Make more money.
People who graduate from college make more money than those with just a high school diploma. A lot more money, actually. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that in 2021, people with a college degree made around $1,334 a week. Someone with a high school diploma earned just $809.
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Have more opportunity.
People who go to college open up their choices for jobs. Many jobs these days require a college degree. Plus, college graduates have less chance of losing their jobs. As education levels go up, unemployment rates go down. In 2021, for high school graduates, the unemployment rate was 6.2 percent, but it was only 3.4 percent for college graduates.
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Make connections.
In college, students make new friends and other connections that will be helpful when it’s time to get started in a career. Those friends they make in college will help them get jobs, and these connections and networks will help them throughout their lives.
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Live a healthier and happier life.
Studies have shown that college graduates are healthier and are less likely to get divorced. There’s a well-established link between more education and better health: high school graduates are nearly twice as likely to be in poorer health than college graduates. Also, according to a 2015 report by the Pew Research Center, the divorce rate for college graduates is about 26 percent, compared to 43 percent for high school graduates.
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Start a tradition.
If your child goes to college, your grandchildren will be more likely to go, too: 71 percent of students with at least one parent who has a bachelor’s degree apply to college themselves. Only 26 percent of first-generation students (those with no parent who went beyond high school) apply to college.
