Why Attend College

The choice to attend college may be one of the largest decisions of an American young adult’s life. There are many factors to consider as well as influences that may change this decision depending on the individual and their background. Contrary to popular belief attending college in the United States is definitely not a universal norm, but rather a relative one. Early on in my schooling, I established that college would be the right decision for me, even though it seemed like a nearly unattainable goal. Structure and agency are integral in anyone’s decision to attend college, but in my own experience agency prevailed. Social norms, family history, and economic factors were hurdles that I had to overcome in my decision to attend college and had these aspects of social structure been the only factors in my decision, I do not believe I would have had the opportunity to attend.
Social norms about postsecondary school begin as early as middle school, if not earlier, so in order to …show more content…
They are not mutually exclusive, but can occasionally work against each other, and I believe that one can hold precedent depending on the individual. In my own experience, I was lucky that agency dominated because for the most part social norms, my family history, and economic factors worked against me, and if I lacked agency, I would not have made it to college and to my senior year. While I feel lucky to have had certain structural aspects such as scholarships and peer support, as well as support from my family, my own personal life choices and motivation got me to where I am today. More than anything, knowing I will be the first in my family to graduate from college has showed me the true potential of agency. Agency can be powerful, and my take away from its primacy in my decision is that now I know that no matter the social constraints I truly have the ability to control my