Re-Imagining College

Greetings. After a week of college visits with our middle daughter Carly, I am quite a bit more optimistic about young people, education, the value of college, and even the future.

I just have to figure out a way to pay for it.

But a couple of ideas strike me that might make the entire experience of going to college even more compelling for all of our kids and the world we share…

First, wouldn’t it be a great idea if every high school graduate were required to work for at least a year before starting college? A year or more in which they could get a better sense of what the world of work is like, imagine and even explore future career options, take a “break” after thirteen straight years of school, and even make a bit of money that they can use to contribute to their education. All of which would make going to college a lot more meaningful (and possibly more focused) when they arrived. I sense that this is not a particularly popular idea among most students, their parents, and colleges who worry that kids will somehow get “off-track” by interrupting their studies…even though it would benefit all of them.

Second, wouldn’t it be a great idea if every college student was required to spend at least one semester studying, learning, and living in another country and culture? A semester or more in which they could get a much deeper understanding of just how similar and different people are in other places, become more open-minded about other people and the world they live in, and stretch their abilities to adapt and grow in new and unfamiliar places. All essential skills in their lives as global citizens. I sense that this is a slightly more popular idea but that not enough students ever take advantage of the opportunity for any number of reasons.

College should be a time of remarkable learning and personal discovery. A gift to be welcomed and appreciated. And I sense that Carly and most of her friends will make even more of the opportunity if they see its even greater connection to their lives, careers, the broader world, and their own unique potential.

We win in business and in life when we view learning more broadly than simply going to college and getting a degree. And when we imagine our own amazing potential to learn and grow.

Cheers!