Why does society place college on such a high pedestal?
It is incredibly overpriced and students usually end up paying their student loans well into their thirties, yet we all still feel it has value. I think this elevated view of college stems from the inherent value society has placed on literacy. College students are considered to be more knowledgeable, more enlightened, more cultured and, therefore, more literate than those who do not attend further schooling after high school. This intrinsic value placed on college education relates back to this idea of literacy as a state of grace.
This conceptualization of literacy reflects the socially constructed value Western societies have placed literacy. For instance, we consider literacy to be inherently good and socially good. Thus, those who are literate are elevated individuals who experience self-enchancement, and are all around better humans. We also have this intrinsic notion that literacy is better than new technology; for example, we view reading to be more beneficial to the mind than video games or watching television. But aren’t these just different forms of literacy? Is our society stuck on the Western attitude that written language is superior to other forms of literacy? Is it because new literacy forms are developing through technology and we haven’t fully accepted it into our society yet? Will our view towards literacy adapt with new technological advancements?
I think you raise an interesting question here. Sometimes, it does feel like going to college is a wildly overpriced accomplishment that has few tangible benefits. However, I think that we value college and higher education, because our current society is rooted in scholasticism and specialization. College functions as the environment where individuals can refine their knowledge and become “experts” in certain fields and therefore be more successful members of society and our economic system. While college is seen as improving literacy, it also has broader implications for an individuals participation in the larger society.