A great many college students enroll with the intention of obtaining a degree with as little effort (and as much fun) as possible. Their K-12 years weren’t demanding (the importance of student self-esteem being paramount in the minds of many teachers), and they don’t want to have to knock themselves out with rigorous college classes. Most of our colleges and universities have decided to accommodate their desires. Much of the hard stuff is optional.

In today’s Martin Center article, Josh Herring suggests to students who are inclined to coast through that they should reconsider.

Writes Herring, “College is not ultimately about the degree, though the degree plays a goal-orienting role. The goal of collegiate education, as Hillsdale College history professor Dr. Mark Kalthoff explains, is freeing the soul from ignorance. Education prepares the graduate to step into a world of practical realities and urgent choices after having completed a final season of leisured study which results in perceiving deeper meaning in the world. College is about personal transformation, about becoming the person who sees more in the world.”

In short, higher education should be about personal growth, not just fleeting pleasure. The wise student will take advantage of that even though it takes effort.

We hear all the time that college can be a good investment, but that is always thought to mean a high financial payout. Herring suggests thinking of investment differently: “Career placement is too small a goal; college should introduce students to conversations they engage in for the rest of their lives. When students become capable of perceiving the choices that lead to the good life, then college is worth the investment.”