subject: Do We Really Need To Go To University? [print this page] Although we have Bill Gates to prove that we can be a very successful person without a university qualification, it is still very important. After all, we only have one Bill Gates, showing that what he did cannot be copied by the mass.
There has always been the debate between street smart and book smart. While we are far from reaching the conclusion to such debate, there are certain advantages of attending university. There are soft skills to be learned, apart from the compulsory lessons in a class.
College is the best place to hone our social skills and thus, improving our communication skills. We meet different people of different backgrounds in college and maybe people from other countries too. From this, we learn how to mingle with others and also learn their cultures.
Apart from improving our social skills, higher education institution is the best place to get to know people. We meet our classmates, roommates, total strangers and of course, lecturers. These people may end up being our partners or even clients to the services we might offer in the future. Of course we can meet people on the street but isn't college the easiest place to make friends because we have something in common already, just being in the same place.
Heading a company, leading a meeting well all these require leadership. Again, the best training ground would be college. We can try to lead a group discussion or a club, just to get the hang of it. Although it might differ from the situation in an office, it will give us some experience.
In order to become a leader, we have to be confident. Imagine standing up in a class and answering questions. It might not mean much but this is an act that requires confidence and of course, courage. We have to face the whole class, giving out answers and if we are unlucky, face rejection. The rejection may not be as harsh as those given in the real world but remember; practice makes perfect.
Of course we can still argue that Bill Gates dropped out of university but he still made it to university, right?
