B.S.: Bachelor of Science or BullShit?

College! The four years after high school in which we delve into philosophical discussions, have more all-nighters than we could have ever imagined, and learn the basic survival skills of everyday life (cooking, laundry, the works..)

OH! And let’s not forget the all-night partying!!! And partying!!! And partying!!!

Making memories that we will never forget..

But in all seriousness—and without the late nights in mind—I have had so many eye-opening experiences these past two years, having learnt so much more about myself (my goals, tendencies, and attitude towards the world in which we live in.)

And I have met some of the most amazing people—each with their own crazy experiences and stories to tell.

But now the question is: would I attribute these learning experiences to my college education?

I’m not quite sure that my answer is yes.

But what I can attribute to my college education is a whopping debt of $50,000… per year! We enroll at a college institution as a security blanket, a false promise that a degree will ensure us a steady job, benefits, and comfortable lifestyle. And what do we get?!

A title of B.S.: Bachelor of Science, or simply just Bullshit.

Now, Peter Thiel is infamously known for sharing this same view. The PayPal cofounder, venture capitalist, and hedge fund manager has had a knack of determining the next “bubble,” and resulting market crash. In 2000, he accurately predicted the dot-com burst, and has since argued that this bubble—“when something is overvalued and intensely believed”—has shifted from the Internet to the housing market, and now to the higher education system. 

And his reason for criticizing the institution of college: it’s exclusivity.

He finds it really ironic that highly regarded universities (such as Harvard, and the like) reject such a large proportion of applicants each year. If Harvard was the best education out there, why should only a percentage of the population receive it? It is Darwinism at its core—survival of the fittest—but also, a “justification for being mean.”

(The Harvard acceptance rate is now 6.2%.....................)

Now, I’m not saying that coming to college wasn’t worth it, or that I should have skipped this step in my pathway of “emerging adulthood.” Because after all, I need a college degree to apply to medical school—there is actually no way around that one! It just seems so weird to me that a college degree means so much and so little at the same time. Without one, we can only dream of getting a full-time job, but with one, the odds are only slightly better.

And you know what this means right? More money needed for graduate schools!

All of this is just so promising…