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The high school to college pipeline isn’t what it used to be, or should be
The transition from high school graduate to college freshman isn’t for everyone, and it is past time to admit it.
It is the time of the year where this year’s freshmen are finishing off their first year of college right as next fall’s freshmen are graduating high school. American society has spent generations perfecting this pipeline, trying to get the maximum number of high school graduates into colleges and universities. The entirety of the secondary education system has been retooled into a funnel to achieve that very purpose.
“What are you going to do after school” has been mostly replaced with “Where do you want to go to college,” and if someone answers they don’t want to, need to, or can’t go to college, society has seemingly placed an onus on that person to explain their non-conformity.
The stated reason for this human pipeline at the turn of adulthood is sound enough on paper. College graduates on average make more money both per year and over a working lifetime than non-college graduates. The value of a broader education and the social connections it makes are not as easily defined but widely accepted as positive outcomes.
