Three reasons why you shouldn’t rush your college education

College is expensive. That’s one reason why many students and parents look for ways to shorten a traditional four-year degree. A shorter education also gets you into the workforce sooner. But there are tradeoffs. Before you decide to compress your undergraduate degree into a two- or three-year program, here are three things to consider.

Purpose.

Students and parents often answer the how? and where? questions without pausing to ask the most important question – why? Why am I compressing my college education? What would be the implications for my high school and college experiences? What will be gained or lost by accelerating the path to adulthood? In the rush to a career, we can overlook the purpose of adolescence and its opportunities for exploring interests, building friendships, developing life-giving habits and practices, and wisely enjoying a critical period of personal formation.  

Development.

Brain science reminds us that adolescent development can’t be rushed. The neurological systems that drive adult reasoning, emotional regulation, and identity integration mature gradually and are best supported in a traditional college environment –especially in institutions like Northwestern committed to whole-person development. Spiritual maturity, emotional resilience, and personal adaptability develop best where young people are intentionally discipled as well as intellectually stimulated. Accelerating the educational timeline or launching early into the workforce won’t speed up neurological development, but it may hinder vocational success.

Skills.

The marketplace depends on the combination of technical (hard) skills and analytical, interpersonal, and reasoning (soft) skills. Employers invest in upskilling those entering the workforce, but they often can’t spare the time (or expense) to train graduates in essential soft skills. They depend on the kind of formation provided by the college years to equip workers in active listening, adaptability, independent thinking, persuasive speech, reasoned judgement, complex analysis, and ethical decision-making. Students who shorten their undergraduate experience can find themselves under-equipped for complex challenges in the workplace.  

It is easy to reduce college education to an economic equation. Get the most value for the lowest cost. That  may work with groceries, but not with education. Education is about formation, not merely acquisition of facts or technical skills. In the end, the value of a college degree is not in your diploma, but the person your education helps you become. As you plan for college, recognize that there are always tradeoffs. As foolish as it is to prolong adolescence, it may be just as foolish to rush it.

At University of Northwestern, we help students make the most out of this critical period of life. Our dedicated faculty and staff are committed to students’ spiritual, intellectual, and social maturity. Check out the academic major that most interests you and consider pairing it with the unique community being developed in our Classical Christian Honors College.