<p>Perhaps a solution would be to be a roommate to students at a nearby university. You will be able to get some contact with student life, still do the job you do not need college for and not be too far away from your dad.</p>
<p>i don’t think there’s anything wrong with you wanting traditions and identity and community. those are three big reasons i want to go to a wc too!! but maybe you can find it somewhere else if you don’t go.</p>
<p>this might sound silly but what about bars?</p>
<p>hear me out. some bars have regulars that go there every day after work and talk and share stories. they form a little community. do you have a particular identity culturally? for me, being from the south and thinking about moving to los angeles, i plan to find a country themed bar there and become a regular and get to know the folks there! you can check out which nights have more young people going to them too, if you want that experience of socializing with your peers rather than just older people.</p>
<p>maybe it doesn’t even have to be a bar. i mean, it could be any establishment or organization that has to do with your identity or interests.</p>
<p>best of luck to you!! and don’t let people discourage you about wanting what your grandma or aunt had either. sisterhood, traditions, and community are powerful things, imo. :)</p>
<p>I have to ask: are you confident that you’ll even be able to get your desired job close to home, considering that that’s what you’re planning on doing instead of college? If so, for how long will you be comfortable with staying at home? I understand that your dad is sick, but he’s not going to be around forever, and even until he isn’t you aren’t tied to him.</p>
<p>You can get a lot of scholarship money with that kind of grades and test scores, and if you’re still not wealthy enough to afford college you’ll get financial aid. Don’t force money to be an issue.</p>
<p>I agree that this sounds like a cop-out. To clarify, I do believe that your reasons are genuine, but I don’t think they really add up to you not wanting to go to college. It seems more likely that you’re just scared and too devoted to what other people say you should do. This is understandable, but ask yourself what that attitude is going to get you.</p>
<p>While I would encourage you to continue your education, if you cannot, or simply choose not to, I have a couple of suggestions that might fulfill your desire for female companionship. First, consider volunteering with an organization that focuses on women’s issues. There are a range of organizations out there that focus on issues including reproductive rights, support for victims of violence, support for women in non-traditional careers, etc. Second, consider joining a recreational sports league. There are leagues for softball, basketball, flag football, etc.</p>
<p>Or, if you are willing to give it a go, try attending a community college near your home. This would allow you to keep costs low and meet family obligations. Though community college lacks many of the attractions of a women’s college, it does offer plenty of clubs and activities for young women.</p>
<p>I think you should go to college. Many of the women’s college still have the traditions - Bryn Mawr does (and it was intellectual from the start not a school where women went to be groomed for landing a husband)! </p>
<p>I think you should apply, apply for financial aid, and work harder at trying to go to college than talking yourself out of wanting it.</p>
<p>You think you know what you want to do for a career, but without a college degree your options may be seriously limited in the future. Not to mention the fact that at your age, and with broader exposure, many people change their direction altogether. College is about more than career preparation or the experience, although those things may be involved. It’s also about continuing to develop your mind, your abilities and your critical thinking skills. Those things, unlike training for a trade can help you excel no matter where you are and what you do.</p>
<p>^THIS. This is also roughly what I tell people when they ask why, considering I want to be a video game designer, I’m not just heading to a tech school for a quickie degree.</p>
<p>Most people are saying how great college is, so I wanted to bring my point of view. My parents made me go to college. I hated every second. More than five years after graduation, I can honestly say I threw away those four years. My life would be so much better if I had not gone.</p>
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<p>If you want that close bonding, being part of a team feeling, without going to college and joining a sorority, I suggest you enlist in the military. </p>
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<p>This quote strikes me as absurd. Spend a little more time trying to make the right decision. If you make the wrong decision, acknowledge your mistake and try to correct it. But, “I take a decision and make it right” sounds absolutely pig-headed to me. I am the decider! Seldom right, never in doubt!</p>
<p>^^^^Gardenia, I don’t think college is the right path for everyone, but can you expand on your post? Was it bad socially? You gained nothing, learned nothing valuable? Did you choose the wrong school or are you absolutely certain that no university would have given you a different experience or outcome? It’s hard to really make much of what you have written given the complete lack of detail.</p>
<p>I hope you can soon find yourself in a happier place.</p>
<p>In my case, college was a bad situation all around - bad fit, bad timing, you name it. I can envision another college situation working out better. However, I can also see not going to college at all working out very well (understanding there are no guarantees whatever path you take). My point is that some people idealize college. I think it’s important to realize that college can be a very negative experience that brings very little value to a person’s life.</p>
<p>NJres- </p>
<p>I think that’s an overly negative reading of the quotation. While the quote does downplay the importance of the initial decision (probably based on the belief that there are many factors beyond our control), I think its focus on making the best of the hand we are dealt is good. It’s also good advice in cases where the decision has been made and we have to decide whether to make the best of what is, or regret missing what could have been.</p>
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<p>I agree, and said as much earlier in the thread.</p>
<p>I idealize college, as do most people I know. Money, a new location (usually), new friends, new frontiers for academic exploration… can you blame us?</p>
<p>Oh, and of course, beer and pot. That’s real idealization material.</p>
<p>What people need to realize is that what emberjed describes is not reality for many college students.</p>
<p>Like many I idealize college. I had a mixed experience as a commuter and then as an on campus student. Removing the social aspect which was wonderful time the education is something I reflect on regularly. I took so many wonderful classes in a wide variety of subjects. Yes you can get a Job but an education is priceless. It is hard to fathom work that does not benefit from an education.</p>
<p>College isn’t for everyone. Some students do not have the capacity for that type of learning but based on your stats that is not you.</p>
<p>Sometimes becoming an adult means making your own decisions despite your parents approval. I am trying to coach my D through this. It is a hard to pull away and put the emphasis on your own expectations.</p>