Guidance or Diversion?
Every day, millions of students are told by adults where they should spend some of the most consequential years of their lives. Sometimes, it’s well-meaning parents who want to continue a family legacy. Other times, it’s an overworked counselor who may see them a couple of times a year and are basing their advice on numbers and stats that give an incomplete picture. Either way, bad decisions are regularly made because there is inequity and a lack of balance in the college counseling regime.
Not everyone will or should go to college. But for those who do, it will probably be the first time they make a life-altering decision. So why is it so often not fully considered until junior or senior year and so heavily influenced solely by those who have a limited views? Needless to say, every situation is unique and often, a parent may have to guide a student because of financial considerations — or a counselor may truly have some insight that is right and, more importantly, comes from the right place. But for the millions of other scenarios, delayed, minimally informed decisions that do not include the input of peers should no longer be acceptable.
We’re in the midst of the so-called sharing economy. We share our cars, our houses, and our selfies. We need to do a better job of sharing our wisdom. Not only our perceived wisdom about who should’ve won the election or whether Kanye is crazy or a genius. But wisdom gained from having an experience that was successfully navigated. Based on that standard, there are millions of wise college students out there who have some good information for those coming behind them. Yet those connections are rarely made and, as a result, the trajectory of the lives of many change for the worse. Yes — the right college can be that important.
There’s no need for the dysfunctional college decision process to continue in its current form. Millennials and Generation Z-ers can come together on an unprecedented level and force themselves into this conversation; not to the exclusion of the good guidance of others, but in addition to it. If you’re at Princeton, you have a pretty good idea about how you got there — because you did it. Your wisdom is your Uber car; give an aspiring Princeton student a ride. It won’t get them all of the way to their destination; but it could be a vital leg of their journey.
Someone once said: “An advance is something that, by its nature, does not fit into the existing order.” Students helping each other achieve their collegiate goals does not yet fit neatly into the existing order. But there’s no doubt that it represents advancement.
