Why Do We Go to College? The Real Purpose of Higher Education
What is college really for? Why do millions of students choose to attend college and university, and what should higher education actually provide beyond a degree or a future career?
In this lecture, “What Is College For?”, the discussion begins with a fundamental question about the purpose of college education. Rather than looking at college simply as a path toward employment, the lecture explores the broader philosophical, social, intellectual, and personal purposes of higher education.
The course focuses particularly on liberal education, liberal arts education, and education in the arts and sciences, while also examining higher education more broadly. Students are encouraged to think about their own reasons for attending college—or, for those who did not attend, their reasons for making a different choice. The discussion includes motivations such as academic development, career opportunities, community, personal growth, leadership, athletics, family expectations, and the desire for a better future.
One of the central ideas explored in the lecture is the internal or intrinsic purpose of education. The lecture distinguishes between things education may provide that are valuable in themselves and the benefits that may come later as a result of having an education. This leads to a deeper examination of what students should gain from the college experience beyond professional qualifications.
Character and Personal Development
The first major theme is character. The lecture asks whether universities should play a role in helping students develop moral judgment and make better decisions. It also considers whether people can change through education and whether college-age students are still developing in ways that make higher education an important period of personal growth.
The discussion raises an interesting question: Can college change who you are? Students enter higher education at different ages and with different backgrounds, experiences, beliefs, and personalities. The lecture examines the possibility that education and the college environment can influence how students think, behave, and understand themselves and the world around them.
The lecture also discusses the role of mistakes and experiences during youth. Rather than treating every mistake simply as something to erase or regret, the discussion considers how experiences from earlier life can contribute to personal development and shape the people we eventually become.
College as a Community
Another important purpose of college education is community.
Universities are places where students live, study, communicate, collaborate, and encounter people with different experiences and perspectives. But the idea of community also raises difficult questions. Can communities become too rigid? Can strong expectations create conformity? How do communities decide who belongs, and how can inclusion and exclusion affect student life?
The lecture explores both the positive and challenging sides of being part of a college community and asks what students can learn from living and working with other people.
College and Citizenship
The lecture then examines the relationship between higher education and citizenship.
Historically, liberal education has been connected with the idea of preparing people to participate in civic life. Education can provide people with knowledge and skills that help them understand society and participate more effectively as citizens.
The discussion considers questions such as whether students should study history, constitutional principles, civic thought, civic engagement, or community service. It also asks whether students can be prepared for citizenship through the broader experience of living in a community and learning how to cooperate with others.
Conversation, Learning, and Knowledge
A further theme of the lecture is conversation.
Education is presented not simply as receiving information but as participating in a broader conversation about knowledge and ideas. Face-to-face discussion, classroom interaction, reading, teaching, research, and intellectual exchange all play roles in the educational experience.
The lecture connects these ideas to the traditions of thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius, emphasizing the longstanding relationship between learning and conversation. Universities also have a role in preserving, creating, expanding, and sharing knowledge through research and teaching.
What Should Students Learn?
The lecture also introduces the question of curriculum: What should students actually learn in college?
Choosing a curriculum involves balancing different goals. Students and their parents may have particular expectations. Future employers may emphasize certain skills. Faculty members have their own understanding of knowledge and education. The lecture considers how these different expectations interact when universities decide what students should study.
The discussion eventually moves toward broader social and economic questions surrounding higher education, including social class, the cost of college, access to education, and preparation for careers. These questions are especially important when students and families consider whether the financial and personal investment in higher education will lead to meaningful opportunities afterward.
Philosophy of Education and Plato
An important part of the course is the study of Plato’s Republic, which the lecturer describes as a major work in the philosophy of education. The course uses philosophical texts to explore questions that remain relevant to education today, including what education should accomplish, what students should learn, and how education can shape individuals and society.
Overall, this lecture invites viewers to reconsider a familiar question: Why go to college?
Is college primarily about obtaining qualifications and improving career opportunities? Is it about developing knowledge and intellectual skills? Is it about becoming a more thoughtful person? Is it about learning how to participate in a community and society? Or does college serve several purposes at the same time?
This lecture provides an introduction to these questions and sets the foundation for a broader exploration of the purposes of college education and higher education.
In This Lecture, You’ll Explore:
- What is college really for?
- The purpose of higher education
- Why students choose to attend college
- Liberal education and liberal arts education
- Education in the arts and sciences
- Character development and moral judgment
- Personal growth during the college years
- Learning from mistakes and life experiences
- The role of community in college
- Inclusion, exclusion, and conformity
- College education and citizenship
- Preparing students for democratic participation
- Conversation as a foundation of education
- The pursuit and sharing of knowledge
- The role of universities in research and teaching
- What students should learn
- The purpose of a college curriculum
- Higher education and career preparation
- The social and economic context of college
- Philosophy of education
- Plato and The Republic
- The relationship between education, society, and personal development
Whether you are a college student, university student, educator, teacher, parent, researcher, or simply someone interested in the meaning of education, this lecture offers an opportunity to think more deeply about what higher education is supposed to accomplish.