Students with stacks of college applications often find themselves wondering, Is College worth it? According to The New York Times, just 65.9 percent of high school graduates go on to college, and the rate is declining rapidly. Many people believe that you have to go on to college to be successful and get a good paying job, but that is not necessarily true. According to an article in the New York Times “Each decade, 30 million American children enter high school but only 6 million of them ever receive a college degree. The remaining 24 million kids either drop out; complete high school and enter the work force; or attend a community college or university for a couple of years” (New York Times, 2012). Clearly many people think college is not valuable and the need to get a job and start making money is greater than the need to go to college. Many college graduates have major setbacks because of student loan debt. Student loan debt often forces college students to live with their parents and delay adult milestones such as marriage and financial independence. "Less than 50% of women and 30% of men had passed the "transition to adulthood" milestones by age 30" (college-education.procon.org, 2016). In conclusion, I believe that college is not worth the time and money it takes to get a college degree. A higher paying job is truly not worth the hassle of having to pay back student loans for the rest of your life. Society should not view College as mandatory because it does not prepare you for life, if anything it sets you back.