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I was 16 when I started college- not all that young. Of course I wish I had started sooner, but it's not trivial to worm one's way out of the high school hell-hole.

College was just a much more appropriate environment for me. I've heard some people say that all the social issues in high school exist in college as well. I'll have to take their word for it, because I never saw any social pressures in college. I didn't bother my peers and they didn't bother me. I didn't get harassed about my weight, which was a welcome blessing that came too late to save me from being totally scarred, but was appreciated anyway.

Academics were fine, of course. College classes really aren't that hard these days. If you have basic reading and math skills, you're set.

I wasn't mature enough to stand up for myself and choose a major that interested me- that maturity didn't come until I was 25, and still hasn't fully developed. Admitting who you are realizing attitude is nothing are two very hard things to do. All the good attitude in the world won't help you do a job or study a subject if you hate it so much your blood boils at the very mention of it. But even now, there's a little voice in my head saying, "naw. You could be an actuarial if you wanted to. You're just not trying hard enough. Make money! Make money! Who cares if you have to be someone so different from your true self it makes you scream and scream and scream?" Killing that little voice is hard. So waiting till 18 wouldn't have helped.

I'm generally unimpressed with the emotional honesty displayed by my 18-19 year old college students. They're all caught up in ego and money and pleasing mom and dad. They make themselves miserable taking classes they hate, and they'll stay miserable unless they kill the "have a good attitude" voice and start listening to the "God made you the way you are for a reason" voice.

So there's really nothing to be gained from a high school diploma. The courses are so watered down as to be worthless. And no attempt is made to help students develop good aptitude-based decision making skills.

If you're going to go to college, just go.

Learn more about this author, Raven Lebeau.
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