Four Year or Not?


Articles Dante Alighieri Arthur Dent Jesus Jones Thomas Paine Other Authors Contact Us! Letter to the Editor Dante Alighieri Arthur Dent Jesus Jones Thomas Paine	Four Year or Not? Fran Tarkenton Disclaimer: First off, this should go without saying, but I'm not out to offend anyone, despite the fact that I almost inevitably will. I'm just out to save the souls of a few high school students who are currently in limbo, having to choose between the heaven of the four year university, the hell of the junior college, or the purgatory of those wacky trade schools. It's like my man JC said: "I come not to offend, but I'll probably do it anyway. Ah sheesh." -Michael, 13:34 Understand that this article addresses a specific demographic. There are some of you who will be attending a four-year college, and the remainder of high school will be spent basically jockeying for the most expensive school available. Others of you are so confounded by the concept of college that it will take an entire bottle of Excedrin to make the ensuing headache die down. The middle group of kids, however, is left with several options, which primarily fall into two possibilities: attend a four-year college; or go somewhere else, most often a junior college. Sadly, far too many well-meaning kids are led astray, led down the tragic path that is community college. Know this: for the most part, community college is a colossal waste of time. "Junior college" is simply a buzzword for "two more years of high school." And NO ONE needs more high school. Remember that. In community college, you drive slightly further away to see the same people, take the same courses, and do essentially the same thing as a senior in high school. High school serves as an important niche in your adolescent years, but by the time graduation rolls around, you should be ready to move on. Perhaps most importantly, college is a unique experience. For background research on this article, I have actually attended a four-year university for over a semester. (Talk about dedication.) Now, I have this statement to make: college is amazing. You will never have another chance to do something like this. Four-year college, the kind where you live on campus, offers possibilities that cannot be found at a community college. The experience alone should be reason enough to attend a university, not to mention that you're bound make a boatload more money with a college degree. Of course, it is possible to take a few classes at the local JC and transfer to wherever. They also serve salad at McDonald's. It just doesn't happen very often. Basically, it comes down to this: if you have the grades to go to a four-year college, even a CSU, GO. Don't think twice about it. It's worth every penny. You'll come back to Pacifica often enough during breaks. Don't settle for mediocrity. And for God's sake, go experience something. -Fran wishes his professional football career had ended better so he would not have to be writing articles for underground high school newspapers in exchange for french fries.	Archive Back Issues Why? Cartoons Poetry Random Rants Disclaimers Losers and Kudos of the Week Letters to the Editor Editor's Notes Picture of the Week
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Fran Tarkenton

Disclaimer: First off, this should go without saying, but I'm not out to offend anyone, despite the fact that I almost inevitably will. I'm just out to save the souls of a few high school students who are currently in limbo, having to choose between the heaven of the four year university, the hell of the junior college, or the purgatory of those wacky trade schools. It's like my man JC said: "I come not to offend, but I'll probably do it anyway. Ah sheesh." -Michael, 13:34

Understand that this article addresses a specific demographic. There are some of you who will be attending a four-year college, and the remainder of high school will be spent basically jockeying for the most expensive school available. Others of you are so confounded by the concept of college that it will take an entire bottle of Excedrin to make the ensuing headache die down. The middle group of kids, however, is left with several options, which primarily fall into two possibilities: attend a four-year college; or go somewhere else, most often a junior college. Sadly, far too many well-meaning kids are led astray, led down the tragic path that is community college.

Know this: for the most part, community college is a colossal waste of time. "Junior college" is simply a buzzword for "two more years of high school." And NO ONE needs more high school. Remember that. In community college, you drive slightly further away to see the same people, take the same courses, and do essentially the same thing as a senior in high school. High school serves as an important niche in your adolescent years, but by the time graduation rolls around, you should be ready to move on.

Perhaps most importantly, college is a unique experience. For background research on this article, I have actually attended a four-year university for over a semester. (Talk about dedication.) Now, I have this statement to make: college is amazing. You will never have another chance to do something like this. Four-year college, the kind where you live on campus, offers possibilities that cannot be found at a community college. The experience alone should be reason enough to attend a university, not to mention that you're bound make a boatload more money with a college degree. Of course, it is possible to take a few classes at the local JC and transfer to wherever. They also serve salad at McDonald's. It just doesn't happen very often.

Basically, it comes down to this: if you have the grades to go to a four-year college, even a CSU, GO. Don't think twice about it. It's worth every penny. You'll come back to Pacifica often enough during breaks. Don't settle for mediocrity. And for God's sake, go experience something.

-Fran wishes his professional football career had ended better so he would not have to be writing articles for underground high school newspapers in exchange for french fries.