People always ask me what I am planning on doing after high school or what I am going to be when I grow up. Regardless of my answer to the latter, I am always expected to say that I will be going to university as if it’s only “real” option for me out there. But hear me out – university is not for everyone, and you are not “dumb” if you decide to attend a college instead.

Growing up, college was never an option for me. My friends and teachers would tell me that only those who were not academically strong would end up in college, which led my young mind to believe that if I was truly intelligent, I could get myself into a university. However, as I grew older and learned about different pathways I could take, I began to understand that going to college does not determine whether or not you have succeeded in life. It could be the perfect choice for some, depending on how one likes to learn best and what they want to be when they grow older. So what is the real difference between university and college?

Even though some may think that university provides its students with a better education than college does, it merely presents its education in a different way. For those who prefer a hands-on experience and learn best by doing, college could be the way to go. However, for those who like to attend lectures, prefer to attend a school with a large variety of courses and classes, and learn best by listening and reading, university would be the perfect option. In reality, these two institutions are academic equals, which is why it upsets me to see parents looking down on their children for wanting to attend a college. Some incredible careers actually start off with a college degree, such as if you want to become an electrician or paramedic.

So why does college get such a bad rep? Ultimately, it is because of each one of us and our negative mentality. We believe because universities are so much bigger and more expensive, it automatically means they are better. In the same way, when we see a Rolex watch, we value it at a much higher standard than we do a regular watch, even though at the end of the day, they will both get the same job done: telling us the time. At the end of day, both colleges and universities will teach their students what they need and want to learn. Success should never be measured by how and where someone chooses to learn, but by what they do with that education afterwards.