Why is everyone urging you to go to college? You can blame it on the French guy, Alexis de Tocqueville. The fuss started about one hundred eighty years ago when he wrote, “Democracy in America.” He observed that America was distinct. In American it didn’t make much difference into which station of life you were born. Anybody could just about become anything they wanted to be. This was the germ of the concept of “American exceptionalism.” This idea is firmly engrained in our subconscious. Our Constitution with the “The Rule of Law” is one of the foundation stones for this view. Another major block in the foundation is education. This was reinforced in the 1930’s during the Depression when unemployment was even worse than it is now. If your great great grandfather had a college degree, he had a job and could put food on the table. “Get an education” has been a dinner table admonition for a long time.

So you shouldn’t be surprised that you are hearing this directive over and over. And the harbingers could be right. But before you make the leap, do a little critical thinking for yourself. Who are these messengers and what is their motivation?

First up is Tom Cruise. “Finally I get to the door… and I… find myself in a room full of kids taking their college boards. I’m over three hours late; I’ve got two minutes to take the whole test. I’ve… just made a terrible mistake. I’ll never get to college. My life is ruined.” This quote is from the opening dream sequence of “Risky Business.” It is just one example of how pop culture has embraced the idea that college is a ready path to success.

Have you heard of the College Board? These are the guys who bring you the SAT test. They are also the source of the myth that “a college graduate will make $1,000,000 more than a high school graduate.” Their mission statement is that “every high school graduate should go to college.” If you think about it, that mission statement doesn’t make much sense.

Then there are your parents. Maybe their financial success can be traced back directly to their getting a college education. Or maybe they didn’t get a college education, and they strongly want to see you succeed. They have your best interests at heart.

Your high school teachers should get a pass. They are in the education business. They believe in that stuff. Some of them might actually know who Tocqueville was.

What about your friends? They have decided college is the right choice, and they want you to reinforce that decision.

Your government is on board. Their unwritten policy is that, “college is for everyone regardless of cost.” They are in the business of buying votes by giving away other people’s money. This is what easy student loan money is all about. They assume that in five or six years, when you can’t make the payments, you will have forgotten where the money came from.

The financial aid officer is going to tell you, “invest in yourself.” They are getting paid “to put butts in the seats.” They are completely oblivious to your student loan debt.

The college administrators are in the shadows. They are the force behind those college awards letters–those letters that so generously “award” you student loans. Your tuition payments are financing their, often, extravagant life style. Some of them collect $1,000,000 salaries. They get paid regardless of the outcome of your college experience.

And, lastly, there is the high school guidance counselor. Many of them are predisposed to get high school graduates to enroll in college. They view it as a measure of their own success. Part of the ranking of high schools is based on the number of college enrollees. Some states award funding based on the number of college enrollees. Guidance counselors have, little, or no training in finance, and the burden of your student loan payments are far away in the future.

As a nation we are not going to give up on the idea that college is a surefire road to prosperity easily. The concept is in our DNA. While Tom Cruise may be an expert on impossible missions, he is not going to be there when you can’t find a good job upon graduation or when your student loan bill comes due.