College degree more than a good job

By Michelle Hagopian

Published Sept. 21, 2007

From doing volunteer work to having the ability to tolerate the opinions of others, those who have completed a level of higher education are making a difference in their lives as well as society as a whole, according to a study conducted by The College Board. The report was released on Sept. 12 at a panel on Capitol Hill sponsored by The College Board.

The study states higher education not only improves the monetary benefits of those with a degree, but also contributes significantly to the community in other ways.

The study states that "a typical college graduate who enrolls at age 18 earns enough in the first 11 years (after graduation) to compensate for taking time out of the labor force and borrowing to pay the full tuition at a public four-year college."

Furthermore, the typical full-time year-round worker earns about 60 percent more with a college degree than does a worker with no college experience.

Another individual benefit includes increased access to pension plans. On average, full-time employees with at least a bachelor's degree are 70 percent more likely to receive a pension plan, compared to 53 percent of high school graduates and 32 percent of those who do not have a high school degree.

On the non-monetary end of the spectrum, adults who have a college degree are more inclined to improve their health, varying from frequent exercise to attempting to change a harmful aspect of their lifestyle, such as smoking.

"As a resource center on a college campus, we help a lot of students who are trying to quit smoking," MU Wellness Resource Center Director Kim Dude said.

By 2005, only 20 percent of adults smoked nationally, The College Board study stated. Among four-year college graduates, only 9 percent smoked, and nearly half of them had made a conscious effort to stop smoking altogether.

"College students who quit smoking before graduation are at a large advantage," Dude said. "Not only are they healthier, but they are more likely to be hired. When employers have to accommodate to employees who smoke, their funds suffer, while a non-smoker employee would ultimately be more beneficial to the company."

In terms of benefiting society, the study revealed that higher education was considerably related to higher rates of voting, volunteering and donating blood. Likewise, college graduates are much less likely to be unemployed or rely on a public assistance program and are projected to pay 134 percent more in federal taxes than a high school graduate.

"College graduates are certainly more likely to participate fully in our society," said Barbara Townsend, professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis in the MU College of Education.

The study also concludes that student standardized test scores and parent education levels are positively correlated with a high school graduate's chance of enrollment and completion in a postsecondary institution.

In 2005, female high school graduates enrolled in higher education institutions surpassed males by 4 percent — 49 percent to 45 percent, respectively, among graduates 18 to 24 years old — the study stated.

"The societal benefits college graduates bring to the table are endless," Townsend said. "Overall, adults with a postsecondary degree have developed skills and have undergone changes that will enhance their quality of life as well as the quality of society."

She said the changes include cognitive, intellectual and

psychosocial.