Opinon: The Education System is Sucking Students Dry

A college diploma used to guarantee employment. But now, degrees are losing value faster than ever. At the same time, our workload is growing. Even in high school, we had to work unbelievably hard just to get into college. And that workload has had a significant impact on student mental health. Especially students of color, for whom our university has shown little to no respect towards already.

The education system would like to have us believe that all our effort and stress are reduced down to a number. But what does getting a 2.2 or a 4.0 GPA really mean? It’s purely a construct. Our college GPA is merely a way for our future bosses to differentiate between students and choose the ones that will bring them the most profit. GPA reflects very little about what actually matters and what makes us human.

We are not robots, we are human beings, and we deserve respect from our university and our future employers. We need large-scale social and economic change that values people instead of profit.

It’s too late for performative reforms on campus. We are going to need revolutionary action. If we’re going to improve our lives, we will need to unite as students and as workers, bond over our shared struggles, and take down our oppressors.