The "unconventional" college experience
October 22, 2019 | Sophia Trout
In a culture where social media plays a significant role in the college experience Noah Butler, a Virginia Tech student, breaks the mold of what defines a conventional college student.
Blacksburg, VA., Oct. 22 - Noah Butler in the Moss Arts Center. Photo: Sophia Trout
BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA -- The student body at Virginia Tech is full of people here for different reasons. Some have grown up in a family where everyone is a VT legacy, others are first-generation college students, while some are here because college is the expected next step post-high school graduation.
Most kids hear from their parents how college will get them a good job. "If you see someone with a college degree versus a high school degree...you're probably going to go with the college degree," Noah Butler states as he sits with the morning sun beaming in through the windows of the Moss Arts Center.
While Butler thinks a college degree is vital for today's job climate, he's unsure if it was the right path for him.
"There's sort of a narrative being developed these days of 'is college worth it'," he states.
He brings up the debilitating student debt, the total being $1.52 trillion back in 2018, according to Forbes. Butler also says he's seen both sides of the coin. College can be a fulfilling experience full of self-discovery, meeting new people and coming into your own. On the other hand, people who aren't very school-oriented, who struggle with their future or who live in a traditional household feel the pressure of going to college.
The idea that college is "just the next step", he says, is a mold that people should try to break. "I honestly think...people should be encouraged to take a gap year in-between to really figure out what they want to do," he states. He also admits he could have used one before starting his Freshman year.
The power of social media has made the ultimate decision of going to college much harder. Since platforms such as Instagram have created some-what alternate realities, young people looking up to older peers see college as a picture-perfect new chapter which gets growing likes and comments.
Butler, who differs from most of his peers by remaining off all social platforms, see's that reality from a different angle. "The summer before Junior year, I got off all social media because I really think it's poisonous," he explained.
In a survey of college students by UCLA, 27.2 percent of students spend more than six hours on socials a week, according to a HuffPost article. "You don't get someone's phone number...you say...I'll follow you," Butler recalls experiences he's seen among peers.
He says these days relationships are formed over social media, and that's a big aspect of the college experience. Being an individual off socials and someone who seeks to branch out farther then the traditional college track can make someone a small fish in a big pond.
While Butler is content with his current life journey, part of him will always wonder where his life would be if he took the chance to break the social norms.