# data[].attributes.body
Higher Income

Better Living arrangements

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3 reasons why a College degree can bring financial stability to you and your family

# data[].attributes.body
Have a clearer sense of self-identity, including self-awareness and knowledge of personal talents, inter-ests, values, and needs

Make wiser long-term investments

# data[].attributes.headline
3.  Higher Quality of Life for Their Children

# data[].attributes.subject
3.  Higher Quality of Life for Their Children

# data[].attributes.body
Have children who are more likely to attain higher-status, higher-salary careers

More likely to save money for their children to go to college

# data[].attributes.body
Lower levels of anxiety

Higher levels of life satisfaction and personal happiness

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I was doing some research about college education, and came across an article that really came to my interest. I found an article that found a link between having a college education and happiness. It is said that people who are more happy are more likely to at least attain a bachelors degree.

According to the dean of students in Grand Valley State University, a college education is a personal growth tool to open doors for many other positive experiences in life. It is said that having a college education improves the quality of your life. When the quality of your life is improved, it makes you happier and content. When you are happier and content, it translates into better relationships and being able to have fun easier.

The median income for someone without and with a college degree is very different. Thus, many people seem to believe that money brings happiness. An individual with a bachelor's degree earns almost $1000 more then one who doesn't.

On the contrary, there may be many other factors while getting a college education, that can hep an individual become happy. The stability of a college degree can also play a role when determining happiness.

As said by someone in the article, "People who don't pursue a college education are at a competitive disadvantage. There is a higher need for more education for the skills to do work in this advanced economy".

Overall College Education brings happiness because:

Competitive Advantage

4. So many more reasons
http://www.lanthorn.com/article/2012/02/college_education_happiness_level_are_related_study_says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Does a college education bring hapiness?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I was doing some research about college education, and came across an article that really came to my interest. I found an article that found a link between having a college education and happiness. It is said that people who are more happy are more likely to at least attain a bachelors degree.

# data[].attributes.body
More likely to have health insurance and better (more comprehensive) health insurance coverage

Have lower rates of smoking and obesity

# data[].attributes.body
Stronger interpersonal and human relations skills

Better leadership skills

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons

Editor's note: This post is part of a series by Dr. Baker on Our Values about core American values. This week Dr. Baker is discussing the value of higher education, and whether or not college is really worth the cost.

The financial value of a college education is clear. College grads earn about $550,000 more in their lifetimes compared to high school grads, as we discussed Tuesday. But making more money is a "private" benefit, economists say, enjoyed primarily by the recipient and his or her immediate family. Are there any "social" benefits?

A social benefit means that a person who earns a college degree creates benefits for other members of society.

What might those benefits be? One is that college grads live healthier, longer lives. This means they continue be productive and to pay taxes, contribute to Social Security, and so on. Better health means they make fewer demands on the healthcare system.

But living longer also cuts the other way, as economists who study the value of education point out. Eventually, college grads stop working and start drawing on tax-funded retirement programs.

The earnings boost that comes from a college degree means that college grads are contributing to economic growth and development. College grads are less likely to commit crimes. And, they make more-informed political decisions.

Three of four college grads in Pew's new study on the value of college said that college helped them increase their knowledge and grow intellectually. Two of three said that college helped them grow and mature as a person. Just over half said it helped to prepare them for a job or career.

Not all agree, however, that college is adequately preparing young graduates for adult life.

In fact, in a New York Times op-ed published yesterday, sociologist Richard Arum says recent college grads are "aimless, misled, and in debt." Arum is the author of "Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses". We know about the record debt burden shouldered by many college grads, which we discussed earlier this week on OurValues.org.
But aimless and misled?
College grads are highly motivated and ambitious, Arum says - but directionless. They don't know where they are going or how to get there. Recent waves of graduates are "drifting dreamers," using a term coined by sociologists Barbara Schneider and David Stevenson. They have big dreams, but little ability or knowledge of how to realize them.

But Arum doesn't place the blame only on the grads. Based on his research with Josipa Roksa, he concludes that American institutions of higher education are not rigorous enough and have "abandoned responsibility for shaping and developing the attitudes and dispositions necessary for adult success."

Just what are those attitudes and abilities? Character traits are seen as the most important factors, according to the Pew study. For example, six of 10 Americans say "a good work ethic" is extremely important. Teamwork and getting along with others is also important, cited by 57 percent. A college education itself was cited by fewer than half (42 percent) as a determinant of success.

What's your opinion? Are today's grads ambitious but aimless?
Are colleges and universities failing to teach the right stuff?
Or is Arum's indictment off base?
Dr. Wayne E. Baker is a sociologist on the faculty of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Baker blogs daily at and can be reached at ourvaluesproject@gmail.com or on Facebook.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Higher Education: What's the social benefit of college?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Editor's note: This post is part of a series by Dr. Baker on Our Values about core American values. This week Dr. Baker is discussing the value of higher education, and whether or not college is really worth the cost. The financial value of a college education is clear.

# data[].attributes.body
Higher voting participation rates

Higher rates of participation in civic affairs and community (volunteer) service