19-year-old Academic ‘Deviant’ Launches UnCollege
about the author
Christopher Carter is a NGJ Staff Writer and a student at the University of Washington. Christopher is a English major and a Russian Language and Slavic Literature Minor. Prior to retuning to school last winter, Christopher worked in various newsrooms for the last four years covering everything from school administrators, education, business and government.
If Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Quentin Tarantino didn’t have to finish college to succeed, neither will 19-year-old Dale Stephens.
It’s not that Stephens thinks college is useless or a waste of time. He just doesn’t want to be stuck inside a classroom. Instead, he’s traveling the country — and the world — spreading a new message: it’s okay not to go to college.
When it came to thinking about the traditional role of education, there was the old school and the new school. Now, there is the no school train of thought, thanks to Stephens and his fledgling movement, UnCollege.
With fervent debate on the national debt and rising concerns about seemingly insurmountable student loan debt borne out of unprecedented tuition hikes, some students are questioning whether college is worth their time and considering something else. UnCollege is seeking to provide that alternative.
“It fills in the gaps where college isn’t helping them,” said Stephens, who left Hendrix College in Arkansas before receiving a degree. He was recently named a Thiel Fellow which comes with a hefty $100,000 award. The fellowship is given to people under 20 years old who demonstrate entrepreneurial ambition.
For now, UnCollege offers help and resources for those looking to either substitute or amend their college life. Among its claims, UnCollege can show prospective followers “how to get a four-year college experience without paying a cent in tuition,” according to its website. Stephens and his team are working on a set of curriculum tailored to students interested in different fields of study, a program on how to succeed outside the classroom. Stephens is also writing a book.
Stephens started UnCollege in January following a conversation with Dartmouth dropout Rebecca Goldman who suggested they start their own college after realizing they shared many of the same frustrations stemming from a stale educational environment.
In middle and high school, Stephens was home-schooled or what he calls “unschooled.” It was that experience, not being confined to the classroom for eight hours a day, that became the foundation for frustrations with higher education.
“Peers were sitting in class and I was out engaging with the world,” he said. “I was engaged in extracurricular activities I wouldn’t have been able to access in the classroom.”
Sitting at a desk doesn’t suit Stephens, who said students spend too much time in their seats, learning from a book, and not enough time putting their skills and talents to work.
“[There is a] gap between theory and practice.”
In his 25-page manifesto on “academic deviance,” Stephens questions the educational system in America, debunks myths about the worth of attending college and obtaining a degree while also providing readers with help on how to begin life as an “unschooler.”
All this talk about not going to school, and entering the workforce with only a high school education, can be a dangerous and threatening concept, especially for the older generation.
“Education is so closely rooted to the American dream- we think of education in terms of school,” Stephens said.
And, telling your family you wont go to college isn’t easy. Just ask Erich Sparks.
“Everyone in my family since my grandpa has been to college and they all disagreed with my choice. My parents were somewhat supportive, although not at first,” he said.
Sparks is a 20-year-old native of Cazenovia, New York and a full-time web designer who works with UnCollege.
While he doesn’t regret his decision to skip college, Sparks said having to explain himself can be difficult.
“The toughest part about not going to college is explaining to your family, friends, teachers, and possible employers why you chose not to.”
While UnCollege supports students seeking an alternative education, no one is telling students everywhere to dropout, Stephens said.
“It would be just ludicrous for me to say everyone should just drop out of college,” he said, adding that many believe he is against education completely. “UnCollege is not anti-education, it is entirely pro-learning.”
In fact, UnCollege isn’t limited to dropouts and those freshmen who trash their acceptance letters for work experience. The UnCollege philosophy can still aid students who choose to stay in school.
Stephens said those interested in following UnCollege have to be hackers. And no, not those people who sit at computers stealing information.
“Hacking involves finding alternative ways to achieve the same outcome,” Stephens said, adding that “hacking is not about taking shortcuts.”
College dropout Ben Yu told NextGen staff writer Kathleen Toohill in June that he also sees faults in the traditional education system.
“We’ve come to believe that education can only be attained through college, and so we drive ourselves through the system, far more concerned with how to pass classes than what we actually derive from the experience.”
Yu is also a Thiel Fellow who left Harvard after one semester to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. He has since relocated to San Francisco, where he is now working on a business venture.
While the UnCollege story and organization may be unique, the message isn’t. A national conversation is happening, begging the question: is college still worth it?
For more information on the worth of a college degree, check out NextGen’s Guide to the College Debate.
