The long-term value of a college education depends a lot on the individual person. It's a lot like asking the value of a gym membership. Two people may pay the same financial price, but the membership has greater value to the person who puts in the effort and does the work as opposed to the person who goes regularly for one week then stops. When you look at the results each person gets, you can't blame the gym!

So how can you get the greatest value out of a college experience? Here are a few very important tips and concepts regarding college:

1) Don't take college for granted as a guarantee of success.

Statistically, college will help you make a higher income. It also puts people in a lot of debt if they're not careful. When you get a degree, it is not an automatic success magnet. You still have to keep putting effort into bettering your life. A trend with successful people is they continue learning their whole lives, not just after their formal education ends. As fast as our culture changes, that's going to become more of a requirement than just a suggestion.

2) Treat college like you're a customer (because you are!)

When I was in college, there were a significant number of students who only showed up on test days and skipped the rest of their classes. They wanted the degree, not the education. The sad thing is they probably didn't understand how much they (or their parents) were paying just for them to skip class. Go to college for the right reasons, and if it helps break down the "cost of admission" down to the point you know you're throwing away money each time you don't show up.

This also applies to who you take as far as instructors. I've had excellent instructors, and I've had horrible ones. Something I learned pretty quickly was it was worth the hassle of changing classes when an instructor wasn't doing their job well. You can complain to the school but I think where you direct your tuition dollars talks more than anything. You should want to get the most return for your money, just like anything else you'd invest your money into.

3) Think about skills you'd like to learn, not necessarily careers attached to majors.

Most people who graduate college do not end up working in a career field related to their major. That's why if you're not sure what you want to do in life, focus on skills college can help you gain. With me, it was learning about people (psychology) and learning how to communicate well (broadcasting). Other people may be interested in different skills, and it's a great way to customize your education.

4) Not everything you'll learn will be in a classroom.

There are going to be a lot of things you learn indirectly about life and about people. Most college students are in their late teens and early 20s, and life skills are important to success as well. You may not get those in a classroom setting, but learning skills such as personal finance and how to create the career you want can make what you learn in college a lot more useful.

I hope you've found these ideas helpful. Good luck and best wishes to you!