By The Avenue Wire

College feels like one of those things that’s always existed — like roads, money, or taxes. You’re told from a young age: “Go to college if you want a good life.”

But almost no one ever asks the obvious questions:

• Who actually created college?

• Why did it exist in the first place?

• And how did it become so expensive that it follows people for decades?

Let’s break it down — no lectures, no politics, just history and perspective.

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College Wasn’t Built for Everyone

The earliest versions of college appeared in medieval Europe, long before student loans, majors, or dorms.

Institutions like:

• The University of Bologna (1088)

• Oxford (late 1100s)

• Paris (1200s)

…were not designed to help people “find themselves.”

They were created to train very specific groups:

• Clergy

• Lawyers

• Government officials

• Elite scholars

In other words, college was originally a professional pipeline for the ruling class, not a universal life step.

No football stadiums.
No lifestyle branding.
No “college experience.”

Just books, debates, and credentials.

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So When Did College Become “Mandatory”?

Fast forward to the 20th century, especially post-World War II.

The U.S. government introduced the GI Bill, which paid for veterans to attend college. This was revolutionary. College suddenly became:

• More accessible

• More normalized

• More connected to economic mobility

Then came a subtle but massive shift:

College stopped being an option and started becoming the default.

High schools began measuring success by college acceptance rates.
Employers began requiring degrees for jobs that previously didn’t need them.
Parents began equating college with stability and safety.

College didn’t just educate — it became a signal.

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The Real Reason College Is So Expensive

Contrary to popular belief, tuition didn’t explode simply because professors got greedy or campuses got fancy.

The biggest driver is this:

Easy money.

Once governments guaranteed student loans, colleges no longer had to compete on price the way normal businesses do.

Think about it:

• If almost anyone can borrow tens of thousands of dollars…

• And repayment is delayed…

• And the loan can’t be discharged easily…

Then price resistance disappears.

So colleges expanded:

• Facilities

• Administration

• Marketing

• Amenities

• Non-academic services

The product became bigger, broader, and more expensive — without a direct tie to job outcomes.

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College Became a Brand, Not Just a School

At some point, college stopped being sold as education and started being sold as an experience.

You weren’t just paying for classes anymore. You were paying for:

• Campus life

• Prestige

• Networking

• Identity

• “The college years”

That branding works — but branding costs money.

And students pay for it long after graduation.

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The Degree vs. The Outcome Question

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

College works incredibly well for some paths:

• Medicine

• Law

• Engineering

• Research

• Certain corporate tracks

But for others?

• Business

• Media

• Technology

• Creative fields

• Trades

The return on investment is wildly inconsistent.

Yet the price tag doesn’t reflect that difference.

A philosophy degree and an engineering degree often cost the same — but don’t produce the same outcomes.

That mismatch is where frustration lives.

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So… Is College a Scam?

No.
But it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution either.

College is:

• A tool

• A system

• A pathway

Not a guarantee.

And like any system, it works best when used intentionally — not automatically.

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The Question We Should Be Asking

Instead of asking:

“Should everyone go to college?”

A better question is:

“What problem am I trying to solve — and is college the best tool for it?”

For some people, the answer is yes.

For others, the answer might be:

• Entrepreneurship

• Trade skills

• Apprenticeships

• Certifications

• Real-world experience

Or a mix of all of the above.

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The Avenue Take

College wasn’t created to be a universal rite of passage.
It became one.

Understanding that difference gives people back choice.

And choice — not debt, not pressure — is where real opportunity begins.

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The Avenue Wire explores the ideas shaping business, culture, and the systems we all live inside.

Because understanding how things were built helps us decide what’s worth rebuilding.