As I approached my high school graduation nearly five years ago, I remember telling myself how insignificant the soon-to-be earned diploma was. I recall thinking, “Everybody has one of these things. What’s the big deal?” With college graduation just over a month away, I find myself saying the same thing: “A bachelor’s degree- everybody has one of these things; what’s the big deal?”

Realistically, I know high school diplomas and college degrees are a big deal. However, both of these achievements are rapidly losing prestige and significance as they become easily accessible to the masses.

As a recipient of TOPS, I would be a hypocrite to disagree that every citizen should have the opportunity to attend college. I earned TOPS by barely meeting minimum requirements, which were ridiculously too low in the first place, but I exerted minimal effort in school because I knew I would receive the same end result: free college tuition.

So what’s my solution? I think students, especially in our secondary schools, have lost their sense of accountability. I knew in high school I could meet minimum standards and still go to college.

In many European countries, however, students who are not making good grades before they begin high school are encouraged to attend vocational schools. Thus, they develop skills they can have pride in, rather than grow frustrated about bad grades. It is not that European countries don’t give students the option to go to college; they just hold students accountable for meeting standards at a younger age. In effect, students become responsible earlier and learn how to survive in a competitive world.

In this country we often try young teenagers as adults in our courts, yet we are not willing to hold young students to higher standards in the classroom. Unfortunately, by the time these students enroll in college, it is often too late.

Nonetheless, all students are encouraged to attend college. Many people feel college is the place to gain responsibility and learn how to survive in a competitive society.

However, society’s encouraging of all students going to college has clearly made universities become big business. After all, what business doesn’t want to attract more consumers? But if students are consumers, then it is evident that teachers are serving clients and will consequently bend to the will of their student/client. Because we live in society where the customer is always right, this situation undermines the whole idea of the university, a place where students should be serving themselves.

As college evolves into big business and aims to attract more consumers, the unfortunate result is a reduction in quality of the end product (the graduate).

Although every citizen’s having a bachelor’s degree sounds nice in theory, the harsh reality is not everyone is capable of earning one and not everyone needs a degree to have a happy, productive life.

But if colleges continue to encourage enrollment and focus on retaining students who are not making the grades, then the whole institution of higher education falls from its foundation. When teachers have to “dumb-down” education because they must be concerned whether students pass their classes, everyone’s education suffers.

And thus, a clear parallel can be seen today when everything is mass-produced and made cheaper – from cars to vacuums to college degrees.

As a result, I say, “A bachelor’s degree, what’s the big deal?