Alvaro de Vicente on Choosing a College—Or Not

As more families scrutinize their post-high school options for virtue and value, the field has perhaps never been wider. Choosing a path carefully, with the right balance of priorities, should be the goal for every high school graduate. Before serving as our headmaster, Mr. Alvaro de Vicente was the Heights college counselor. Over the last few decades, he's witnessed an exciting shift in the way students and their parents can evaluate, prioritize, and choose a path after graduation that serves the whole person well. And while colleges are responding more and more to these good demands, Mr. de Vicente also explores how high schools and employers could keep pace with the changes. Chapters: 2:32 Am I on the education treadmill? 4:16 Purposes of college: personal growth, financial growth 8:32 Keeping the two purposes in proper proportion 12:20 The wider field of alternatives 15:42 How high schools must respond 19:35 Peer groups on the alternative path 24:22 If virtue and value aren't in balance 27:33 The future graduate's options 29:54 The future of hiring Also on the Forum: A Short Guide to the Purposeful College Decision by Alvaro de Vicente 4/25 Advice for the College Launch featuring Alvaro de Vicente 8/24 Considerations for College-Bound Students featuring Dr. Peter Kilpatrick 5/24 The College Experience featuring Dr. Jonathan Sanford Rethinking College: Why Go? How? When? featuring Arthur Brooks 7/2021 Featured opportunities: Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 16-20, 2025) Convivium for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2025)