Emphasis on College in America

As I mentioned in class today, I feel that college has been overemphasised in our country (unfortunately, I cannot speak for other countries) over the past few decades. Statistically, over 50% of Americans are/or have been enrolled in college at some point. However, only 26% graduate with a BA. This statistic proves something: half of the people enrolled in college dont care about their education and are possibly just going to college because they were told they had to. In decades past, when college wasnt as "necessary" as it is today, the only people who went to college were either affluent or cared about their education. I think more people today need to think about why they are in school: if they want to learn and get a degree in a field theyre passionate about or if theyre just going because everyone told them they had to in order to get a good job or because of family pressure.