The College Scam: How America's Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America's Youth

by Charlie Kirk

Why do we send our kids to college? Why do we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a useless degree? Why do we let our children get indoctrinated by those who fundamentally disagree with America's greatness? In his newest book, The College Scam, Charlie Kirk answers all of these questions and more. Since founding Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk has been the leading voice across American college campuses standing up for conservative students. We all know that colleges are filled with far-left professors, but the truth is much worse. Anti-American ideals are thriving, progressives repress speech, and brainwashing is the norm. In The College Scam, Charlie Kirk puts the college industry on trial with a ten-count indictment of why academia has lost all credibility. A must-read for every student, parent, and concerned American citizen!

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Education, History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 26, 2022

About the author

Charlie Kirk was the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government.

Reviews

[Jessica Baumgartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Kirk isn't afraid to call out higher education for luring students into endless amounts of debt for classes that don't prepare them to do anything but become enraged activists. Nearly every university has added useless mandatory cornerstone and capstone classes to drive costs up and forced students to sit through mind numbing political campaigns pretending to be courses.

[Patrick Duran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Erin Thompson at City University of New York (CUNY) is a proud professor of art crime. She states, "I am America's only full-time professor of art crime." Now, one would think she would be opposed to art crime, but she is a proponent of it! During the radical uprisings in 2020, she tweeted: "I'm a professor who studies the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage and I just have to say . . .use chain instead of rope and it'll go faster." This is just one professor out of many who is paid to teach our children to practice criminal behavior.

Another professor at Stanford University, David Palumbo-Liu, is an active member of Antifa who encourages his students to be violent and militant activists. It really is mind-blowing that this is what our universities have become. The Marxists have been infiltrating our colleges and universities for a hundred years now, and it's no surprise that they have finally gained a majority over these institutions. Charlie Kirk was a Godsend in his messaging to the students who were and continue to be brainwashed or indoctrinated. The college campus has been one of the most corrosive forces in American society today. This book lists the various reasons the system is corrupt, but he also offers alternatives to higher education, which include trade schools, technical training with apprenticeships and other avenues. Of course, some professions require a degree, so Turning Point has a website at professorwatchlist.org which allows people to research schools and professors to see which ones to avoid for one's own sanity.

One final example of the absurd: Chicago's Northeastern Illinois University has a building with a plaque that reads, "This building is dedicated to public service honoring the memory of Abraham Lincoln--Democrat." In what universe was Lincoln a Democrat? He was the first Republican president, and he was anti-slavery while the Democrat party at the time was pro-slavery. The plaque was actually installed in 1905. Charlie called on the university to change the plaque, but the university refused to do so, preferring instead to continue to miseducate and mislead its students. God bless Charlie.

[Arbty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shit takes from king of the shit takes club

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is fine.

The book contains the author's version of (10) arguments against college.

Overall, I agree with the arguments, and the sentiments expressed by the author.

Note: I loved schooling, and have a graduate degree, having graduated in 1998. I love college education - and I recommend to anyone interested in educational topics check out the Teaching Company and their many courses, as well as the many (free) educational courses offered online by Hillsdale College, both of which I can personally attest to.

That said, I am greatly concerned that what I think of as my academic experience has little in common with the current college experience (and cost, let alone value) in 2023. My eldest child is currently in the mix of college applications, so I have been reading about colleges and the current generic college environment.

Anyway, the book is well written enough, and I suspect the points and cases made by the author are valid - but as might be expected, many if not most of the "evidence" for the arguments the author makes are anecdotal in nature.

Now the author has a rather unique background that bolsters the anecdotes due to the fact that his job involves traveling around to college after college meeting and talking to and with students - so the exposure that he gets to the overall environment is substantively different than most. But there is no doubt that college experiences and anecdotes - of all sides of an issue - abound, and so I am not entirely convinced that the book would persuade someone who is not already at least partially receptive to the arguments being made. (Of course the easiest argument against college is price/value, which in 2023, in my opinion, is the winning argument.)

That said, it is a valuable book, simply because it does question the orthodoxy: that in order to be successful, one must go to college.

Regardless of your position, if you are considering college or are the parent of someone considering college, you should read this book.

ADDENDUM: I finished this book a month ago. This review is going up in November 2023, weeks after the horrible tragedy in Israel on October 7th. Since that month, the news has been filled - daily, it seems - with deplorable conduct by college students, professors, and administrators. It further serves as evidence (what now seems presciently articulated in the book) to the author's points. And perhaps while "anecdotal" again in nature, the widespread events across what seems like almost all of our "elite" institutions speak to the seeming ubiquitous nature of the problems, and further support the author's arguments.

[Ryan Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Kirk presents a fairly compelling case for why one should think hard about whether attending college is a wise decision due to it being a hub of indoctrination and entering debt. This book could have benefited from a little more editing and there are a select few points where he blindly allows his political views to cloud his reasoning, but for the most part is a fairly solid read that parents ought to read before encouraging their children to commit to college.

[Josiah Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I appreciate the idea behind this book, but the entire book is completely subjective and strongly biased. It’s hard to read it with any respect to its credibility because of how subjective and aggressive the writing is haha. It just sounds like an angry boy complaining about college without that many reasonable arguments and evidence. I’m not disagreeing with the concept of the book, I just personally think it’s poorly written.

[Rj Yeomans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Charlie Kirk lays out a ten-point indictment against the American higher education system in The College Scam and concludes that the system is not worth it for the majority of people. That said, I don't think he's right. While Kirk raises a few valid concerns, his arguments are often overstated, poorly sourced, and ideologically rigid.

A quick disclosure: I’m a liberal, college-educated man who has worked in higher education for nine years. I’m far from the typical audience the author would expect to persuade. Still, Charlie might be surprised to hear I don’t completely disagree with him. For instance, I agree that student loan debt has gotten out of hand and can cause serious financial hardship. I also agree that violence (against anyone) has no place on a college campus (or anywhere, for that matter), and that people who commit acts of violence should be held accountable. Lastly, I agree that not everyone needs to go to college, though I suspect he and I have different intentions when we say this. Beyond those points though, Charlie and I part ways.

First, let’s look at the format. The author presents his case in ten “counts” and asks the reader to render a verdict at the end. To keep this review as short as possible, I won’t go through each count, but I will say this: his argument could likely have been made in six. Several of the counts are extensions, or sub-points even, of others, which makes the book feel repetitive, almost as if padding for length.

Second, many of the points he raises are misinformed, anecdotal, or just inaccurate. For example, when explaining why colleges are overpriced, Kirk cites "administrative bloat," that is, too many deans, VPs, and other administrators. But he overlooks that many of these roles are required by federal and state regulations. We need directors of Title IX offices. We need financial aid and admissions leadership, as well as others. These positions exist because someone must manage the increasingly complex regulatory landscape, not simply because colleges enjoy hiring extra people.

In another example, Kirk discusses campus violence and claims that universities cause violent tendencies in students. Yet the first two incidents he describes don’t support that conclusion: one involved a man (not a student) hitting a Turning Point USA member, and the other took place at a restaurant, not on a campus. These examples undermine his argument and stretch credibility.

At the end of the book, Kirk attempts to distinguish between "liberals," "progressives," and "the left." But throughout most of the book, these groups are treated interchangeably. If you’re left of center politically, you're the enemy. At least, that’s the impression I got, regardless of where on that spectrum you fall. And, according to him, colleges are producing more enemies every day.

Kirk leans heavily on anecdotes to make his points. He cites blogs and podcasts (and occasionally stronger sources, to be fair), but often omits citations altogether. Still, the book is an easy read and will likely resonate with those who already agree with him. His tone is primarily persuasive, but it frequently shifts into polemic territory, with him favoring an ideological argument and emotionally charged narratives over nuance and balanced critique.

I want to repeat that not everything he says is wrong, but without deeper context or an understanding of how higher ed actually functions, he presents a distorted picture of colleges and universities.

This review is already long, and I could say more (both positive and negative), but I’ll end with this: there are real problems in U.S. higher education, and we need honest, thoughtful discussions about how to fix them. But this book isn’t the way to start that conversation. We need more evidence-based critique and less outrage-driven rhetoric. This book doesn't do that.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! I highly recommend it. When I went to college I don’t recall it being as bad as today. I did not know Critical race theory has been around since 1970’s. I thought it was a new fad. But apparently it was started by the Marxist academia and universities. It’s not a fad that will pass so we Americans need to take a stand and push it out of the USA!

The Chicago Illinois university has a building plaque that says Abe Lincoln was a Democrat and they refuse to correct it to what Lincoln was, “A Republican”.

[Soyorin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I typically refrain from commenting on one's political viewpoints until I’ve thoroughly examined their perspectives. However, after reading Charlie’s book(s), I question whether he has personally read The Communist Manifesto. As someone from what Charlie calls an “evil communist regime” that allegedly stifles critical thinking (while somehow simultaneously infiltrating the U.S.), I find his book VERY humorous.
While I agree with some of Charlie’s points—such as the economic burden of American college education and its failure to guarantee knowledge—his arguments often lack coherence and are self-contradictory.
Charlie portrays American colleges as “breeding grounds for a toxic, misogynistic, elitist social culture” [p. 26], where 40% of students drop out, yet simultaneously as institutions that promote a “fake leftist and equalist agenda” [p. 77]. He claims degrees are overly easy to obtain, allowing students to “lie down and get their diplomas,” which he argues diminishes their value in the eyes of employers. However, this depiction is inconsistent. If colleges are elitist and misogynistic, how are they also overly inclusive and easy to graduate from???
And Charlie accuses colleges of attempting to silence conservative points. Yet, when invited to speak at colleges, he suddenly claims students (not the colleges themselves) are still trying to silence him, even when their actions don’t necessarily reflect the institution’s stance. He further asserts that colleges teach students to hate, attributing this to Marxist indoctrination. This conflation of student dissent with institutional agendas is simply illogical; and could be interpreted as “discrimination” either way—it would be discriminating if the school rejected him; yet would also be discriminating if the school invited him to talk but the students have opposite views.
Plus, this book repeatedly labels disparate entities—China, Black Lives Matter, and trans rights activism—as “Marxist” without providing a clear definition of the term. He describes China as a (transphobic and homophobic) Marxist state, yet also equates progressive movements like BLM and trans rights advocacy with Marxism. Grouping them under a single label without explanation is so intellectually lazy. If Charlie wishes to critique Marxism, he must first define it clearly and demonstrate how these entities align with that definition.
What’s more funny, Charlie criticizes inclusive language in colleges, which encourages students to avoid assuming “American-ness, maleness, whiteness, heterosexuality, middle-class status, etc., as the norm.” He interprets this as implying that “the school thinks that every student is inherently racist or misogynistic”, which means that the school is “unfairly judging the students”. This leap in logic is so unfounded it makes me want to laugh. Furthermore, he claims conservatives are “every bit as tolerant and welcoming of diversity” as progressives, asserting that they support “God-given rights” for all. Sure, Mr. Conservative! Of corse everyone believes in a deity! (Inadvertently contradicting his own argument for universal tolerance by imposing a religious framework.)
Other minor flaws (not exactly part of his viewpoint, but also contradictory) also exist. Charlie argues that Chinese parents send students who struggle with the Gaokao (China’s rigorous college entrance exam) to American colleges for an “easy-peasy” liberal arts degree, which he sees as evidence of the “worthlessness” of American higher education [p. 77]. And right before that, he described China’s education system as oppressive and discouraging of critical thinking! If true, this could explain why some students seek alternatives abroad, rather than American colleges being inherently inferior, isn’t it?
And Charlie critiques Marxist ideas by claiming Marxists think that only hard work matters (and that’s why the income of the rich should be capped—they aren’t as necessarily hardworking as the poor, and their money isn’t well-earned), while literally contrasting this with entrepreneurs who “put their capital at risk” and work “eighty hours or more per week” [p. 93].
Therefore, While Charlie raises valid concerns about the cost and efficacy of American higher education, his book is marred by contradictory arguments, undefined terms, and misrepresentations of opposing views.
Anyway. If you want to refute you’re 100% right! I’m definitely in the wrong and of course I agree with you Americans have a failed college education! Guess I’ll just stick to my $600 per year evil brainless Chinese college education. LMAO

[Jadyn Right · Rating 1 out of 5]

i really don't know if charlie kirk was qualified to write this book. because it was written in an academic style but he didn't go to school?? so i took everything with a grain of salt??

this was just bad

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for parents considering sending their kids or high schoolers thinking about going to college. College has its place, but it should be done with great discernment.

[Charlotte Knobloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me so much information on REAL stories and lawsuits related to the college scam. Charlie Kirk backs up his statements with factual evidence and alternatives to going to college. I still plan on attending college (Hillsdale, the only college he recommends, is #1 on my list), but I have my eyes open to the progressive ideas and stupidity that is sweeping our country. Counts 6 and 7 against colleges and universities talk about how outright violence is used against conservative students on campuses. Note to parents, make sure your kids will be attending a safe, conservative-friendly campus! As a prospective college student, I want to feel safe wherever I choose to study. Another take-away from this book is that we need to stop the idea that trade school is for dumb people or it's a poor decision to choose the workforce over the "college cartel".
Read this book and give it your family and friends - even if you still decide to attend college.

[Meri-Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well documented presentation on how colleges and universities are filled with corruption and serve to defraud students rather than educate. I hope lots of parents and grandparents read this and help thei children make good choices. My favorite idea from the book is to tax university endowments and use that money to reduce student loan debt.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

BLUF: 3.5. Many of the points are good and valid, some are overstated, and there is no lack of copy and layout errors in this book.

Book is a ten-count indictment against higher education in the US. Author took a few community college classes and started a "conservative youth activist organization" in lieu of going to college, but he's been on the lecture circuit for years. His ten points are as follows:

1) Colleges and universities are running a scam
2) A College education is ridiculously overpriced
3) Universities have become obscenely rich at taxpayer and student expense
4) Colleges do not educate anyone
5) College ruins the ability to think and reason
6) College indoctrinates students and represses speech
7) Colleges and universities breed violence and hate
8) Colleges and universities have been infiltrated by subversive foreign groups
9) Colleges and universities have unleashed waves of woke, anti-American activists
10) Many professors are leftists radicals bent on indoctrinating students

(if "conservative youth activist organization" didn't clue you in to his political leanings, I'm sure the bottom part of the list did.) FWIW, I agree out of hand with Charles Murray's assertion that too many people are going to college, and that if college is as rigorous as it needs to be, most people won't be able to hack it. Thus, pushing everyone into going to college is a great way to saddle ignorant teenagers with debt, and that in many cases the investment does not pay off. But enough about what Charles and I think, what about Charlie Kirk's take?

Charlie has some good points, but reading this book quickly turns into beating a dead horse. There are basically three chapters about how college is a huge funnel of money from the middle class to these bloated institutions, three chapters about how college has a chilling effect on students and is a ridiculous waste of time while not teaching useful or necessary skills (except in the fields of STEM), and four chapters about how colleges promote violence and brainwashing, with a bunch of specific examples. I think a ten-count indictment was overkill, since his charges seem to fall into three overarching categories. Pecuniam vero vim.

My alma mater was never mentioned by name, and I'm not sure if I should be proud or left out. I went to school 20+ years ago, and loud but ineffective protests were the name of the game back then (especially with regards to Iraq War, immigration policies, and overt Islamic hatred, though according to Charlie the trend has shifted more towards Israeli hatred and anti-semitism). My school had also built a new housing complex and (at the time) promoted "Small Group Housing Clusters," where certain groups on campus could self-segregate from everyone else. I recall it being wildly unpopular, but have no idea how it's evolved over the past two decades.

Anyway, where do we go from here? Kirk says the system is not able to be reformed; it's too overgrown and corrupt and the best thing to do is to sidestep it altogether. He did make one suggestion I like: taxing universities' endowment funds. (He observes that most universities are merely hedge funds with higher education operations attached.) He would use the tax revenue to help poorer, struggling institutions, but I would let them fail. If their students don't make enough money to become donors later on, they deserve to wither and perish. I would use the tax revenue to reduce the overall student debt burden. He points out that for many of the most-endowed universities, the interest on the endowment could cover student tuition in perpetuity.

He recommends planning what you want to do with your life *before* considering college, rather than racking up $100K+ in student debt while you try to "figure things out." (One thing he specifically does not mention but I have seen a few times is to actually get some firsthand experience in a chosen field before getting a degree. There are too many people getting elementary education degrees or even legal degrees without ever knowing if they actually like working with children or in the legal sphere.) Recommends trade school or apprenticeships or just getting a job and acquiring real-world skills, and finding mentors, particularly if you decide to start a small business or non-profit or the like. If you do decide to go into a field where a degree is necessary, consider a smaller school and avoid living on campus.
He's also in favor of a shift against educational elitism, and plenty of blue-collar workers outearn people with degrees.

Do I think he'll get anywhere with this point of view? Probably not, at least not among the fully brainwashed. Among those who are running the numbers and realizing it's going to cost the better part of a million dollars to send their 2 or 3 kids to school in the coming years, only for them to become a Starbucks employee or a program director for a struggling not-for-profit.... maybe.

[CORSAK fan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funnily enough, my mom gave this to me a few months before I moved to Alaska to... primarily go to college.

Some good points ARE brought up and I do agree with some. No point in a degree if you don't know what you want to do with it.

But it's not just liberal agendas colleges push, Christian conservative colleges aren't innocent all the time, either. It goes both ways.

I think almost everyone should take a gap year before college. It gives you perspective and time to breathe from school, which is what I think most people need.

Is college a scam? Probably for things you can learn yourself or with the help of someone else for way cheaper. Music, film, art, etc. Obviously, we need some people to get degrees, but people need to ask "why" before "where" for college. One of the best arguments here.

[Mike Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book! I loved the "prosecutorial approach" the author used. It was very effective in making the case. Before a parent invests the money to send their kids to college, they should read this book. Poor planning, lack of purpose, and availability of government loans is stifling the younger generation and greatly undermining any chance for a successful future. Charlie Kirk's book makes that very clear.

[Mrs C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of hard truths in here. The author cites plenty of anecdotes and sound bites that many conservatives will be familiar with. Thought-provoking, but halfway through, the author focuses more on his organization The Turning Point more than focusing on the value of going to college.

[Jason Mansour · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst book I’ve read this year

[Brent · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Charlie makes a very practical case against colleges and universities, as they have become administratively bloated, dogmatically Leftist, completely intolerant of opposing views, and cost prohibitive. His mantra of "don't go to college" is sound advice for most young people coming out of high school. In too many cases, young people are going to college out of cultural tradition, not realizing that their student loan debt will cripple and enslave them for most of their adult years. The decision to attend college should be reserved for young people with specific, technical career goals in mind, who can employ specific high level skills in a well paying field. Those who do not go to college have many options such as immediate employment, apprenticeships, and technical schools, all of which keep the burden of debt away.

The best way to fight the destructive Leftist onslaught is to have stable families, stay debt free, and serve God in the place where you live.

[Trudy Hostetler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book that I would not have picked up myself but read it as a pre read for one of my kids. 🤩

It has a lot of interesting (and frustrating😉) info, highly recommend reading it! Especially if you or one of your children is contemplating college.

[Tanya Colburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is phenomenal! So much research went into this book. For every indictment against college there are multiple cases in point to back it up. I learned so much! Can't say enough about it. Great job Charlie!

[Jeff Clements · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the brighter lights his generation has had to offer, he was on a stellar trajectory from an early age. God bless Charlie Kirk’s family, his memory and the people carrying on his work.

[Nathaniel Silvers · Rating 1 out of 5]

nothing professional or mature to see here folks,just a book by a dead fast cis

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a high school student, I found this book incredibly informative. I'm familiar with all the traditional conservative jargon regarding colleges and universities (I don't say that negatively—I agree with an overwhelming majority of it) but this book went into such depth that a 2-hour podcast could never.

About a week prior to when I was lent a copy of this book, I was actually at a college campus for an event. I was kind of sore about the fact that I knew I wouldn't be going to college—or, at least, the fact that I probably wouldn't live on campus at a prestigious degrees-that-cost-half-a-million-dollars college with a view of the beach—so I find it kind of fitting that just a week later, my rose-colored glasses were taken away. I think that's God, telling me rich, prestigious life isn't all it's chalked up to be—and I quite believe that, although it's difficult to see the reality when you're looking across a beautiful courtyard lined with palm trees at an ocean that's glittering just so, not too far off.

Not only does Charlie Kirk make the point that many elite universities are actually not really fostering education, but he also makes the point that even the ones that do (he references Hillsdale in Michigan), aren't necessary for everyone. I was heartened to read anecdotes of people who didn't go to college, people for which college would have been a hindrance to their lives. As someone who's not quite gotten there yet, I always wondered why people would waste those beautiful years, late teens-mid twenties, searing their brain in college. Sure, the campuses are pretty—but only a fraction of people use their degrees. All that time, all that stress, all that confusion, and at some schools, all that indoctrination—for what? To figure out that you're in your twenties, not living in the real world but delaying adulthood? That glittering ocean is starting to feel deceptive.

I, as a young person, was so encouraged by this book. The message is so counter-cultural, so clear, and so endearing. I love the idea that we shouldn't be asking "Where did you go to college?" but "Did you go to college?"

Whether or not you've been in a college classroom, it is imperative to take your own education into your own hands—an idea that's stressed here, an idea that says education doesn't always equal a diploma. And let's do America a favor and respect blue-collar workers a whole bunch more than we do.

I feel strongly that I'm gonna need to read this again before I graduate. I would like to join the movement of telling the college-cartel emperor that he has no clothes. :)

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! Charlie kirk explains that college is a bunch of hedge funds. that the idea of college (unless you want to be a doctor/lawyer etc) is just to provide security and a path but it ends up fucking you over in the long run. College is a false sense of security and direction, taking advantage of students with the money they don’t have. It spreads Anti-American agenda and liberal ideology’s. Ive seen it on my campus, i spoke to someone who called himself a leftist and introduced him to TPUSA. And not to my surprise he knew of charlie kirk and described his hate for him. When i asked him to take part in a quick debate where i would give him a topic and a couple days, he declined and said not gonna lie i dont know much about politics. I handed him the constitution and told him i wished him the best. Our teacher made us read an essay that argued against schools making students memorize and take tests instead of making them think for themselves and encouraging critical thinking. She compared it to capitalism. She brought up that Carl Marx would agree. This highlights the irony because how r they trying to promote critical thinking if theyre subtly suggesting that the right is responsible for this method of teaching in schools? This idea of mass liberal agendas present on college campuses was brought up in Charlie Kirks book and i wouldnt have recognized it if i didnt read his book. This is a must read for everyone, it also gives you alternative paths at the end. It gives a 10 count indictment on why colleges are scams while encouraging you to make the final verdict for yourself. This book also mentions that the left encourages hate in a facist matter. In 2020 i was an uneducated declared leftist. I saw a video at the time of a gay man drop kicking a pro life woman protesting against abortion. In the comment section at the time, everyone praised him and im embarrassed to say that i did to. The left moves and follows mindlessly based on feelings and 0% facts like a cult. I know because i once was one.(at 13) I was once as blind as them. Read this book and share it to your relatives who are upcoming high school graduates. its a MUST read

[Foray Jumpman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has actually been to four colleges, I can honestly see where Charlie is coming from. I honestly feel no sense of direction in college. Now, Charlie's points include things related to the liberal bias that higher education has, which definitely does. However, I most relate with the fact that colleges don't actually prepare students for the real world. Only around a quarter of students actually go into a career that's related to their degree, and Gen Z now--the generation I am in--is honestly more overwhelmed about their professional and financial future compared to previous generations.

Currently, in 2025, we're seeing the consequences of the over-emphasis of college. We're seeing AI basically torching the tech industry, making computer science degrees worthless and a waste of time. Prices are going up. People are applying to 100 jobs and getting no interviews despite having master's degrees. We were honestly given a bad hand.

Charlie is not saying that everyone shouldn't go to college. He calls college a scam because it is believed that college is the ticket to a better life, when in actuality it has done more harm than good in people's financial futures. Of course, there are definitely people who have degrees and became successful, but given the crippling amount of student loan debt and poor ability degrees have on the job market now, the ticket of college is becoming more like a lottery instead of a movie one.

[Katina C (R2D2) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read! Everything that Charlie shared is relevant, riveting, and reassuring that there is still hope for America in the midst of a very oppressed ideology. As a fellow college undergraduate and graduate, I believe my trajectory would be different had I read this book prior to my college experience. There is so much that is deeply wrong with the educational system in America. It makes me so sad and frustrated. Yet there is hope for the student of today. Thank you Charlie for your in-depth research and hard work in proclaiming a rebellious approach to the modern social norm. I have learned so much. At times I felt upset and livid when Kirk shared some of the absurd actions of others. This book made me really think and consider exactly my “why” and reasons for my support of colleges. Oh how much we must learn and change to make our country rethink the importance of college degrees. I agree that “it’s time to erase the No-Diploma Stigma” (Kirk, p.220). For after reading this book, it looks like I too have have fallen to the College Scam.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book to read at my age; I'm just about to start my final year of high school and this is letting me think more without guilt, no matter what I choose to do after school. I feel like I can skip college and be ok, I can be better than ok!

I understand why it is so, but all of the current events mentioned felt a little much, and I felt it sometimes strayed from the core of the book. But maybe thats just my loathing of the subject talking. This book also made me so angry I had to put it down. I HATE that in this day and age no one listens!!! No one! And I had no idea it was this bad.

I think everyone considered college should read this book, and more than that. I believe that everyone should think deeply about why they want to go in the first place.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie’s extensive knowledge really shined in this book. I’ve listened to him talk a lot and it’s always been clear that he is smart but this book really proved how his points are always laid out clearly, concisely, and with sources to back them up.

There diversity of arguments with reputable sources used to prove his point. He uses articles, interviews, and firsthand accounts to examine his claims.

I believe that he covered all of the bases as to why he thinks the way he does and why he believes that the reader should too.

Overall, this book was super easy to read, was full of compelling information, and was organized well.

[Jarom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie Kirk's main overall thesis is that "the ends don't justify the means." There isn't an issue with engineers, doctors, nurses, technical schools, trades schools, etc. There isn't an issue with obtaining an education. There is an issue with the colleges and universities abroad.

He clearly explains the foundational basis for his argument on 10 well-defined claims to support it. He appeals to the ethos, pathos, and logos aspects of argumentation and rhetoric.

A good read for those questioning on whether college would benefit their future goals or not.