On the one hand, I’ve been told by people (not necessarily Jewish most of the time) that college is a great opportunity for me to go out into the big, wide world and “find” myself. (I think in the case of the non-Jews telling me this, they mean that I can be exposed to junk and make an informed decision for myself – as if I haven’t already – whether or not I want to stay frum after seeing these “alternative lifestyles.) They stress how wonderful a place it is.
And THEN they tell me horror stories about spiked drinks, date … troubles … and all those wonderful, safe things.
College isn’t evil, but I can’t say it’s exactly the most wonderful place either, especially for a frum teenager.
There are quite a few online colleges now, including Jewish ones, like Naaleh College. You don’t necessarily need to go away into that big, wide world to get a college education anymore.