Why do you think people attend college or university?

People attend college or university for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge). Why do you think people attend college or university? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

There are a lot of reasons to attend college. The  reason for many is the hope of getting a better job after completing their studies. The development of robots and artificial intelligence is directly impacting employment in blue collar and task-repetitive jobs, where machines can efficiently and cheaply replace human labor.  Robots are less likely to replace jobs requiring college degrees, those requiring critical thinking and human interaction. For that reason it is important to study and obtain a diploma. College allows you to have more choices for your future job than for those without a diploma.
For others, many may know they aren't looking for blue collar work but don't know what they want to do for a career.  College provides them the an opportunity to discover what subjects they like and to start building a career in the field.
Some people also want to know what the life is like in college; they want to go to parties and have new experiences.
I went to the college for the last two reasons. I liked economics but I did not know what to do after college, though now I have a good job. I also wanted to have new experiences and to meet new people…

(American speakers say "college" for every casual reference to 4+ year universities.  Brits say "uni" and make a clearer distinction.  "Quality" jobs didn't really translate or make sense to me.  I didn't get the transition of liking economics, not knowing what to do after college and how those two things translated into now having a good job)