I'm not sure there's any better place to ask this question than this prestige-obsessed elitist community (of which I am an active part haha). Opinions should really only come from those who are old enough to have graduated college themselves.
I am obviously not referring to standout outliers like Thiel Fellows or Harvard drop-outs launching a startup. My answer is hypothetically yes, because I realize that college is not the perfect route for everyone, yet in practice, I think of the few women from my high school graduating class I know who didn't go to college and it's a near immediate 'no' from me. On one hand, if a woman is 100% sure she wants to be a homemaker / stay at home mom and she determines that college would be disastrous financial decision (ie taking on lots of debt), then it could make sense to pursue an alternative route (in fact, spending a bunch of money on a college degree that will not be used is a pretty silly decision in and of itself.)
On the other hand, that may negatively signal two personal/family traits that might be given weight by potential partners: intelligence / finances (to reiterate, I'm talking about marriage-- I have friends who didn't go to college and I don't judge them for that, but friends are different than a spouse). I personally want a partner who is wicked smart-- I honestly don't care that much about her actual job / her degree / whether or not she has career ambitions-- but I would want someone who can surpass me intellectually. Also, while the base rate would suggest that it is generally unlikely that I marry someone who has as high an income/net worth as me, not having a college degree might suggest that the gap between our financial situations would be meaningfully large and growing. I would not mind being with someone who is less fortunate than me, but I'm not looking to be a sugar daddy or pay for one's earlier personal finance mistakes. I ask because I recently met a baddie cosmetologist and don't have a clearly formed opinion.
A college degree is highly correlated with intelligence, but it is neither a marker of intelligence or a pre-requisite for it. More likely than not, if you're looking for a partner, you're going to find someone who went to college. That said, a person can definitely be "wicked smart," insightful, and interesting without a college diploma, whether it's a stereotypical good ole boy in the trades who builds a HVAC empire or an absolute bombshell model who has been doing photoshoots since she was 18. Add in all of the tech people and entrepreneurs and there are certainly people out there who are worth getting together with who don't have a diploma to their name. It is just statistically less likely you find that diamond in the rough type person when you are casting your net.
I am not a resume dump - I would not require a college degree - but for your purposes, there's a huge difference between a great woman whose trade happens to be cosmetology and the average cosmetologist.
My wife is wicked smart and makes good money and she doesn't have a 4-year degree.. she's also very wise in areas where I lack wisdom. That said CRE's comment above is very nicely put.
@CRE said it well.....however here's an even more nuisanced take....ok you want someone "wicked" smart.....so less likely but possible for those without a diploma.....but what about a degree from a state school? Lots of smart people at state schools but lots of average intelligence to even dumb people as well. Seems a little incredible to say but I have met straight up dumb people who made it through college thanks largely to good parents pushing them through.
So two options. You forget about degrees altogether and judge people by who they are intellectually. Or you might need to actually raise your bar beyond "degree or no degree" if you are looking for someone "wicked" smart.
I remember reading an interesting article somewhere how average IQ has gone down for college graduates in past 100 years or so. Now, IQ for grads is barely above average.
delete
you're so romantic 3
a bod is a bod...wat that gotta do with anything
Having a college degree isn't in my top 20 of things I care about (and I have 2 masters' degrees).
I have dated girls without a formal education, and ones at college/obtaining their degree. Besides the aspect mentioned further up, there is also your personal comfort level of her family members. In all likelihood, a young woman attending college also has people around her who went (maybe her siblings, her aunts, uncles, her parents, her friends,..). I am the last guy in the world who would say that a degree is required to "be someone" or have intellect.
But I noticed that the girls with degree educated friends and family had very different values and expectations from the world around her.
Yes because not all smart people go to college. Secondly, if a woman is an asset not a liability She is Gold.
A large percentage of women from my home country don’t typically go to college so I wouldn’t judge regardless as long as everything else is in order
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