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I Ain't Going to College: A Decision Making Guide for Life After High School, by Marlo Prioleau
I Ain't Going to College

I Ain’t Going to College

A Decision-Making Guide for Life After High School.

A personal guide by Marlo Prioleau. Written for students — and the parents, teachers, and counselors who support them — who are weighing what comes after high school and deserve a real framework for choosing. It’s a story, not a textbook.

What this book is about

The title is a hook. The book is about the value of every path.

Too many students are told “go to college” a thousand times without ever being shown why — or shown the full set of education and training paths that can set them up for a great life.

I Ain’t Going to College is Marlo Prioleau’s personal decision-making guide for students weighing life after high school. Through his own story — from high school senior to first year at South Carolina State University, through mistakes, realizations, and six life lessons he took from college — Marlo makes the case that formal education of some kind (college, trade, two-year, four-year, armed forces) is essential, and that every student deserves to understand the value of the option they choose.

It’s the book that became the foundation of the Velocity Education Group curriculum, and the reason partner schools across 8 states use it as the backbone of their post-secondary planning units.

What’s inside

Marlo’s journey, chapter by chapter.

Introduction— Why learning doesn’t stop at high school, and why every student needs a game plan.

  1. 1College, What's the Point?
  2. 2The Beginning
  3. 3Recognize Your Gifts
  4. 4The Vision
  5. 5Negativity
  6. 6Insecure
  7. 7The Plan
  8. 8Positive Influences
  9. 9College Tour
  10. 10Realization
  11. 11Starting to Believe
  12. 12Wrong Place, Wrong Time
  13. 13Accepted
  14. 14Six Life Lessons I Learned in College
  15. 15Closing
Who this book is for

Three readers this was written for.

Students (Grades 5–12)

If college is being pushed at you and you're not sure why — this book is for you. You'll see a real person's path, hear the internal doubts that go with it, and leave with a framework for choosing the education option that fits your life.

Parents & Guardians

Especially for first-generation college families: Marlo's story gives you the language to support your student through a decision that's bigger than any single moment.

Teachers, Counselors & School Leaders

Use this book as the backbone of your post-secondary planning unit — a copy in every student's hands, theirs to keep after graduation.

What readers are saying

Students, parents, and the people who hand it to them.

“I love this book!”
— J. Jamison, Student
“So many things to take away — it's hard to pick just one. Super insightful.”
— R. Wilson, Parent
“I wish I had this in high school.”
— B. Townesden, Student

Ready to give every student a better map?

The decision after high school arrives on its own schedule. The plan for it doesn’t.