Working with the 1% (Part 1): Why I Believe Your Student Shouldn’t Go to College (At Least, Not the Way You Think)

Hello, my name is Jonathan Brush. I have the privilege of being the President and CEO of Unbound. I’m also a dad to eight children, ages 1 to 24, and I’ve spent over 25 years working in higher education—on both the traditional side and the entrepreneurial, purpose-driven nontraditional side.

So let me get straight to the point.

If you’re the parent of a high school student or recent graduate, and you’re feeling uncertain or uneasy about sending your child to a traditional college… you’re not alone. And you’re not wrong.

Let me explain why I believe your student shouldn’t go to college (at least, not the way you think).

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A Provocative Article—and a Stark Reality

Recently, I came across an article that hit me like a punch in the gut.

It was written by a professor at a mid-level state university—someone who loves teaching, who believes in the mission of public education, and who is passionate about seeing students grow. And yet, he opened the piece with this sentence:

“Most of our students are functionally illiterate.”

He went on to explain exactly what he meant. Many of his students can’t read a serious novel and understand it. Their writing skills are poor. Their grammar is random. Their spelling is atrocious. More than that, they lack motivation. They don’t show up for class. They don’t respond to emails. They don’t attempt to make up missed quizzes. They can’t sit still through a 50-minute lecture. They can’t focus. They don’t seem to care.

But maybe this is just one professor’s experience. An anomaly that we shouldn’t take too seriously.

Maybe not.

In a follow-up post, this professor shared that of the educators who responded—99% agreed. They were seeing the exact same thing.

Let that sink in.

This wasn’t a one-off opinion. This was a cross-section of teachers and professors from across the country, saying: Yes. That’s exactly what it’s like.

And here’s the part that really matters for you and your student:

Your child—regardless of whether they go to college or not—will live, work, lead, and be led by the 99%.

That reality matters. Because we’re not just talking about education. We’re talking about formation.

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A Culture of Disengagement

The problems this professor described aren’t just about reading levels or classroom discipline. They’re about character, culture, and calling.

He talked about students who didn’t show up—literally just stopped coming to class without withdrawing or notifying anyone.

And that lined up perfectly with something I’ve seen in my own home. Two of my teenagers work at a local Virginia farm market. One day, I asked why the place had so many employees—over 120 people for a small operation.

My son said, “Dad, we only get about half the people who are scheduled to show up. The rest just don’t come.”

“Why don’t they fire them?” I asked.

His answer: “Because they can’t find people who will show up.”

That’s not an employment problem. That’s a cultural crisis.

We are raising a generation of young people who do not know how to take responsibility for their lives.

They don’t show up. They don’t take initiative. And the systems they’re in aren’t challenging them toward growth. In fact, they’re doing the opposite.

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But Here’s the Good News: I’m the 1%

Reading that article, I had a visceral reaction.

Not because I disagreed with the professor—but because I had the exact opposite experience as someone working in higher education from the nontraditional side.

I thought, “This is nuts. All my students are awesome—driven, hardworking, intellectually curious, and constantly asking me for book recommendations.”

And it’s true.

Every single one of those traits? I see them every day. In my house. In our student community. In the Ascend program. At every Unbound event.

I’m telling you this because I want you to know: There’s a different kind of student community out there. And there’s a different path forward if you want your student to be part of it.

At Unbound, I work with:

• Readers who ask for book lists and actually read them.
  
• Writers who spend months building fictional worlds together—complete with maps, languages, political systems, and collaborative storylines.
  
• Thinkers who crave meaningful conversation.
  
• Doers who lead real-world projects with real-world impact.
  

These aren’t rare unicorns. This is the normal student in our community through the Ascend program.

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Why This Matters for Your Family

We’re not just talking about school here. We’re talking about life preparation.

Our culture is filled with under-formed adults—young men and women who were never challenged, never coached, never called to take responsibility. And now they’re being overwhelmed by the demands of adulthood.

If you’re a homeschool parent looking for what’s next—and traditional college doesn’t feel like the answer—you need to know: you are not crazy. You are seeing things clearly.

The world your student is stepping into doesn’t just require information. It demands character. Courage. Vision. Resilience. Action.

Those things don’t just “happen” after graduation. They’re formed—intentionally, in community, through real-life experiences.

And that’s why we built Ascend.

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A New Path for the 1%

Ascend is not a typical program.

It’s not about sitting in front of a screen for four years, chasing a credential.

It’s about helping young adults take real steps toward a life of purpose—supported by mentors, surrounded by like-minded peers, and grounded in a Christ-centered worldview.

In Ascend, students don’t just learn. They do.

They:

• Join a tight-knit community of students who care about their faith and about making a difference in the world.
  

• Get monthly mentorship and coaching from people who’ve walked this path before.
  

• Build and launch real-life projects that challenge and grow them through hands-on experience.
  

• Travel four times a year for live events that challenge them to build community, pursue applicable skills, learn to work with a team, and practice leadership.

• They’re not waiting for life to start. They’re actively shaping it.

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The Choice Is Clear

If you’re standing at the edge of high school graduation wondering what comes next, I want to tell you this:

There’s a better way forward.

You don’t have to hand your student off to a system that forms disengaged, underdeveloped adults.

You don’t have to hope they survive college and figure it out afterward.

You can give them something better. A launchpad. A community. A foundation.

You can give them Ascend.

I believe in this because I’ve lived it.

And I want the same for your family.

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Ready to Learn More?

If this resonates with you, and you’re wondering whether your student belongs in the 1%, I’d love to tell you more.

👉 Click here to explore the Ascend program and see how your student can grow in purpose, faith, and action.

Let’s raise up the next generation—one driven, curious, responsible, faithful young adult at a time.

We’ve done it before. We’re doing it now. And we’d love to do it with you.