Everyone remembers the scene from “Goodwill Hunting” when Will confronts a Harvard student spouting off his formal education knowledge. Will contends his high-priced Ivy League education is simply that–high priced. He contends you can get a college education with a simple library card. According to Will, the key is to read. Read everything written by the experts in any field that interests you. Fill your library, and your mind, with wisdom from the greats. Abraham Lincoln and George Washington would agree with him.

Neither Washington or Lincoln graduated from college, along with seven other presidents: Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, and Harry Truman. But if you notice from the list, every president since Harry Truman, who withdrew before finishing, has been able to present a college degree as a qualification to hold the highest office in America.

Do you need to go to college to be President of the United States? In this day and age where education is valued and often a badge of intelligence, it would be unlikely to win even a nomination without a college degree. As a matter of fact, every candidate for president in 2016 is able to say they have a college degree, many have advanced degrees. But every degree is meaningless without a thirst for knowledge, a willingness to learn, openness to listen to other viewpoints, and a curiosity about the world in general.

But Will Hunting would say: just get a library card and read! Granted, he was a math genius and most likely had a photographic memory.  But it’s not bad advice for every college-bound student. Reading is the key to all education. You don’t have to set foot in a lecture hall to read Shakespeare, study history, or experience the world. Books can open all those doors and more!

For a list of past Presidents and their college degrees, read Where’d They Go to College?-The Presidents

For a list of presidential candidates and where they went to college, read 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidates-Where’d They Go to College? and 2016 Republican Candidates-Where’d They Go to College?