Thesis Driven Essay The article titled “Even for Cashiers, College Pays Off” by David Leonhardt is an article that tackles the different reasons why skeptics and critics think spending money and time in college wasting. Despite the advantages that have been experienced by America in comparison to Europe, it does not make sense having to explain why college education for the masses is a noble and profitable venture. The reasons among which are quoted by those opposing and critics is that it is an expensive venture. This might be true but it results in self improvement which is very valuable and not quantifiable in terms of price and can result in a good job which will, in turn, result into more money. Although some of the facts that the workers
The essay “Three reasons college still matters” by]Andrew Delbanco brings up a controversial topic. . Delbalco proclaims three major arguments in favor of a college degree, which include economic, political, and self-development factors. The newer generation may not be getting higher education compared to the former. Delanco expresses his personal concern about the fact that American High Education is suffering from a calamity. He says “college doors” remain closed for numerous students.
Recently, many have begun to attack and degrade higher education in the United States. In the book How College Works, authors Daniel Chambliss and Christopher Takacs claim, “As state support has eroded, and as more students attend college in an increasingly desperate attempt to find viable jobs, the price to students of attending an institution of higher education has gone up, especially at more selective institutions” (172). So is college even worth it? Caroline Bird’s excerpt from her book Case Against College “Where College Fails Us” is an adequately written article that agrees with those who question whether college is a good investment. Bird argues that although some students would benefit from college and succeed, many fall short, wasting
In today’s society, it has been found out that college graduates have a hard time seeking a job and end up with a sky-high student debt. This reality then poses a question, is going to college worth the time and money? An essay in the New York Times published in May 2014 entitled, “Is College Worth It? Clearly New Data Say,” by David Leonhardt states, “For all the struggles that many young college graduates face, a four-year degree has probably never been more valuable” (33). In his essay, Leonhardt sets the stage by describing the struggles a college graduate might have such as student debt, no work after graduating, and accepting jobs they feel overqualified.
Currently in America, the popularity of attending college is increasing, but so are tuition costs. Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill, in their essay, Should Everyone Go to College?, refute the idea that college is a necessity to live a prosperous life. Their purpose is to inspire a change in legislation to make information on the drawbacks of college more accessible to high school students. Owen and Sawhill effectively appeal to their audience of legislators by systematically proving that college is not a necessity At the start of the essay, directly after the thesis, Owen and Sawhill immediately address a popular counter argument. They point out that a common problem with statistics about college versus high school graduates is that “the smartest most motivated people are both more likely to go to college and more likely to be financially successful”
In his article, “Are Too Many People Going to College?” Charles Murray argues that too many people are going to college universities when they should be focusing on other lifestyle options. In his opinion, whether or not to attend college is a personal decision that should be thoroughly thought through. When weighed with the unrealistic prerequisites, the financial expenses, and the time needed to obtain a degree, many people will find that attending college will not be beneficial to them. Speaking of this Murray attests, “The question here is not whether the traditional four-year residential college is fun or valuable as a place to grow up, but when it makes sense as a place to learn how to make a living.
Caroline Bird in her essay titled “College is a Waste of Time and Money” argues that college education is a useless endeavor that is often forced on students. According to Caroline Bird, students lack motivation and enthusiasm for college education. If money is the goal of education, she opines that there are better ways of investment. She also claims that college education does not make a student more ready for jobs and neither are there jobs that are relevant to the field of study. When there are some students who become very successful she says that the contributing factors are mainly intelligence and family background rather than their college education.
Granted, she may not have had access to the proper resources and information in 1975 compared to the numerous recent studies that exist today. Nevertheless, the evidence she used in “College is a Waste of Time and Money” did not adequately persuade her readers in the right direction. In fact, she began influencing me to believe the opposite due to her unsupported notions, questionable word choice, and inconclusive data. Overall, I do not believe that Bird’s evidence was strong enough to convince her audience that college is a waste of anything at
The purpose of her essay is to prove to her audience, mainly soon-to-be college students or parents of future students, that college is still a vital part of planning your future. She effectively advertises community college as a cheaper alternative to four-year universities and their skyrocketing tuition prices; and tries to persuade her readers that attending Community College can be just as important as going to a traditional four-year university because they allow you to begin your college education at
“College in America” Caroline Bird thinks that a college education may not be the best choice for all high school students because college education does not bring about social equality, it does not benefit them financially, and it is not guaranteed that college will lead them to an elite profession. First of all, high school students are expected to bring about social equality through four rigorous years in college. However, college is an expensive way to categorize the highs and lows in society. It is pressuring to younger students to pursue a higher education that only a few could achieve, and is also difficult for them to established an identity in society. Second, a college education does not benefit the youth financially because it is
Delbanco explains how students have changed their reasons for attending a college when he states, “...yet on the assumption that immersing themselves in learning for the sheer joy of it, with the aim of deepening their understanding of culture, nature, and, ultimately, themselves, is a vain indulgence” (222). Secondary education has become too expensive for learning to be an indulgence. Students only go to college to get a degree in order to gain a high paying career. Davidson explains how dire the situation with low paying job is by saying how the process should work, “Only through productivity growth can the average quality of human life improve” (339). Unfortunately, the productivity growth only leaves a bigger pay gap.
The need for acquiring a college degree has always been a difficult decision for students. Oftentimes the thought of attending college is seen as a requirement to enter the higher class in the United States. It has become common to think that recipients of a college education will end up making more money than the people who do not receive post-secondary education. The choice of whether or not to attend college has been pondered in the minds of adolescents. The amount of money that people make weighs heavily on whether or not they attend college right after high school.
The purpose of her essay is to prove to her audience, mainly soon-to-be college students or parents of future students, that college is still a vital part of planning your future. She effectively advertises community college as a cheaper alternative to four-year universities and their skyrocketing tuition prices; and tries to persuade her readers that attending Community College can be just as important as going to a traditional four-year university because they allow you to begin your college education at a
Schlack sums up the issue in three key words, “status, economics and competition”. By identifying these three factors, schack strengthens his appeal towards the reader by letting them know that he understands what is false about their ideas of going to college. Additionally, Schlack gives an example of a student who is brainwashed by parents and teachers who push them towards going to college. “ college is like your life. If you don 't go to college… you can 't live a successful life”.
There is an ample amount of information that leads people to believe that college is a great choice. In Source F, it is shown that, “Adults who graduated from a four-year college believe that, on average, they are earning $20,000 more a year as a result of having gotten that degree. Adults who did not attend college believe that, on average they are earning $20,000 a year less as a result.” Also, provided in Source F, “...55% say it [college] was very useful in helping them prepare for a job or career.” While these statistics are true, the negatives still outweigh the positives.
In all article, authors gave credible sources and they use logical statistic data to prove why everyone should invest in college. By all these authors show that students have to go through their hardest part of their life when they go to college. In the article author only focusing on what are the benefits of college