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Analysis Of Should Everyone Go To College By Stephanie Owen And Sawhill

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The rising question of whether everyone should attend college is examined by Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill in "Should Everyone Go to College?" According to Owen and Sawhill, “For the past few decades, it has been widely argued that a college degree is a pre-requisite to entering the middle in the US”. By this quote, the author means that in today's world a college degree does not always mean that you will become rich and get a successful job. The authors examine numerous studies to identify the factors that lead people to be picky while selecting the correct college. For instance, the authors indicate that an extra year of education raises earnings by about $3,000 per year. They stress that while college graduates do have higher earnings, …show more content…

He asserts that, “Universities are not intended to teach the knowledge required to fit men for some special mode of gaining their livelihood.” By this the author means that four-year colleges are no longer as essential as they were when they were first established because most jobs now require more on-the-job training. He furthers his argument by noting that the importance of physical libraries and the close proximity of students and teachers has diminished as a result of the development of the internet. He thinks that people should attend college, but not for a liberal degree. When referring to a liberal degree, the author is referring to degrees such as History, Art, or English. He believes that degrees like this are not necessary to go to college for because these are topics that you should have mastered in high school. More precisely, Murray makes the case that college-bound students should have obtained the fundamental knowledge that is used in college while they were in high school. In this text, Murray makes the argument that it is preferable to start teaching the fundamentals in elementary school and continue through high school rather than devoting more resources and time to college. For graduates of high school going to college, getting a Bachelor of Arts, or a B.A, feels like the correct choice, but Murray believes it's a poor economic choice. This is because of the rising cost of college and the low return rate. He appears to think that attending college is not vital based on this line of

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They mention on page 209, paragraph 1, that not all college degrees or college graduates are equal and that for certain schools, majors, and occupations, college may not be a smart investment.

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People go to college to get a good paying job, have job security, and get a degree. Well at least that’s what it should be about. That’s what Charles Murray believes in his essay “Are Too Many People Going to College.” Murray counters the argument of Sanford Ungar who believes colleges should have a more liberal approach towards its classes and have students actually learn a broad range of real life skills instead of just going into a career just because it pays well. In Ungar’s essay he explains the misperception that Americans have on obtaining a liberal-arts degree and how they believe it doesn’t translate well to the real world.

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Following his ideas, he lists multiple misperceptions about a liberal arts education. His first misperception is that a “liberal arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford” (657). He points out that because businesses and industries are looking for people with basic skills needed to perform a certain job, shortcuts are created. This shortcut or as he refers to it as a social experiment, will eventually lead to a dead end. This aspect of his article appeals to emotion and the fear most students have that they will end up in a job that is no longer needed.

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The first point Murray brings up is that a liberal education can and should be gained in elementary and middle school rather than college. He also believes that there are many people going to college who don't need to because they already have the knowledge and skills necessary for a career. Murray also thinks that many students arc going to college solely to get their ticket for employers to consider their resume:

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In the articled titled “The New Liberal Arts” author Sanford J. Ungar states the importance of a liberal arts education and offers his critique on the common misconceptions surrounding them. Ungar offers his viewpoints on a variety of issues surrounding liberal arts educations including, the cost of the education, the usefulness of the degree, and the advantages of a post secondary education. While many people think liberal arts degrees are not worth the cost, Ungar suggests they can end up being less expensive than other larger public universities. He even claims they may be a better investment in the long run because a liberal arts education prepares you with a wide breadth of knowledge compared to a “Career Education.” Ungar also emphasizes

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The authors’ emphasis on “on average” is very effective at showing how their point makes sense and why it should be taken into consideration. I found the way that the authors focused on the minority more than the majority was skillfully effective at showing how some career paths do not require a college education and that the return in investment would not be worth the cost. Throughout their argument I found the writers to mostly use Logos and Ethos in their writing. The Logos is evident by the way they use statistics and the Ethos by how they state telling someone the only way to be successful is to go to college is a disservice. This is effective at making the reader think about how this should affect the decision of going to college and whether they should push someone to go to

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Ungar has put this misconception to rest by saying the difficulty in the job market has nothing to do with a specific degree. A survey for the Association of American colleges and universities discovered that more than three-quarters of the nation's employers recommend that college-bound students pursue a liberal education. Misperception number three states that the liberal arts are a relevant for low income and first-generation college students. This misperception troubles Ungar and he says it is “ condescending to imply that those who have less cannot understand and appreciate the finer elements of knowledge”. He says this is a form or prejudice and makes very little sense.

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In making this statement, Murray is right about what he says. It is true that young people are pushed all the time to go to college. Although the situation has gotten better, many people always see the person who skips out on college as the odd and weird person. Many of people are going to college and studying something they have no interest in simply because their parents want them to or because they don’t want society to look down on them. Although getting a college degree does give a person much more security in the future, it is not the only option and not everyone should be pushed towards that choice.

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“On average, college graduates make significantly more money over their lifetime than those without a degree… What gets less attention is the fact that not all college degrees or college graduates are equal. ”(pg.208 para. 1) Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill are senior researchers at Brookings’ Center on Children and Families, Sawhill is also a senior fellow in economics study at Brookings’. Owen and Sawhill authored the essay, “Should everyone go to College?” The authors use a wide variety of rhetorical devices in the essay, including ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade their audience to take another look at whether college is the right choice for them.

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In United States, going to college has become an expectation of teachers, and parents for students to attain a successful life and thrive in their field of study, no matter the circumstances, after graduating high school. In this article “Are Too Many People Going to College,” written by Charles Murray, he mentions that everyone is not the same. It is not meant for everyone to earn a college degree; However, society thinks otherwise. According to Murray you also must be “in the top 98th percentile” in order to even apply for a higher education. (Murray 238)

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In fact, If examples and or reasons of why not to go to college were embedded to prove his point, I would have been driven to agree with him a bit more. For example, if there were to be an emotional attention

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In my opinion, I agree with Murray’s claim that four year college is not worth, job satisfaction for intrinsic reward, and the dark side of the Bachelor's degree. In my view, Murray’s is right, because college requires student to take 32 courses in four years or longer and not all courses are relate to the field they study with. More specifically, I believe that four years college will take more time to achieve our goal and knowledges doesn’t teach us how to make a living in our society. Murray described in his article, “More people should be getting the basic of a liberal education. But for most students, the places to provide those basics are elementary and middle school” (235).

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Living where we live, you begin to comprehend that living off of $11.00 per hour including with your family will never suffice your needs. Getting a college degree can ensure the graduate a higher chance of being able to earn more financially. In the article “Why College Isn't And Shouldn't Have to be For Everyone” by Robert Reich, he states that “A degree from a prestigious university can open doors to elite business schools and law schools-and to jobs paying hundreds of thousands, if not millions. ”Even though Reich’s article is on the opposing side of the argument, he fails to overlook the fact that in the long run having a college degree will, and can open doors to many new opportunities. One of those opportunities is to be able get a well paying job that can earn more than the average non college graduate.

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He finishes his argument by saying that instead of liberal education, most people would be better if they focus on career education in college. While I agree with Murray’s idea that people would benefit from getting a liberal education before college, I disagree with his statement that liberal education is not needed in college. Due to the wide range of knowledge a liberal education provides it can help a person become more adaptable to the constant change and demand of the job market, allow that person to have an advantage over another, and ultimately help a person figure out what they feel more comfortable doing in

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“Should Everyone Go to College?” article wrote two authors, Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill. They gave many examples of why people should return to college and invest in education. Authors gave statistical data how college investment is better for everyone. They also gave more data on which occupation

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