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Cost Of College Education Essay

624 Words3 Pages

The generation of our grandparents and great-grandparents constitutes an important group in America's history, the baby boomers. This group represented a marked increase in the birth rate, and hence, a need for more educational institutions. The G.I. Bill, adopted after World War II, helped to provide for the education of many of these baby boomers, and the generations before them. This bill started a landmark increase in attendees of higher educational institutions, jumping from 1.5 million in 1940, to nearly 2.7 million in 1950, to an estimated 17 million students present day. While this trend has continued for the past half century, many today have begun to question the real value of a college education. Some even have asked whether or not it is even worth it. These hecklers of higher education have based their protests based on “crippling” student loan debt and the lessening value of a college degree. While these opponents make valid points, the opportunity cost of acquiring a college education is obscured …show more content…

Adequate amounts of college education will be key in being prepared for the future job market. If future generations aren't properly prepared for their future careers with the prerequisites a college education provides for, they'll be left floundering and surprised at their lack of skill needed for their career. College can be beneficial to the amount of earnings you may be able to make over the course of your career. Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that people who have an associate's degree compared to those who have only a high school diploma make nearly $8,000 more per year. Furthermore, those who have went as far to acquire a bachelor's degree earn approximately $24,000 more a year. This advantage in today's slow economy could be the difference that determines whether you're below the poverty line or

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7” Ungar approaches the cost of college education and how government institutions have made no real progress of bridging the cost gap of potential students and higher education. He goes on to explain how it appears that education is not as valued by this nations citizens, and to eventually champion for smaller independent schools. While I agree, the cost of education is astronomical and appears unobtainable to many a folk, I would never outline my peer’s thoughts on higher education as unvalued. Prior to my current position I worked in the mortgage industry. As an industry that tends to chew employees up and regurgitate them, they hired high school graduates and college graduates alike.

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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.

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In “Are Too Many People Going to College?”, Charles Murray writes, “Today, if you do not get a B.A., many people assume it is because you are too dumb or too lazy” (253). Basically, Murray is chastising the social norm for a young adult to get a college degree. Though I concede that expectations to go to college put on by counselors, parents, and the media are way too much, I still insist that everyone should be able to go to college regardless as it is financially beneficial and provides a unique perspective of the world. Although Murray puts up a good defense of how America infatuation with a college degree can lead to a class disparity, the author lacks the practicality of Core Knowledge, consideration of how a college education has its intrinsic and monetary merits that students can get by completing a degree, and an opposing view that a college degree does not necessarily lessen the

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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”

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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

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In the world we live in today. Going to college is no longer a choice, or privilege, but rather a need for a brighter future . So the big question that happens to be going around is, “Is College really worth it?”According to Andrew J. Rotherham’s article “Actually, college is very much worth it.”, “5 Ways Ed Pays”produced by (The College board), and “Why College Isn't (And Shouldn’t have to be) For Everyone” written by Robert Reich. The answer to that question is yes.

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Many people dream of a life filled with riches, but that dream is hard to obtain without a college degree. It is somewhat ironic how people dream of being a successful student and going to college but the cost of tuition turns that dream into a horrible nightmare. It is not a shock to most people when they that college tuition is expensive, but in the past few years it has increased to an all-time high. Lower and middle class students have now begun to realize that college tuition is holding them away from their dreams. Even though college tuition could provide opportunities for job creation and economic growth, tuition is not affordable for the average American household which in effect, prohibits students from taking opportunities like going to college in the first place.

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College is useful to those who want a job as a lawyer or doctor. Those who want to be a plumber or electrician will benefit more from job training than getting a degree that they need to

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Often times it’s not necessarily what you study, but the fact that you studied something at all. As long as you have a college education you can still earn higher job opportunities, maybe not as high as a college graduate, but definitely higher than a person with just a high school education. Above all, attending college is a major commitment of time and money, but it is also a down payment on success. Earning your college degree will help you realize your goals in your career as well as life in general. It requires a lot of hard work, but that work prepares you for a challenging and rewarding career and a more colorful

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The financial burdens that college leaves with the families and students needs to be addressed as student loans keep racking up over time. The cost of tuition for colleges has risen drastically over the years and has bounded students to only one or two college choices to choose from and at some points tearing away the opportunity to go to their dream college. However, one reason college has driven up in price is because the value it brings with it’s degrees, but it should not limit those who can not afford the worthy degree. College should be cheaper as it will ease financial burdens and broaden the choices of those wanting to attend

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I can think of one organization in particular who would greatly disagree with this argument, colleges. This is for the simple reason that there are standards in higher education. It is expected that, upon entering this level, one has the necessary skills to do well. It is for this reason why the ACT and SAT exist. If Ivy League universities, such as Harvard or Yale, were to let anyone who wanted to go to these schools do so, they would not be Ivy League anymore.

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