Is college still important and relevant? The question is answered and confirmed when Liz Addison, author of “Two Years Are Better than Four”, wrote a counter argument in order to disprove the opposing views of Rick Perlstein, the author of, “What’s the Matter with College”. The topic that is being brought to light is the subject of whether or not college still matters. Perlstein that college is no longer what it used to be. It was after reading Perlstein’s article that Addison masterfully wrote her counter argument which successfully contradicted the opinionated, inaccurate views of Rick Perlstein.
In Charles Murray’s essay “Are Too Many People Going to College,” he believes that the concept of college has changed over the years. According to him, a four-year college is no longer as necessary as it was when it was first created because most jobs requires more on job training. He also adds to his reasoning by mentioning that because of the advancement of internet, physical libraries and the physical proximity of student and teachers is less important. Because of the changes he noticed he believes that people should go to college but not for liberal education. He makes the claim that the basic core knowledge of liberal education should be learned in elementary and middle school and that only people with high academic abilities should be encouraged to go to college.
The general argument made by author Charles Murray in his article, “Are too many people go to college,” is that the college is not necessary for everyone. More specifically, the Murray argues that students who went to school should have learned the core knowledge they will learn in the college. He writes, “ K-8 are the right years to teach the core knowledge, and the effort should get off to a running start in elementary school” (236). In this passage, Murray is suggesting that start teaching the core knowledge in elementary school until high school is better than to spend money and more time to the college. It is not important to go to college.
“3 Reasons College Still Matters” by Andrew Delbanco 3) “Surely, every American college ought to defend this waning possibility, whatever we call it. And an American college is only true to itself when it opens its doors to all - the rich, the middle, and the poor - who have the capacity to embrace the precious chance to think and reflect before life engulfs them. If we are all serious about democracy, that means everyone.” 4) In this part of the writing Andrew Delbanco tries to persuade his audience by using the pattern of logic that agrees with the overall argument but also considers another striking point of view to strengthen the argument (While these arguments are convincing, they must also consider…).
Liz Addison’s essay, “Two Years Better Than Four,” was first published in the New York Times Magazine back in September of 2007. Addison went to two community colleges and majored in biology; earning her degree in 2008. In her essay, she is responding to Rick Perlstein's article “What’s the Matter with College?” in which he claims, “College as America used to understand it is coming to an end” (211). Addison refutes Perlstein’s claims by saying, “My guess, reading between the lines, is that Mr. Perlstein has never set foot in an American community college” (212).
Savannah Blietz Ms.Fordyce English P.2 21 September 2015 Is College worth the struggle? In this society that students live in the only way that they think they know how to tell people’s intelligence is by going to college. By not going to college the students think that they have more of an opportunity to explore the world then other people in college,but some disagree with this opinion and some agree that the source of all opportunity is the person and not their educational level. The educational level for language, math, and science has the student’s country ranked at the bottom because the people in the United States don’t take college seriously, it affects us as a country.
He describes the myths so that the audience sees what problems come to light when getting accepted into college. In his article, “5 Myths about who gets into college,”
Going to college for many students is just a normal part of life. It is what will enable them to get an education that eventually will lead to get a well-paid job and the resources and the status to live a comfortable life. But for college professor, Andrew Delbanco, the American college has a higher purpose. In the article “College at Risk”, Delbanco states that colleges should be promoting critical thinking among students, through knowledge of the past and the interaction with each other; as well as, help them discover their talents and passions and figure out what they want to do in life. This type of education is called liberal arts and for Delbanco, it represents the ideal education.
The Greek Philosopher Aristotle identified “The years between puberty and age twenty-one as the formative time for mind and character.” It was customary for young Greek men to attend a series of lectures that resembled our notion of a college “course”(Delbanco 36). Aristotle is a believer of education and the power it has on the development of the young mind. Likewise, he believes college is a place to establish one’s character. Caroline Bird’s essay, “Where College Fails Us,” definitely does not correlate with the opinion of Aristotle.
Joseph Lehman Professor Pyfrin English 102 ME03 18 September 2014 High School University When high school students graduate and move on to college, it is often wondered if they are truly prepared for this next endeavor. Only 31 percent of high school teachers think so, according to a Deloitte Education Survey. Caralee Adams goes on to write in “Teachers Say Students Not Ready For College,” that a high number of college students require remediation when they get there. These numbers vary from 28 to 40 percent in recent polls. Not every college freshman graduates with a degree.
Throughout the essay, Charles Murray stresses the idea that college is the wonderland of finding oneself and to find the career that one would want to follow for the rest of their lives. “College is seen as the open sesame to a good job and a desirable way for adolescents to transition to adulthood. Neither reason is as persuasive as it first appears.” Murray, C (2008) Practically spoken, this is not normally the case. College is a fair amount of work, much more work than one would normally acquire through any course of a high school or secondary school setting.
The article “An Open Letter to Ninth Graders” by Patrick Sullivan discusses what a first year highschool student should know about the importance of reading, writing, thinking, listening, grit, and attitude have towards college readiness and preparation. This article is helpful to first year students by informing what they should work on during their four years. The three concepts I have chose to elaborate more on are writing, reading comprehension, and listening. I believe these concepts are useful, and beneficial to new freshman students. Writing has a big role in college and takes a considerable amount of effort.
The essay also contains reasons that students tend to drop out of college and informs students how to schedule your life out effectively. Brian O’Keeney explains the steps to getting good grades. According to the author these step will help a step
According William Perry a psychologist for cognitive development for college students, refers to students who are dualist who set up their minds for two things. One, they think the professors have every right answer. Second, they see the professors as their authority figures for guidance”. They come to college with thoughts in mind, to do what they are told. There is no preparation on their side.
To a college student in 1969, my goals in going to college may seem too materialistic and one-dimensional. Unlike the majority of college students in 1969, I don’t personally care too much about developing a “meaningful philosophy of life” through my college experience. While I do hope to learn more about myself and my place in society, my main purpose in going to college is to get a degree which will, hopefully, help me to find a stable, well-paying job that will help me build a good life and, eventually, support a family. This shows that the things people hope to gain through attending college these days are much more pragmatic compared to those of 1969.
