ipl-logo

Charles Murray's Down With The Four-Year College Degree

633 Words3 Pages

In Charles Murray’s article, “Down With the Four-Year College Degree”, he discusses how he believes the four year degree is ruining college education. Murray exemplifies the ludicrousness of the four year degree when he says: Imagine that you have been made a member of a task force to design America’s post-secondary education system from scratch. One of your colleagues submits this proposal: First, we will set up a single goal to represent educational success, which will take four years to achieve no matter what is being taught. We will attach an economic reward to it that often has nothing to do with what has been learned. We will urge large numbers of people who do not possess adequate ability to try to achieve the goal, wait until they have spent a lot of time and money, and then deny it to them. We will stigmatize everyone who doesn’t meet the goal. We will call the goal a “BA.” (Murray 1). …show more content…

Murray is not arguing that the four year degree is completely useless for everyone, instead he insists that the four year degree works for people who want to get a liberal arts education. He claims that students who want a liberal arts education are the minority. Murray asserts that the best way to prove a worker is competent for a job is by “treating post-secondary education as apprenticeships for everyone” (Murray 8). My goal in my life is to become a clinical geneticist. In order to become a clinical geneticist, I will have to obtain my four year degree in a biological science, attend medical school for four years, and then finish a six year residency. If I did not have to take classes that were not directly associated with my major, I could finish my degree in two years. However, I firmly believe that a liberal arts education is important, thus why I am attending a liberal arts

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Should Everyone Go To College By Isabel Sawhill

    338 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Summary Of The New Liberal Arts By Sanford J. Ungar

    396 Words  | 2 Pages

    The second misperception claims that “The college graduates are finding it harder to get good jobs with liberal arts degrees” (Ungar, 228). But, Ungar explains that,

    Read More

  • Summary Of The New Liberal Arts By Sanford Ungar

    1229 Words  | 5 Pages

    For instance Ungar has this to say about students receiving a liberal arts education, “They come to terms with complexity and diversity, and otherwise devise means to solve problems-rather than just complaining about them. They develop patterns to help them understand how to keep learning for the rest of their days” (232). Although I agree a liberal arts education can accomplish that, a person can also learn that through a job, in Mike Rose’s “Blue Collar Brilliance” he speaks of his mother, who dropped out of school in 7th grade (275). Without having an education Rose’s mother became a waitress, though her job seems simple it is not, she had to assess her duties at the restaurant and determine what order would help her accomplish her tasks in a timely fashion. Rose’s mother also had to deduce the moods and needs of each and every customer, according to Rose “her tip depended on how well she responded to these needs, and so she became adept at reading social cues and managing feelings, both the customers’ and her own” (275).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Sanford J. Ungar's Essay: The New Liberal Arts

    1337 Words  | 6 Pages

    Ungar is a strong promoter of the liberal arts and wants nothing but for the arts to prosper as it once did that is why he is all for listening to differing opinions towards the arts to make improvements. He is open minded to everyone having a voice that shall and will be heard, no longer relying on a single source to solve a proceeding problem. Ungar makes this point clear when he says, “the liberal-arts should not be compared to a political debate where you are only allowed to say ideas or topics, it promotes the idea of seeing what everyone brings to the table so that we can all invest (661).” Not only are majority of people unequipped for college work, but they also will not receive degrees. Murray disputes that not only liberal-arts degrees, but degrees in general do not consistently reach full capability as promised.

    Read More

  • Charles Murray Are Too Many People Going To College Summary

    282 Words  | 2 Pages

    Summary: “Are Too Many People Going to College” In the article “Are Too Many People Going to College,” writer Charles Murray explains that more people should be going to college instead of fewer. Murray states most people should get the basics of a liberal education and that begins in elementary and middle school.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of 'Where College Fails Us' By Caroline Bird

    838 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the essay Bird makes several points to support her overall argument that a person does not need college to succeed. She says that college does not work for everyone and believes a degree is not essential. In “Where College Fails Us,” Caroline Bird invalidly argues that all college graduates find themselves working meaningless jobs and that no one needs a college degree to be successful. First, Bird states that “College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis.” However, this point is flawed because not only does she not give any evidence to support her claim, but it is inaccurate.

    Read More

  • Community College In Liz Addison's Two Years Better Than Four

    1259 Words  | 6 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Should Everyone Go To College Stephanie Sawhill Analysis

    544 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • College Is Not Worth The Cost Essay

    701 Words  | 3 Pages

    You must understand that most people that go to college do not get the degree they want in the timespan they are hoping to get it “only 21% of first-time, full-time students earn an associate’s degree within three years” (Weise). many people don 't finish college even when paying all the expensive costs ,“The 2013 6-year graduation rate for first-time, full-time undergraduate students who began their

    Read More

  • Charles Murray Are Too Many People Going To College Summary

    786 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Charles Murray Are Too Many People Go To College Summary

    955 Words  | 4 Pages

    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).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The New Liberal Arts By Sanford J. Ungar

    1242 Words  | 5 Pages

    High school seniors are faced with a wide variety of decisions as they approach graduation. They must decide whether or not they are going to attend college, begin working, or do something else. If they do decide to attend college, they also must decide whether to pursue a liberal arts education or a vocational one. A liberal arts education primarily includes a collection of different classes and topics students can choose to take and study. A vocational route will mainly educate students on their specific intended career.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay 'Why College Isn' T For Everyone

    750 Words  | 3 Pages

    It also instills crucial skills like organization, self discipline and the ability to complete tasks from start to finish. In other words, college helps mold you into a more professional individual. Some may fear that they will attend four years of college but won’t graduate. In the article “Why College Isn’t for Everyone,” it’s simply stated that “...more than 40 percent of those attending four-year colleges full-time to fail to graduate...” (“Why College Isn’t for Everyone” 78).

    Read More

  • Four Year College Is The Best Choice For Everyone Essay

    1051 Words  | 5 Pages

    Does the job the student wants require a degree? These are some of the many questions people ask when deciding where or if they should go to college. It is a depressing thought because college no longer the only option for higher education, but a business. A four year college is not for everyone. There are many jobs that do need a valid college degree, doctors being the first-rate example.

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of A Phlebotomist

    1418 Words  | 6 Pages

    Semester Two Career Journal Correct Name of the Career: The correct name of the career is Clinical Geneticist. Education and/or Training Required: The education and/or training required to pursue this career is to have a bachelor's degree in a biological or physical science field, followed by either a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree. Then, a candidate must complete six years of residency and training to earn certification from the American Board of Medical Genetics.

    Read More

More about Charles Murray's Down With The Four-Year College Degree

Open Document