Accelerated Learning Program Analysis

With an ever changing American culture, and values toward college, its importance is increasingly questioned; although, its positives overshadow its negatives making it worth the cost.

In recent discussions of unemployment, a controversial issue has been whether a college education is worth the oppressive debt that colleges thrust upon their students. From this perspective, obtaining a preeminent education is not valued above the threat of student loans that constantly loom over the possessor. On the other hand, however, others argue that a college education constructs the building blocks for undergraduates to pursue more than just a job or career. In the words of one of this view’s main proponents, “Post secondary education should help students to discover what they love to do, to get better at it, and to develop that ability to continue learning so that they become agents of change- not victims of it,” (Roth). According to this view, secondary education develops a student’s ability to rise above change and are not lost to its enormous list of victims. In sum, then the issue is whether the threat of unemployment after racking up a substantial amount of debt or college prepares undergraduates with more than wages or a career. My own view is that education should not be limited to cost, it transcends beyond literal money and provides for life in more

In “Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?”, Mark Edmundson suggests that the typical college experience may not be providing the best education for the student. However, Edmundson reasons, that if the student is willing to take a stand against the flow of college students, professors, and administrative staff that treat their college class time as a side job the student will be able to receive a true education worth the thousands and thousands of dollars they paid. The graduates will have a knowledge of what skills they possess and be confident in the type of career they want  to have which will lead to better mental and physical life down the road.

As a college student who is currently spending thousands of dollars to further my education and achieve a career goal, it was, at first, disheartening to read Caroline Bird’s essay “College is a Waste of Time and Money”. However, after thoroughly examining her points, I now see that her essay is illogical. In her piece “College is a Waste of Time and Money”, Caroline Bird argues against the idea that “college is the best place for all high-school graduates” (1); in other words, college isn’t for everyone. Throughout her writing, Bird supplies her readers with evidence that explains how, for some individuals, college is a waste of not only time and money, but of intellectual effort, as well. It wasn’t until after reading this piece several times that I began encountering flaws within her reasoning. Although I agree with Bird that college is a waste of all these for some students, I also believe that Bird does not provide strong enough evidence to persuade her readers into thinking this.

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). 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

Education is a lifetime of learning and college education can be the most stressful situation in someone 's life. In the article titled, “What Is the Point of College?” by Kwame Anthony Appiah, (The New York Times, on September 8, 2015) Appiah exposes what college should be about. I believe that Cal Poly provides me with enough classroom opportunities to determine both what I can do and who I can be. Before going out on a quest of our own making, know that we do not need to be career driven, rather career minded.

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. However, the high cost of receiving an education and the competitive labor market is making very hard for student to obtain a liberal art education.

Students enroll in college every year confused on how to go about the whole college thing. They’re not sure what major to choose, what classes they should take, and how to get their money’s worth. Mark Edmundson’s article “Who are You and What are you doing here” is an article meant for incoming freshmen college students who still haven’t figured out who they are yet and what they want to do. Throughout his article Edmundson is questioning what college is all about. He persuades us that college is about fulfilling yourself. Learning what you want to learn, getting the education you want and to follow your interests.

For some people, a college education is not viewed as optional, while for others it is nothing but irrelevant. The idea of spending at least two years to earn a post high school degree, may be viewed as a futile obstacle standing in the way of one’s dreams. It is a testing journey, and an expensive road, but it will pay off. A college education is valuable for many walks of life, no matter the financial or social situation. For the dreamers, college will bring them the to the dream. For the logical thinkers, college will bring them hours of thought. For the financially cautious, college will bring them a profit.

After learning the power a diploma from a good institution carried, attending a successful university that met my interests became my primary goal. I’d spent weeks researching colleges and their admissions

This is what I love about the university; its emphasis on liberal arts through the Core will broaden my interests and prompt me to engage in new ways of thinking, not with the standard textbook method, but through exposure to Socratic seminars, fascinating discussions, and fieldwork. The Core will give my mind plenty of food for thought, so that it can thrive in the intellectual atmosphere that characterizes the University of

In a world with ever-growing challenges, there is a lot that is still left unknown and I would like to contribute to find what is still unknown; also, college would serve as a representation of a new stage in my life. I would like to go to college to gain knowledge and to accomplish a rite of passage.

    The ability to be a leader and to continue to acquire leadership skills relies on the individual that motivates, disciplines, and respects the diverse groups around them. Admirable skills that set the individual leader apart from others are not always common in today 's society, but when the individual takes initiative, has self-confidence and perseveres through rugged times, they show society what it needs to see.    Everyone has had bumps in their road to success. I was diagnosed with type one diabetes when I was just two years old. Many people see this condition as an obstacle that could hold be back from succeeding, but I see it as an over abundance of opportunities in life. From diabetic summer camps focused on leadership to fall retreats spent learning about what it actually means to be a leader, my knowledge of qualities including courage, integrity, and communication have expanded greatly. The Youth Leadership Surry program brings together a diverse group of young-adults to personally grow and enhance their awareness of the community. Participating in this prestigious program will increase the skills I have already accumulated and help me to be more successful in the

Athenians did not study one subject, but many subjects to become informed, moral, and perceptive citizens, Athens was the epitome of learning, and The University of Chicago echoes the Athenian legacy. It provides a diverse multidisciplinary education, where I can participate in Socratic Seminars, where I can engage comprehensive studies of the arts to pay homage to the nine muses, where I can gain a Parthenon of knowledge. One’s area of study does not define the educational experience. An interest in economics does not confine me to the area between the Axes and the Production Possibility Frontier. Rather, the University of Chicago’s belief in inquiry and exploration challenges me to overstep my frontier to realize my potentials and increase my understanding of not just my field of study, but the entire range of areas that build society. From studying Haramiyavia clemmenseni fossils to finding the correlation between air quality and life expectancy; from spending a semester in Istanbul studying Middle Eastern Civilizations to learning Calligraphy in Kyoto, the University of Chicago supports ambitions to go beyond one’s realm of study. With a focus on an intellectual environment that broadens my studies, my brewing internal thirst for knowledge and ceaseless interest in

As a student always seeking high standards in academics and influenced by pressures of family and friends, I made an assumption that community colleges was not as efficient and was a place for students that failed to find a fairly better college or university to attend to. My family has significantly influenced me and shaped my worldview into their expectations. However, this assumption is gradually altering as I have become one of those students that was rejected from those higher rank universities.