Society views college as the door way to success. However, many people fail to realize the same effort put into college also needs application after or failure starts creeping in from the side. Anna Chinero, a recent graduate, moved back home after failing to find a job. Chinero concludes her article, “Elevated by the Train”, by expressing, “instead of always looking out toward somewhere else, I’m beginning to look around here, wondering how I can make this neighborhood the better place my parents always sought for me.” Many graduates, like Ana, loose direction in attempting to achieve their dreams they possessed entering college. Jobless, Anna walked into uncharted territory which resulted in the closing of her doors, eventually denying herself
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
Anna leaves to find her older sister, but it is cold and she falls multiple times, eventually stumbling onto Wandering Oaken’s Trading Post and
1a:“College is a singular opportunity to rummage through and luxuriate in ideas, to give your brain a vigorous workout and your soul a thorough investigation, to realize how very large the world is and to contemplate your desired place in it. And that’s being lost in the admissions mania, which sends the message that college is a sanctum to be breached — a border to be crossed — rather than a land to be inhabited and tilled for all that it’s worth. ”(Bruni 10) 1b: This passage, which is included in the final pages of Bruni’s introduction, helps define both his thoughts on the purpose of college and, at the same time, why he believes the rapidly increasing focus on college admissions is a problem.
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.
When Anna drops out of high school, she feels as though falling down a bottomless hole (30, 31). The hole is a simile signaling for the beginning of a period where Anna's condition only worsens. Moving out from her house to a rental apartment (32), she goes on to physically isolate herself from the rest of the world. Additionally, Tim breaks up with her (34), ultimately leaving Anna with no immediate supporter. Consequently, her eating behaviors go awry, illustrated in a weekly schedule of repetitive forced starvation, binge eating, laxatives intake, pain, and recovery (55).
Anna didn’t. Instead she found Campbell Alexander, a lawyer whom she put in charge of her trial against her parents for the right of her body. This trilling novel takes you deep into the dynamics of favoritism, family and love, in this heart shattering novel of what it takes to save your
Many of us are faced with tough times, hard decisions, and struggles but there are only certain people that have the willpower and determination to overcome those obstacles and change their life for the better. Many of us are faced by little challenges like when the alarm clock goes off for school. Do we get up and go to school or do we go back to bed? The immediate reward is going back to bed and getting the satisfaction of more sleep but the downfall is that you miss your classes. This didn’t seem like an important decision for me until I got to college.
Can Two Be Greater Than Four? Does college really matter? Has college lost its rite to passage appeal? Can one still go to college and be successful in the pursuit of self-discovery? These are the types of questions that Liz Addison challenges in her short essay “Two Years Are Better Than Four”. By taking into account my own experience as a current community college student and advocate, in this response to Addison’s essay I choose to elaborate on her views of community college being better than a four year university in the sense of offering a better college experience.
Anna May lost her son, Simon, when he drowned on a fishing trip with her ex-husband, Tony. Every night since, she welcomed dreams that were once nightmares of her son’s death. Her dreams are the crippling hold of the past that refuses to let go, reminding her of her loss every day. During Anna May’s trip away from home, she begins to develop guilt as she thought about all she could have done to prevent Simon’s death, which becomes evident when she states, “she should have placated Tony; she should have lived alone; she should have pretended to be straight she should have never became an alcoholic; she should have never loved; she should have never been born. Let go!
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.
Ducking around corners and avoiding the larger streets in favor of the narrow alley was soon out of options for staying in the shadows. It would take running up this street and off into another to make it home, that meant potentially being spotted. With a deep sigh, she would step out of the alley, her claws clicking at quietly at the ground below her as she ran, her head held down the entire time. Approaching the church that she held so dear to her heart she was terrified to hear the sounds of a woman screaming from inside, coming to a stop just outside the gates turning her head to look towards the doors. She knew she shouldn't get involved, it wasn't her problem, after all, those stupid humans should have known better than to be out!
College is one of the most significant times in a person’s life. Every year high school kids will visit many different colleges so that they can be confident in their college decision. Some kids will follow in their parent’s foot steps and base their decision on where their mom or dad went, though, not all kids are fortunate to have help from their parents. Many kids nowadays may be the first in their family to take on higher education. The article, “First Generation College Students: Unprepared and Behind” by Liz Riggs explains that kids who are the first in their family to take on college are at a disadvantage compared to kids with parents who attended college.
Her expectations, were set quite too high, leading Anna to feel dispirited and depressed because she wasn't able to fulfill the task set right in front of
Zinsser shows the poor environment and attitudes students are effected by and exposed to. Students need to abandon the mindset of viewing college as a competition for jobs and a direct gateway to a specific occupation. Students need to think outside of looking the best on their transcripts. Self-induced pressure needs to be reduced if a student wants to enjoy their college experience. Zinsser wants the principle of being an individual to be more present in students’ lives than the collective control that imitating other students can create.
A rising issue in today’s society is deciding whether or not college is worth the cost. There is an extreme amount of pressure that is forced upon high school students by parents, teachers, and peers to further their education and attend college. However, there is research that challenges the thought that college is the best possible path for a person to take. College may be a great investment for some people, but it is not meant for everyone. This is supported by the arguments that colleges are expensive, jobs do not always require a college degree, and students are forced to choose a lifestyle before being exposed to the real world.