Rhetorical Analysis: The Diploma Divide

Ellison starts off by saying “once, a degree used to mean a brighter future for college graduates, access to the middle class, and economic stability” (Ellison). This highlighting the hopes that come with going to college and getting that degree, even if you do have student debt, but then he immediately highlights the hardship that comes with the college these days. The author states that “student loan debt increases inequality and makes it harder for low-income graduates” to “to buy a house, open a business, and start a family”(Ellison). The economy is going up by any means and it has no room for a middle class because there is so much debt. College graduates coming out of college are having even more of a hard time supporting themselves after college rather than while in it.

Have you ever deemed the modern college admissions process unfair? In the article by Frank Bruni tilted “College Aadmission Sshocker” he explores the increased greed of the universities at the expense of the students. Bruni is able to establish a well thought out and cunning satire about the insane practices in modern day universities, through the use of the rhetorical devices wit and incongruity. The article well establishes incongruity throughout the piece helping develop a strong satire. As colleges strive for the top percent of students each year Stanford university decides to kick it up a notch:

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

Grade inflation has been rising in education in the United States. Stuart Rojstaczer and Phil Primack both have arguments about grade inflation. They both see how it is affecting the quality of education. Today, the expectations and pressures to receive the higher grades takes its toll on the students and the professors. Rojstaczer and Primack make their points about the widespread occurrence of grade inflation affects the credibility of earning a degree.

For many years, a question has been ask trillions of times throughout the homes of families. What are you going to do after High School? Everyday you hear many different answers and bunch of different lectures of what you should and what shouldn’t you do. Having many honorable mentions such as Steve Jobs, Dave Thomas, or Kevin Rose shows that college after high school is not the only option. Four-Year Universities are not practical choice for most Americans students after High School because of the lack of preparation for a college education,Student are pressured that having a college degree is the only way to maintaining a stable financial life , and A college degree doesn 't pay off for years .

The increasing rate in which students are dropping out of college is alarming, because it will affect our society in the long term, as the students of today are the employees of tomorrow. Governments need to address this issue, because everyone’s future lies in the hands of teenagers. They need to find a solution to the increased prices in colleges relative to people’s earnings. Years ago, attending college may have been only for the people who were well off, but today having a bachelors degree holds the same value as a high school certificate did years ago. Teenagers’ aswell need to understand that attaining a bachelor’s degree is key for getting a well-paid job later on.

With a college degree playing an ever increasingly crucial role in job placement after graduation, students feel the pressure to go to college, but with the astoundingly high cost of higher education, millions are forced to take out loans- 42 million to be exact. This group of Americans currently hold the 1.3 trillion dollars in student loans on their shoulders. With the majority of college graduates being in their early 20s, the amount of debt per capita, around 25,000 dollars can be crippling, thus leading to higher default rates and less stability as they begin their journey out into the world. Not only will it impact their young adult life, but it is predicted that "students who graduated from college in 2015 will have to delay retirement until the age of 75" (Hess 5). Ultimately, it is this battalion that has to most to gain, as well as lose, should student debt not be controlled.

There wouldn’t be opportunity for growth in this country without successful graduation rates. The future of our country depends on the scholars that colleges produce. Without a thoroughly educated society, America would hit the floor and relapse into a deep depression. Jobs would disappear because the ones applying for them wouldn’t get accepted because they aren’t qualified. Even though dropout rates rise each year in America, college application rates are also on the rise because graduating high school students understand the importance of attending college.

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.

Trade schools offer a huge amount programs to further your life without college. Yes, college is the top option when you finish high school because with a college degree you have a larger chance of continuing your career in your chosen major is what teachers, adults, and parents explain to students. Then, again, it’s not a 100 % chance you have a job after college. When there’s a large amount of “middle-skill” jobs you can qualify for without a four-year college degree. Most middle-skill jobs are culinary, cosmetology, carpentry, graphic design, and electrician.

So many student borrowers are falling further and further behind in their payments, postponing purchases of cars and places to live, or putting their social lives on a shelve. Jason Delisle, who wrote the New America paper, “blames skyrocketing graduate school debt on changes to federal loan programs that essentially allow grad students unlimited borrowing. The more students can borrow, the more schools can charge.” Americans almost universally believe that a college degree is the key to success and getting ahead—and the data shows that, generally speaking, college graduates still fare far better financially than those with just a high school diploma.

Furthermore, the decision to start paying the athletes not only would create a even playing field that has typically been swayed toward the universities. Stipends are needed to control how much is allocated, but that itself will be the spark that is needed. This is important because the relationship between the NCAA and their athletes are like any other employer its employee; employer should pay the employee what they are worth, not just what they feel is equal. The NCAA has duplicated the structure that held many people down in the 1800’s - slavery. They earn the massive income as the laborers (athlete) settle for pennies.

According to Storms, the core problem for graduating college students is debt. In the article, Storms explains how we are told that having a bachelor’s degree will double a person 's earning. Even though this may or may not be true, there is still the fear of paying back student loans after graduation. It is obvious that not every degree is guaranteed a job straight out of college in the field one chooses. Storms also gives the story of his family using the fear of debt as an excuse to not to go to college.

In his article, Mark Edmundson discusses an ever increasing problem orbiting around university education– the misconception that studying something that could land you a high paying job trumps studying something that you love for the sole reason that you wouldn’t be able to earn as high as an income with that field of study. Edmundson also brings up the fact that before students get to college, they’re being told who they all their lives. Whether it be by their parents, their teachers, coaches —whoever, by the time most people get to that next step of their lives they don’t have their own definition of who they are. And that’s Edmundson argues what the main point of college is; discovering who you are and what you love. It’s not about preparing

The important information that all college students and families should know is how much will the education cost and will they be able to repay the loans after graduation. “Perhaps the most important mathematic exercise your child will ever have to do—and the most widely neglected—is figure out how much it will cost to pay back her student loans” (Bodnar, 288). Knowing the total amount of your education and how much the monthly loan payment will be after graduation will before entering college is very important and should be considered before entering your chosen university. This topic is important because many college graduates have a hard time finding jobs where they can earn enough money to pay back their loans and still have enough money to pay their monthly bills. Many student go into default on their loans and have their wages and income taxes garnished and this will affect them for years to come when they are looking to start a family or buy a