Who Are You Doing Here? By Mark Edmundson Analysis

In Chapter Seven: Lessons From My Year as a Freshman, Rebekah Nathan summarizes and answers questions on the knowledge she gained from becoming a freshman. The author begins the chapter with a cross-cultural conversation between professors and students. She discusses how professors are not aware of the students living conditions or the effort that goes into achieving a high GPA. Likewise, the students do not understand professor rank and advancement.

Is College Really Worth It? Paula Scarborough Brenau University EH101 Professor Whelan March 18, 2017 A thorough evaluation of the higher education evidently reveals that there are diverse factors that need to re-evaluate as suggested by Charles Murray. Although the facts are based upon a misinterpretation of what colleges entails in the essence that they are not substantially equipping graduates with the necessary life skills hacks. Instead of cultivating capable individuals in the society, college’s distinct purpose has been to equip skillful graduates into diverse careers they wish pursue.

There has been a huge debate over whether or not going to college is worth it since the colonist came from Europe and founded “New College” (later renamed Harvard University) in 1636. While many people feel that college has many advantages and is the obvious choice after graduation, there are some disadvantages to attending as well. The debate continues today with some people arguing that going to college will not only help them expand their minds but will also expand their pockets as well, and others arguing that college is not for them and they can be successful without it. People who contend that going to college is worth it say that college graduates have higher employment rates, bigger salaries, and more work benefits than high school

“On the Uses of Liberal Education” written by Mark Edmundson offers this notion that the college network is becoming something more of a pay-n-go than an institute of higher education, students are more disconsolate and looking towards the professors for entertainment. It is becoming less about the education and more about filling seats and acquiring money. Parents could be partially blamed for their children who grow to be too scared to stand up or be criticized, they would rather stay quiet and let the professors be their entertainment. “I want some of them to say that they’ve been changed by the course”, this made me realize that this doesn’t happen enough and I agree with Edmundson that it’s somewhat due to imperturbable students since

1. The purpose of this article is to persuade the general public that not every high school student needs to strive to attend college because this will not only be a waste of time and money, but will also present them a career that they have trouble discerning the value of what they do. 2. The article does have a bias. Matthew B. Crawford believes that it is time to question what a good job appears to be like, both the security of the job and the worthy of being honored both considered as two key aspects.

People go to college to get a good paying job, have job security, and get a degree. Well at least that’s what it should be about. That’s what Charles Murray believes in his essay “Are Too Many People Going to College.” Murray counters the argument of Sanford Ungar who believes colleges should have a more liberal approach towards its classes and have students actually learn a broad range of real life skills instead of just going into a career just because it pays well. In Ungar’s essay he explains the misperception that Americans have on obtaining a liberal-arts degree and how they believe it doesn’t translate well to the real world.

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.

It has taken many years for people in society to break out of the norms and expectations of how to grow up and live in the world. A huge factor in this “revolution”: attending college. Whether it is taking a gap year to discover the world and the waiting opportunities, or simply running with it all after high school to work, attending college isn’t considered a given anymore. Now not all cases are the same for every person, therefore they can only decide what is the best path for them after high school. Still, the benefits of a being a college graduate will never be diminished.

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

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.

People being educated can be a great influence to people in today’s society. Charles Murray believe that a college degree is like a “a price ticket for employees”. The two reasons Murray says is that “employees do not value what students learned, just that the student has a degree” the other reason is “employees do not even look at applicants who have no college degree”. College is beneficial and plays a big part because we can gain more knowledge and learn how to be a responsible young adult and about our own

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.

The author points out what is wrong with education: the teachers and students do the bare minimum and that college is just leading to more important goals. Edmundson explains how students are built up by society but colleges really want them to be, "well-rounded students, civic leaders, people who know what the system demands, how to keep matters light" (Edmundson 93). Edmundson urges students to fight as he encourages them to follow their own interests and value what they learn. Students should focus on receiving a meaningful education that will define themselves then later receiving a fulfilling job that you are happy

In his article, “Are Too Many People Going to College?” Charles Murray argues that too many people are going to college universities when they should be focusing on other lifestyle options. In his opinion, whether or not to attend college is a personal decision that should be thoroughly thought through. When weighed with the unrealistic prerequisites, the financial expenses, and the time needed to obtain a degree, many people will find that attending college will not be beneficial to them. Speaking of this Murray attests, “The question here is not whether the traditional four-year residential college is fun or valuable as a place to grow up, but when it makes sense as a place to learn how to make a living.

Delbanco explains how students have changed their reasons for attending a college when he states, “...yet on the assumption that immersing themselves in learning for the sheer joy of it, with the aim of deepening their understanding of culture, nature, and, ultimately, themselves, is a vain indulgence” (222). Secondary education has become too expensive for learning to be an indulgence. Students only go to college to get a degree in order to gain a high paying career. Davidson explains how dire the situation with low paying job is by saying how the process should work, “Only through productivity growth can the average quality of human life improve” (339). Unfortunately, the productivity growth only leaves a bigger pay gap.