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.
The first obstacle that stops college students from obtaining a true education at college is all of their classmates, instructors, and even the admission staff who are perpetually stuck in
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This not only put regrets into the student’s head, but it also distracts the students from the teacher’s lecture. The teacher, although the can see and hear the students that are misbehaving, will most likely not mention anything to the students. Following the teacher’s lead most student slack off and decide to take advantage of the lenient professor and begin to cheat on test, pay no attention during the lecture, and turn in work late. The author explains that the professors are simply too afraid of the students causing problems for the professor with the higher ups therefore the professors choose to devote their talents into other areas like research. Finally the student will find no help from the admission staff, Edmundson reports that the admission staff is mostly focuses on the reputation of the university which is a picture of the alumni of the university as a result the staff also has a fear of
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
In Excellent Sheep, William Deresiewicz argues how college does not just provide education. He continues by informing us that life is more important than a job; jobs are more than a paycheck; and a country more than its wealth. Deresiewicz also argues that even being a quadruple major does not make a student interesting, but looking inside themselves and finding out and doing what actually interests them makes them interesting. In doing so, he suggests how the college prepares the student to be an active student who can handle different situations from the experiences he/she will experience .
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.
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.
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.
“For a long time, I tried to figure out how I was going to get started as a writer. I knew that a writer was what I wanted to be—though it wasn’t clear exactly why.” (Page 25) This quote is said by Mark Edmundson, who is a well known writer and author who published “Why Write.” I picked Mark Edmundson's chapter "
Whereas the author, David Leonhardt, explains, “Is College Worth It”. It discusses the fact that as the economy grows, so does the technology developments; it is important for college graduates to pursue careers that will help them in the long run. A college education is essential for the economy and the student itself as it will allow them to pursue a career that will benefit their lives. Having no college degree will affect a person’s career in the future. In the economy today, workers strive to perform their best when it comes to having a raise, so that they can support themselves or their loved ones.
College is a Waste of Time and Money “College Is a Waste of Time and Money” written by Caaroline Bird introduces the topic to college and high school graduates; Caroline Bird’s claim is that she urges the reader to reconsider why it’s best not to attend college. Her premise is “college is a waste of time and money.” She explores her premise thru topics such as why students attend college?,cost of college, career preparation, material learned, job market outlook, estimates of students in college and financial return on school. Caroline Bird throughout the article uses interviews, statistics and personal real life stories of families, to demonstrate her claim.
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.
Anyone in this situation or one who knows someone in this situation can understand the anger and many other feelings that graduate is left with. Moving on, Murray positively suggests that society will adapt to the reality of things like cost, time of education, and job market. Using ethos, Murray presents Bill Gates and Steve Jobs being “exemplars” of success with their skill, rather than a college degree. He goes on to say “Every time that happens, the false premium attached to the college degree will diminish.” (679)
Is College Really Worth it? Many college graduates are currently unemployed, which has left many parents wondering, is college really worth it? Some parents believe that college prepares students for more than a job or career, and others don’t think it’s worth the cost. Recent studies have shown that new college students are losing ground on wages by the time they graduate, higher education is becoming a risky investment, and most students are better off developing their own “lower-risk” business.
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.
There are a lot of obstacles students face when trying to college and going to college, sometimes these obstacles involve how counseling and emotional support is out of the question and other reasons are fall into the category of not having too much money to afford school or if they could afford college through scholarships they still struggle with meeting their basic needs. Students lots of minority students face constant oppression because of students face discouragement and this can lead students down two roads, sometimes to regret and misery. Minorities have never really grasp the opportunity of getting a higher education because these students are always discouraged from dreaming of college, making
Is College Worth the Cost? Life’s success is achieved in different ways. (Director, n.d.) A lot of television programs and magazines instills the idea in us that being successful means; having a fulfilling career, having a lot of money and being powerful. Most religious and spiritual organizations, in contrast, claim that success means being at peace with God and finding spiritual happiness.
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.