“Are Too Many People Going to College?” by Charles Murray poses a question about the mass majority of students going to college. Murray states various reasons why some recent high school graduates will not succeed in college, if they attend at all. Some students are not deemed as “fit” for college or possess a trade they are superb at that can be continued in lieu of college. Charles Murray displays his reasoning’s in such a way that the reader may start to believe his viewpoint of college are correct while simultaneously questioning the approach he uses to present his opinions. Human’s core knowledge starts when we first enter kindergarten and, according to Murray, ends once we finish high school. The completion of high school comes with a diploma and “considerable flesh on the liberal education skeleton for students who are still interested” (Murray 237). Murray believes that only the top five percent of high school graduates will be successful in obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree because of the sheer difficulty of the degree and the challenging courses that are required. The lower down the “linguistic ladder” (Murray 239) one is, the less likely they are to thrive in college or enjoy the readings …show more content…
Going to college gives students the chance to step out of their comfort zone, try new things, and discover who they are while pursuing a degree that may, or may not, interest them. In today’s world if a student drops out of college society assumes they are unintelligent, while in reality they could have come to the realization that being amazing at a trade job is better than being mediocre at a desk job. There has to be a way for students to want to finish college and find what they are learning interesting. If something doesn’t change, the system of postsecondary education will become a thing of the
As David Leonhardt states in his article, It College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say, “ When experts and journalists spend so much time talking about the limitations of education, they almost certainly are discouraging some teenagers from going to college...”. In spite this argument, I believe the purpose of college is to prepare me for a good, well- paying job when I graduate. Since I came from a family background in which girls are always on the bottom and can’t get out of the tradition in boys zone.
Right from the start, the title of the article “Is College For Everyone?” sparks immediate curiosity. Pharinet, author of the article and current teacher, explains her numerous reasons as to why attending college is not for everyone. Although Pharinet is not as credible as we would like her to be, she makes an exceptional argument. Beware, an argument like this may alter our opinions as Pharient sits back pulling on our heart strings, playing with our minds, and hitting us with back to back facts.
The question of the century is whether higher education is worth the price, and everyone feels like they have the winning argument. The article I have chosen to write about that pertains to this subject is by Charles Murray and it’s called “Are Too Many People Going to College?” I chose this article because I feel that the author brings up valid points that resonate with me and my beliefs towards going to college. Charles Murray attacks the specific issue of whether there are too many people going to college. Murray using different viewpoints shows how he believes that too many people are going to college, and I agree with his reasoning.
The social standard seems to be that after finishing high school, students should attend college in order to have a bright future, but Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, in “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?” question that notion. Colleges are trying to do too much, yet none of it is done well, they assert. However, in “Give Colleges More Credit,” Barry Glassner and Morton Schapiro argue the norm of many attending college will continue, despite the claims of those critical of the higher education system.
Is college worth it ? why should someone go to college ? Most people think college is the only logical option to a successful well paying future, that may or may not be true. In this essay I will be talking about the rhetorical situations of 3 authors each from different texts and a debate that all discuss this topic is college worth it. “Are Too Many People Going to college” by Charles murray, “What is college for” by Gary gutting “University 's Undergraduate Learning outcomes” by the textbook, and the debate “Are Too Many Kids Going To College”. As you can tell all these passages pertain to the same subject.
The number of college graduates, in the U.S., is much smaller than what it can be. Some high school students think that it may not be worth it to go to college. In addition, other students think that college is the obvious choice of education after high school. Many questions will be asked during a student’s high school experience. Is it worth it? Will it affect my ability to get the job I want? If I choose to go to college will I be able to get into the school I want? The country needs more college educated students/adults to increase the knowledge of the country.
Education simply does not work for everyone. Unique qualities exist in every person and nobody can be expected to think, act, learn, and develop the same as another; in fact, bringing new qualities to the table is exactly what makes a person more valuable. Why, then, does mass-producing graduates seem to be the aim of current American education? To put students under the same curriculum does not accurately determine who is better than another—many factors compile this analysis. For one, Murray explains that people enjoy what they do well, and in turn, they do well at what they enjoy.
Many kids beginning the college - decision process may be feeling lost at first, and ”By telling all young people that they should go to college no matter what, we are actually doing some of them a disservice.”(Owen and Sawhill 209) For a seventeen/eighteen year old, going to college is arguably the biggest decision that they have had to make in their life thus far, and having the facts that Owen and Sawhill produce can be invaluable to the decision-making process. It is clear that the purpose of their essay is to better inform these young adults and guide them on their journey that is life after high school. The primary claim that Owen and Sawhill attempt to drive in using rhetorical appeals is that on average, having a college degree will lead to a higher income than not having one; however, it is not universally
“Are Too Many People Going to College?” is an article written by Charles Murray in 2008 discussing the necessity and the consequences of people attending college after graduating from high school, particularly liberal education. In this argument, Murray implies he is against people going to college as it’s the notion of college is changing. The primary argument he uses is the social model that pushes people to seek a B.A. as it is the first reason students attend college. Another argument Murray makes is the financial aspect of college education as it is increasingly difficult to afford. He argues that basic liberal education is and should be learned during elementary school
As the numbers of college graduates employment have increased for each years, many people have being debating that whether everyone should have college education and whether college education still worth it for everyone. Some people found that they did not gain the benefits that they wish from college education, and some people found that they still could not find the job they desire after they spent all the money they have on college education and being in heavy debts. Therefore, people started to believe that colleges are not designed for everyone, and force oneself to attend colleges could lead to negative outcomes. Consequently, people who cannot afford to attend colleges, who do not have adequate academic skills to be successful in colleges,
In the article "College is a Waste of Time and Money", Caroline Bird explains why higher education may not be the best choice for high school graduates. Bird writes that students do not attend college because they want to, but because of what others expect. College is merely the trend in today's society. It is an escape from the real world. Students may be shuffled into a system that is neither financially nor academically beneficial.
Those who say college is not worth the cost, say that if given specialized education in high school, there should be no rush to attend college; rather, they could start with a higher-paying job right after high school graduation. (Source A) They believe if high schools had a more focused purpose on specialized types of education, the decision to attend college wouldn’t be as stressful. Furthermore, some feel that they regret their career choices made in college, due to the pressure to be successful as soon as possible. (Source E) Many feel rushed once they get into college to make one choice and stay with it throughout their educational years. Conversely, what people don’t take into much consideration, are the long-lasting effects college has.
College education has always been seen as a gateway to making more money and living a better life. Going to college was seen as the next step that any ambitious American must take in order to make something of themselves and make their parents proud. Teachers fill their student’s heads with propaganda by telling them the only way to achieve their goal is through a proper education and with that, there is nothing they cannot do; however that is no longer the case. College takes years of diligent work and sacrifice to complete and in many cases result in the graduate being unemployed. Many people cannot handle the stress that comes with attending college and end up giving up on their dream. With the declining economy, it has become hard for students who did manage to graduate to get a job or to even afford an education. While getting a proper education is important in order to get a good job or a career, going to college is no longer the best option. Americans should no longer go to college since it has a high cost for attending, with no guaranteed rewards and there are better options available.
He conveys the point that many students are not academically prepared for the rigorous courses that are required of a liberal education “the threshold “college readiness” score was found to be 1180 on the combined SAT math and verbal test…only about 10 percent of American 18-year-olds would achieve if they all took the SAT, in an age when more than 30 percent of 18-year-olds go to college” (238). Not only does Murray talk about how the average student is not academically prepared he also goes on to make a point that students could be choosing a college for a purely financial reason instead of choosing the path that suits their academic level in life. According to Murray, this is caused by the fact so many employers require a B.A. “Employers do not even interview applicants who do not hold a B.A. Even more brutal, the advantage conferred by the B.A. often has nothing to do with the content of the education” (245). The reason that this affects young people so much Murray believes is because “more than 90% of college students report the guidance counselors encouraged them to go to college (251). This falls along in Murrays belief that many students who are not academically prepared attended college because they are encouraged by people who may not have a full understanding of the academic standards higher education requires. Murray ultimately believes a better system needs to be put in place in
Are too many people going to college, or are too many people giving up and not having high enough expectations? Some, such as Charles Murray, would like to say that the educational structure of college is becoming corrupt due to the mass amount of people who now are striving for more knowledge. Growing up in the contemporary black community, we have had only two routes to choose from. While college is often the harder route, it always seems like the best one for some of our people. Additionally, our community has those who enter the workforce directly without pursuing a higher education or who choose to sell drugs. Contrary to what Murray suggests in “Are Too Many People Going to College?,” the community should encourage more high school students to achieve bigger goals rather than limiting their aspirations to being a manager at Wal-Mart or a local plumber. More