College is one of the biggest decisions a person can make. For most, the decision is deciding where to go. For some, however, the decision if they should go. David, a high school friend of mine, decided to not go to college. Fortunately, he had been working for a local lighting company, and had enough knowledge and skill to pursue a lighting career in Nashville, Tennessee. Today, David works in freelance, operating the lighting for shows in Nashville and for small tours. His views on college and his mother's reaction to his decision have altered my views on the subject. According to The Fiscal Times, an online news site, only only 56% of people who enroll in college end up graduating (Lewis). By debunking the myth that someone can't get a good job and you can't be successful without going to college, we can help save the time and money of the other 44%. There are many myths about college floating around. Some of these myths are that everyone is college material, college is the only place to learn, and everyone must go to college. Because Americans believe these myths, too many people are going to college. Americans can easily admit that everyone is unique in their own way. Everyone has their own interests, hopes, and dreams. College is not a part of the dreams of some, but it's not so easy for everyone else to accept that fact. As Karen Datko of MSN writes, “not everyone is suited for college,” (Datko). The first myth that must be debunked is the assumption that everyone is college material. Let's go back to my friend David. He is in between two very intelligent siblings, both of whom are hard workers and find success in school. Although David is equally intelligent, he never cared about school or paid attenti... ... middle of paper ... ...Dec. 2011. . Datco, Karen. "5 Smart Reasons to Skip College." MSN: Money. Microsoft, 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. . "Five Reasons To Skip College." Forbes. Forbes, 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. . Wood, Peter, and Ashley Thorne. "Expanding Enrollments, Declining Standards: American Higher Ed Prepares to Take the Plunge." National Association of Scholars. National Assn. of Scholars, 2011. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. . "Walt Disney Biography." Bio. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. .
Alex kern is software developer, who attends the University of California. Kern was offered by a company called Y Combinator to pursue his own startup by entering their program. In order to do the program Kern had to take a semester off college. Kern had no idea what to do with this opportunity. He asked for advice from family members and friends, but the verdict was split. So he went online to find some answers. Kern realized after reading a bunch of articles that they were all the same. Either it was about a billionaire dropping out of college and doesn’t regret it or it was in a motherly tone of why you should stay in school. Kern then continues why he believes college is important in a young person’s life. Some of his reasons are that you meet new people that are your age, with different world-views, enjoying more free time, joining student groups or staring your own, using your summers to sample different work environments through internships, traveling around the world, or spending valuable with friends and family, meet life-long friends, and lastly, wear sweatpants every
Every single individual has once heard the words “get good grades, go to a good college and graduate, in order to get a good job and succeed in life.” However, no one can really assure that a student with a degree is going to have a better future than those who do not attend college. Lawrence B. Schlack, a retired superintendent, asserts in his article “Not Going to College is a Viable Option” that college is not the only place to go after graduating from high school. By using different kinds of persuasive techniques the author effectively supports his claim and makes the article an understandable and important tool for both parents and students who believe that college is their mandatory option after high school.
“Why College is Still Worth It Even Though It Cost Too Much.” Money.com (2015): N.PAG. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 11 Oct. 2016 The author of this paper address that a lot of college students feel like the time, money, and effort is not worth it; However, studies show that it does pay off by receiving higher pay, better work hours, and better benefits, such as insurance plans. A poll was done using college alumni to see if they thought that college paid off, and of the 30,000 that were in the poll a majority of them agreed that it did. Also, the writer includes several other polls conducted to show the life-long impacts of a college education, which includes better career and friendship
It is the American dream to get out of high school and to start working towards your degree, right? Perusing a degree in the United States is not as dream like for some students. Many factors such as the learning environment, where you come from, and the knowledge and will power can shape how the higher education experience can go. While not all of these factors necessarily point to a rough or tough college experience, but also show that we as a nation could help our students be more educated and prepared to pursue and finish a degree. All students should be given equal opportunity and tools to become a successful member of society.
The argument about if college is worth it or not has been one of the biggest arguments throughout the media for decades. Students suffer a lot from the debts that they get from college and also the amount of studying that they do in college and when they graduate they ask themselves “is graduation from college really worth all the money that we paid and all the work that we have done?”
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, some 20.5 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities, constituting an increase of about 5.2 million since fall 2000. In addition to this increase of incoming college students, the constant question of “why” does as well. You have one side that says yes! They believe that college is the answer to America’s problems, while the other hand, says that college is not necessarily the answer. Although both of these sides seem to be on the opposite spectrum of everything; they both agree on a few common themes. One being that they both desire for America to be greater and that the quality of everyone 's lives to be the best they can possibly be.
In this society, almost every high schooler is told they need to go to college in order to be successful, but that is not necessarily true. Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill questioned if everyone needs college to be successful in their article, “Should Everyone Go to College?”. In the article, Owen and Sawhill discuss that even though college is very helpful for many people, but for some the benefits of a college education do not outweigh the costs. Owen and Sawhill discuss this and show the statistics on the pricing of college and general student success throughout the article. Overall, this article does a very well job showing ethical appeals with statistics, does an average job with emotional appeal, and does a very well job showing logic
In today’s society there is a lot of pressure on students to make this huge payment to go to college, and due to an ungodly amount of money being thrown into universities students feel as though they will be handed a degree in return but that’s not the case at all. In the article “Let’s clarify the ‘College Worth It’ Conversation” by Andrew Kelly he gives the statistics that 45% percent of college students do not finish their degree. High schools need to better inform students interested in furthering their education with these statistics. This can be extremely eye opening to students who think college will be an easy journey with low expectations. I have learned that the more effort and participation I put into my education the more enjoyable and worth the money it seems to
The main reason why people go to college is not because they want to but because they have to. Most high school seniors are pressured by their guidance counselors and parents to go to college because it is "the right thing to do." In the essay that Caroline Bird wrote "College is a Waste of Time and Money", she states that students go to college because " . . . Mother wanted them to go, or some other reason entirely irrelevant to the course of studies for which college is supposedly organized." (481) The student may have different ideas about what he or she wants to do in life, but because they think that these "mentors" know what is best for them, they probably end up doing something they do not want to do, resulting in being miserable and resentful.
In the article “Are too many People Going to College” by Charles Murray a W. H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, argues that our educational system needs improvement and that too many people are attending college. Some of Charles arguments on why too many people are attending college are obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree gives you a high paying job, college requires classes that are unnecessary, skill/talent may not need a degree and because they do not want to be labeled as dumb or lazy. Charles Murray makes a lot of good arguments on why too many people are going to college and I concur with his arguments.
Phillip A. Whitner and Randall C. Myers The Journal of Higher Education , Vol. 57, No. 6
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
The author Charles Murray says there are too many people going to college without really saying it. The essay is written in a way that his audience will understand by the time they finish reading that he has many valid points. He Persuades his readers with facts and counters arguments to false stereotypes involving college and success. By questioning whether college is for everyone makes "you" the reader want to rethink if your time spent in college was really worth it in the end.
Society tells almost every high schooler that they need to go to college in order to be successful, but that is not necessarily true. Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill question whether attending college is essential to being successful in their article, “Should Everyone Go to College?”. Owen and Sawhill discuss how even though college may be very helpful for many people, for some the benefits of a college education do not outweigh the costs. In discussing this, they compare statistics on the costs of college and general student success. Overall, this article does a very good job showing ethical appeals with statistics and showing logic with factual evidence, but only does an average job appealing to emotion.
In “Going to College May Cost You, But So Will Skipping It”, Jennifer Ludden writes that college has substantial