Andrew Delbanco's Essay: Does College Still Matter?

Today’s economy is very unstable. Every day people are being laid off, many companies had folded due to the gas prices dropping at an all-time low. Parents are pondering the question, is college a good investment for my child due to uncertain of the future. There is a great debate throughout the country regarding college education. Some people argue that college is not for all students and most students will not benefit in going to college. However, from grade school to high school students are being prepared in attending college. Teachers and academic counselors tell students that in order to be successful in life that a person must obtain a higher education. Everyone has different opinions regarding if college is for every student, but with today’s technologies and the high demands of new jobs, there is one main question that needs to be answered. Does college still matters? Andrew Delbanco, a professor at Columbia University, wrote an essay regarding the question; does college still matters. Many students attend college to develop marketable skills in the workplace. Colleges use to be exclusively for the privileges and rich until the community colleges and online private colleges started competing with the traditional colleges

The three main reasons are economic, political and obtaining new ideas. Attending colleges today will produce future leaders for tomorrow. College should not be just for the rich and the privilege, but for the students with the desire and will. It is a place where hope, dreams and goals can be fulfilled. It provides hope to the students from low income families. College is a place where diversity is not only welcome but embraced. More opportunities will be opened, without a higher education a student can be stuck just getting by in life. College matters because its help the student become the best person he/she can