An Analysis Of Tough's 'College Conundrum'

Tough depicts the college conundrum as a prevalent matter in America’s higher education system, and investigates the cause of this national phenomenon. He describes the college conundrum when he states, “Why are so many American students dropping out of college just as a college degree has become so valuable and just as young people in the rest of the world have begun to graduate in such remarkable numbers?” (Tough 150). He illustrates the disturbing trend of an exponential growth in college dropouts rates in America, even when a bachelor’s degree is seen as a valuable asset, and graduation rates in other countries have considerably risen in comparison. Subsequently, Tough sought to uncover the root causes for this complication. As a result,

Tough explains their analysis and conclusions, by which he reiterates, “… high school grades reveal much more than mastery of content. They reveal qualities of motivation and perseverance - as well as the presence of good study habits and time management skills - that tell us a great deal about the chances that a student with complete a college program” (Tough 153). As apparent in the above text, non-cognitive abilities such as motivation and perseverance are key predictors to the completion of a college degree. In essence, the researchers suggest that the increase in college dropouts is associated with an absence of these character

He reveals how Kewauna was able to do so, when he writes, “Kewauna spent a lot of time interaction with all her professors … was a regular at office hours … emailed them whatever she wasn’t clear on assignments … tried to make one or two acquaintances among the students in each of her classes … through her freshmen-support program , she found a writing tutor …” (Tough 173). According to his view, Kewauna exhibited successful student strategies, which enabled her to succeed in college. In reference to the text, she accepted responsibility for her education, and took the initiative to pave her own path to success. More so, she sought for help from her professors after class, went to office hours outside the designed classroom period, made sure she clearly understood the assignment, developed connections with her classmates, and continued with additional assistance from her support program. I wholeheartedly endorse what Tough suggests as key student strategies to succeed. His illustration matters because success in the classroom requires the student to take charge in his or her studies to learn, to understand, and to seek for