Today, it is not easy for one to obtain a high-paying job without a college education. In addition to the importance of the actual degree and earning money, college is a critical period of time in life for developing critical thinking, time management and communication skills that set the stage for building a solid career. Further, relationships made in college often will open the doors to new opportunities and further advancement. Unfortunately, college is very expensive and the challenge of paying for it can seem insurmountable to teens from financially-challenged homes. However, college can be the mechanism to break the cycle of low income in a family. Despite the fact that many colleges offer a lot of money for scholarships, many high schoolers across America fail to see the benefits of attending college because the lack of a strong influence in their lives. Many fail to work hard for a strong GPA or take advantage of free ACT courses to improve their chances at earning financial assistance or scholarships. The MAIN issue is not lack of scholarships available, rather the lack of motivation to work hard to achieve the minimum to get financial support. In upper class …show more content…
These role models need to emphasize the opportunity that exists for a college graduate. They can stress information like a 2011 report by the American Community Survey found that on average, those holding a bachelor's degree were expected to earn a 40-year lifetime salary of $2.4 million. While those with just a high school diploma were expected to earn a lifetime salary of only $1.4 million. Those who earned doctorates were expected a staggering $4 million on average in their careers. While a sufficient salary is beneficial, college does more than setting a person up for wealth
Education comes at a high price for this generation and not just financially. Going to college can give students plenty of debt with no promise of a job in return, which can set a student father back on their course of life. Young adults trying to start their lives by going to college encounter many setbacks. Today the average cost for a private university is $25...
Thousands of people end up enrolling in college after they graduate from high school. Most of them want to further their education so they can make something out of themselves. It is a common idea among many, that college will end up increasing one’s average income. In the article, The College Payoff Illusion, by Edwin S. Rubenstein, he wrote that “In 1997, college graduates earned an average of $40,508 versus just $23,970 for non-college graduates”. The statistic shows that graduates are making more but does it have more to do with their college degree or their personality?
In the essay "The Danger of Telling Poor Kids That College Is the Key to Social Mobility" written by Andrew Simmons, he states that poor and wealthy college students should both be "sold" the same motivational idea. His idea is that rather than poor people focusing of making money, they should focus on an intellectual awakening similar to what wealthier students are able to focus on. Although Simmons raises a strong argument, I do not believe it is effective when trying to motivate poor students such as the black and Latino kids that live in Inglewood and West Adams in Los Angeles. Throughout my essay I will discuss why poor students and wealthy students motivational factors differ greatly.
In my community, El Sereno, college is viewed as an option as opposed to it being the next step in life. Most people in my area either begin working or start a family after they graduate from high school. Not always by choice, but in some cases by circumstance. Students in my neighborhood either lack the knowledge, financial support, guidance or even legal status that would otherwise drive them to apply or even go to college. About eighty-percent of students graduated from my high school, but only about twenty-percent ended up attending a four-year university (NINCHE). One of the biggest reasons for student’s low college entrance rate has to deal with their family's socioeconomic
For the purpose of this paper, the American Dream will be defined as the idea that you can achieve financial stability through hard work, which often means going to college. The term “college” refers to any undergraduate or graduate program at a secondary institution. This paper aims to examine the relationship between attending college and one’s ability to achieve the American Dream. Attending college is thought to be an important step in obtaining the American Dream, primarily because receiving a higher level of education tends to lead to a higher paying job and furthermore a financially stable future. However, this isn’t always the case due to an increase in the need for students to take out loans and increase their debt in order to afford college expenses.
Long ago, receiving education was once something only the rich could afford; it was a luxury. Nowadays it is open to everyone, but many students enter college only to discover that they are underprepared, and in turn they become disenchanted. David Leonhardt’s article, The College Dropout Boom, addresses the issues that are apparent in the education system and how it contributes to the gap between the upper and lower class while Access to Attainment by Abby Miller, Katherine Valle, Jennifer Engle, and Michelle Cooper calls to improve access to college education for today’s students. This is incredibly important because many students either drop out or never attended college and in today’s time, having a Bachelor’s degree has become a requirement
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
Recent research has shown that even if students work full-time they still need financial aid to pay for tuition and books (Carnevale, Smith, & Melton, 2015). Therefore, students’ will sacrifice studying and class time and still have a great deal of debt when they graduate. Unfortunately, these students do not have any other options. They are working out of necessity. For these students to be successful they would need to have career counseling from the college of university. They would also need financial resources that help students pay for college expenses from the state. Colleges and universities could also create programs to assist with finding a job after college. Low-income students are faced with the problem of working too much which can create a cycle that pushes students further into debt without the benefits of a career that they were trying to
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
Having the college experience is everyone’s dream, especially High School students who are ready to get out into the world and explore. College is very important for furthering someone’s career, but no one thinks about all the costs and the stress that comes along with college. Tuition fees and costs are increasing more and more each year. Now days it feels like you have to be a millionaire just to attend a good college and get a good degree in what you were attending for. There are some students that do not have a lot of money and live on very little things with their parents, but indeed are very smart and have a 4.0 GPA. Those students are the ones that are unable to attend college if they cannot afford it. College tuition is too expensive,
Multiple federal programs have been created to guide families in the confusion that is college. The Obama Administration has worked with FAFSA since 2009 to ease the paperwork associated with college and has made financial aid opportunity transparent to lower income households. Not only does this provide financial aid, but measures are put in place to standardized performance and “improve college persistence and completion” (221, par.3). Programs like this give additional incentive to make students do the best in school that they can. Knowing about these available services can assist families in saving money, and sending their child to college
It seems as though the majority of college students these days aren’t looking to further their education because it’s what they really want, they do it to please their parents, to be accepted by society, or because there’s nothing else for them to do (Bird, 372). These expectations have led to students being unhappy and stressed, and have pushed them into a school or a job that they don’t particularly care for.
Pursuing higher education and earning a degree is now a necessity to live a successful life and accomplish personal career affiliated goals. The rising price of college tuition, in private and public schools, is a major concern for many American students. Applying to schools is an overwhelming and stressful process, especially knowing that a good education comes with a large price tag. The thought of not being able to go to the school of ones dreams, purely because of the cost of tuition, is demotivating, even crippling for some. Many students apply to any and all scholarships that they can in an attempt to reduce their future debt, to no avail.
Many students entering college may discover that they are not prepared for college curriculum courses. These students enter college courses facing a major issue. They find that high school has not adequately prepared them for the difficulty of college level courses. These students lacked the sufficient basis in being well equipped for advanced careers and college entry. These students have suffered a great inequality prevalent throughout high schools since several high schools do not receive equivalent aid. The unequal funding in high schools prevents students from attaining the same education that other students in different areas may receive. Unequal school funding in secondary schools causes inadequate preparation for students wanting to attend a post-secondary institution.
By attending college, students guarantees themselves a better job that the average Joe. Because the world is changing rapidly, and many jobs rely on new technology, more jobs require education beyond high school. With a college education, an individual will have more jobs from which to choose. In addition to obtaining a better job, people who go to college usually earn more money than those who do not. College furnishes you with proper credentials and documents to land high-level jobs. Figures from an A&E television program on ‘The Working Class’ show that in 2004 the average earnings were $23,895 for a high school graduate and $41,478 for individuals with a bachelor’s degree. Getting a college education is simply a stepping stone in ensuring yourself with a good start in life. Some may agree that college students are open minded and knows exactly how to expre...