In the article “College Is a Waste of Time and Money” by Caroline Bird, its main idea is to really convince people to take a second look into what they are getting into when deciding to go to college. It also argues that there has to be other ways than just college to students prepared for the “real world”. College is not what it is made up to be. While in some ways, benefits outweigh the negatives. This article strictly discusses why college is basically the new high school diploma and how it is not the best thing to do. Students feel like this is the only option and what they think doesn’t matter. I can relate to this statement because during my first years of college, I didn’t accomplish anything and I struggle with the previous ignorance today. Before I graduated high school, my parents were always on my case about going to college. They recommended that I needed to get a degree in the medical field because any other major is boloney. I definitely couldn’t decide on a major. I first wanted to be a vet, then a nurse (to make my parents happy), then a cop. Anyhow, just like every other student, I went to college immediately after high school. I was surely unaware of the college lifestyle that I was completely blindsided. College is nothing …show more content…
I wanted money now and I didn’t want to wait for a degree. For the longest I did believe that college is a waste of time and money because of the stupid general courses. Honestly, I still believe a higher education should be free, but that’s a different rant. Anyways, I only worked because I couldn’t wrap my head around going to college to take general courses. Isn’t that what high school is for? This was my mindset for a while and no one could persuade me to go back to school. I even convinced myself that the Air Force was my best option. I tried Air Force ROTC the beginning of this semester and I dropped it after week two because I couldn’t hang with the big
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.
In the reading “Who Goes to College” written by Cecilia Rodriguez Milanes I was able to see myself in her situation. When she was a senior she had no idea what she was going to do her following year, all she knew was that her parents wanted her to attend college. She always wanted to work, she liked being able to provide for herself but her parents always told her that college would come first. She had no clue of how college worked, what classes she would take or what she would do there. After all the confusion she had of what college truly is, she began to love it. I believe that Cecilia Rodriguez chose the right path, even though she was not completely sure of what she wanted to do she always worked hard and never let any obstacle put her
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?”
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
Society instills today's youth with that without a college education they will not be successful. But then again what defines success? Success is a wide-ranging term that has different meanings to different people. Some people believe that making money defines success, while others believe that success is having a loving family. Still, society seems to demonstrate and even promote that success is portrayed by making money. The general public states that in order to be a successful person one must make a heavy salary out of college. The problem with this philosophy is that some people are not meant for college. In Bird's article, she writes that college is not been effective for everyone. Half of all high school graduates attend college and the pattern of dropouts is becoming more and more obvious showing that some students don't fit the mold (305).
We all have to go to school as it is mandatory by law until we graduate from twelfth grade. However, after high school the options seem endless, and the choices are overwhelming. Young graduates can go to a community college to take advantage of the free tuition for two years and then move to a university after that. They also may forge ahead and go straight to a university to begin to pursue their future career. They may choose to go straight into the workforce. My father took this path, and he has been successful and supports our family well. There are many success stories of people who have chosen from these different paths indicating that there is really not a wrong choice. Some people think that going to college isn’t worth the
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.
American’s education system has been entering crisis mode for a long time. Throughout the past few years, the overwhelming question “Is college needed or worth it?” While it is an opinion, there are facts that back up each answer. Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” mentions that the enlightened must help the unenlightened and further their knowledge. The problem with America today is that high school students are given the option of college and that makes for less enlightened people. While it is possible to learn in the work force or Army, college is a better option. Mary Daly wrote the article “Is It Still Worth Going to College?” which talks about the statistical value of attending. Michelle Adam wrote the article “Is College Worth It?” which mentions the struggle young people are going through to even get into college. Caroline Bird wrote the chapter “Where College Fails Us” in her book The Case Against College where she
In the essay "College is a Waste if time and money," Caroline Bird's overall arguement is that college is a complete waste of time and money. One of the main arguements she uses to support her claim is that students are only attending college because it is the "thing to do" (428) or because it's what society expects from them and she beleives that that is a waste of time and money because most students don't even want to be there in then first place. They're unhappy there, but feel like they need to go. Bird conducts studies and according to her "most professors and administartors, when pressed for a candid opinion, estimiate that no more than 25% of their students are turned on by classwork" (428), and then she states that the other 75% think of college as more of a social center or even a prison. Although there may be some truth to those words overall I do not agree with her arguement.
One question that comes to mind when graduating high school is, “should I attend college?” For many graduates this question have a very obvious answer. A high school graduate may state that, “college is the best option if one is trying to get a higher level of education, and will help one compete for a higher paying job.” However, in my opinion most graduates do not consider the fact that going to college is a very big decision to make and that the schoolwork will not be easy. Going to college is not the best choice for every high school graduate because many students cannot handle college, colleges’ lower standards, and not all jobs require a college degree.
College was once seen as the only way to better your life, and immensely increase your income. But now that is all the past. Caroline Bird states in her narrative “College Is a Waste of Time and Money” that “A great majority of our nine million college students are not in school because they want to be or because they want to learn” (Pg. 373). Sadly the author has a good point, and goes into detail what makes college, so obsolete in our day and time. In particular Caroline Bird mentions that students nowadays see college as something sad and depressing. She then goes on saying that most kids go to college to please their parents, or a way to get away from intolerable home situations. Today I will be talking about why I think is a waste of time and money, and will be elaborating on questions like, is college even worth it, and is it becoming obsolete.
In “College Is a Waste of Time and Money,” Caroline Bird, a college lecturer makes very good and valid points that college is wasting time and money. She describes how society has pushed students into getting higher education right out of high school. Leaving us with the question, are students getting a higher degree of education to better their future or to keep them busy and paying an institution.
In Caroline Bird’s “College is A Waste of Time and Money”, it’s argued that there are many college students who would be better off if they were to begin working after high school graduation. Colleges and universities can no longer ensure that one will go on to get a better job, getting paid more than they would have without a higher education. However, high school seniors still stress about where they will be attending college, how they’re going to pay for it and what they’re going to study for the next four years. Bird points out how college has changed over the past few decades and how, in turn, it has set many young adults up for disappointment, if nothing else.
In “Should Everyone Go to College?” Isabel Sawhill and Stephanie Owen make a strong valid point on whether or not college is for everyone. For many students ready to leave high school, wondering whether they should attend college is an issue that may lay heavy on one teenagers mind. There are a few factors that could be a difficult decision depending on a person’s goal they are working towards. Some students jump right into the workforce after high school. Others may sign up for the military after graduation. While these are different options, research says higher education is very important. Higher education provides opportunity for students that attend college are giving a good shot of a better career later in life. Approaching graduation, a student might find themselves asking, “Why is it important to go to college?” The answer is that education is the most important growing factor in the growth of our country. Obtaining a college degree is a
Many years ago I remember my parents telling me that in order for me to become successful a college education was a must. They always told me that if I wasn’t in school I could no longer live at home. Both of my parents attended college but neither of them finished. They did not want me to go down that same road because they really regret not getting their degrees.