Two professors of different backgrounds, Mike Rose of California, and Gerald Graff, of Illinois, discuss the problems college students face today in America. Though similar in slight variations, both professors view the problem in different regards and prepare solutions that solve what they feel to be the heart of this academic problem.
Mike Rose, author of The Politics of Remediation, explains that “linguistic exclusion'; is the barrier that prevents many new college students from excelling in the academics at any given university. Gerald Graff, on the other hand, feels that the problem comes from the lack of communication between professors, and that many of the times the students are taught the same concepts but through opposite understandings and in a bias fashion.
Mike Rose met many struggling students at UCLA’s Tutorial Center, the Writing Research Project, and the school’s Summer program. He first describes the loneliness students feel upon arriving at college, and that as they try to find themselves, they all to often lose themselves because they are bombarded with ideas that are so foreign to them. He introduces his audiences to Andrea, a bright young girl out of high school who, despite hours of memorizing in her textbook, could not obtain a passing grade on her Chemistry mid-term. How is this possible if she spent so much time studding? Rose explains that she failed because in college, and in this course in particular, it is not enough for a student to know the material, but rather, to be able to apply it in a various amount of problems. Yet the problem Andrea faces is that she was never taught this in high school.
Rose writes of other students he tried to help as they sat in front of him with eyes that were both sad and confused. From young, jocks, to a twenty-eight year old mother, and an insecure girl that was so afraid to use her own ideas, she turns to plagiarism. Rose explains this situation in great detail, “Students were coming to college with limited exposure to certain kinds of writing and reading and with conceptions and beliefs that were dissonant with those in the lower-division curriculum they encountered.';
Rose places great blame on the professors who assume that these students are culturally prepared to address, and analyze, ideas and concepts that they have never even heard of before. Students, who come from different cultures and backgrounds, are not prepared (especially on their own) to give up everything that have spent the past eight-teen years believing in, in order to write the prefect college essay.
In his essay, "Why Colleges Shower Their Students With A’s,” Staples claims that student grades are increasing for the wrong reasons, causing college degrees to become meaningless. Staples provides evidence that average grades have increased significantly over the last several decades, but claims that it is not because students are working harder. The real explanation for grade inflation, he argues, is the effect of grades on both students and their professors. Teachers give more A’s to receive better evaluations and increase job security. Students give more importance to their grades as a result of the rapidly increasing cost of a college education. Staples argues that modern
In Patricia Limerick’s article “Dancing with Professors”, she argues the problems that college students must face in the present regarding writing. Essays are daunting to most college students, and given the typical lengths of college papers, students are not motivated to write the assigned essays. One of the major arguments in Limerick’s article is how “It is, in truth, difficult to persuade students to write well when they find so few good examples in their assigned reading.” To college students, this argument is true with most of their ...
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,
The American Education system needs to check their purpose and refocus students back on the reason for furthering their education. Although, many colleges are known for many amenities and student activities, college students need to focus on the issues at hand and conquer them with knowledge and compassion for humankind. Americans need to realize that student debt is a national crisis, and the best way to make a change is be involved and responsible for every cost during your education career. As a responsible student, know where your tuition money goes and question changes that are going on at school, students pay for the experience they should know what is
Coming to college as an adult, we have many expectations and preconceptions of what college will or will not be. The expectations we have can influence our college life for the better or the worse. My experience since starting college has been an interesting one. People have misconceptions about college because they do not know what to expect. After doing some research, I have concluded that there are three major factors that are often misunderstood about college life. The first is the financial aspect of college. Second, is the relationship between the professors and students. Third is time management. These three factors play an important role in why people are afraid to go down the path to college.
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.
First and most importantly Mike Rose writes the book in the first person. This provides an invaluable view to the actual thoughts and perceptions of a student who considered himself to be underprepared. Mike Rose begins his accounts in grammar school when he felt lost in the material. The teacher did not hold his attention and therefore he began to “daydream to avoid inadequacy” (Rose 19).
...lege peers, the necessity to work while in college, racial and ethnicity differences, and being a mother can complicate the hardships more. One thing we know that is beneficial for college students is to get engaged on campus. It will help academically, socially, personally, and hopefully in the future economically. However, to create an institutional environment that is fair and equal to all students would be to cater to the needs of all demographics. We have established the first generation students are a new demographic and it is necessary to help the needs of this group of students. Until the system makes it easier for those who want to earn a degree to do so while maintaining other responsibilities, the number of students with some college education, but no degree to show for it, will be a continuing challenge for the higher education industry (Unknown).
The right and privilege to higher education in today’s society teeters like the scales of justice. In reading Andrew Delbanco’s, “College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be, it is apparent that Delbanco believes that the main role of college is to accommodate that needs of all students in providing opportunities to discover individual passions and dreams while furthering and enhancing the economic strength of the nation. Additionally, Delbanco also views college as more than just a time to prepare for a job in the future but a way in which students and young adults can prepare for their future lives so they are meaningful and purposeful. Even more important is the role that college will play in helping and guiding students to learn how to accept alternate point of views and the importance that differing views play in a democratic society. With that said, the issue is not the importance that higher education plays in society, but exactly who should pay the costly price tag of higher education is a raging debate in all social classes, cultures, socioeconomic groups and races.
“College education is only a mere rite of passage these days and a capstone to adolescent party time” (Henry). This is one of the things William A. Henry had to say about College Education, especially community colleges. William A. Henry was a critic, columnist and an author. In his career he received several prizes including the Pulitzer Prize as a drama critic for Time Magazine. He also wrote several books including his final and controversial book In Defense of Elitism which he talks about the tension America always had between elitism and egalitarianism. In those terms he sheds some light on education. Stanley Fish who published an article Colleges Caught In a Vise stating that colleges are offering an inferior product, in other words- an education that isn’t worth anything. Stanley Fish is a literary theorist, scholar, author, and was a professor in several Universities but now a Professor of Law at Cardozo Law School and a dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois. What these two authors had to say about college raises a question whether community colleges should exist anymore. William A. Henry even states that community colleges should be closed and the number of high school graduates that go on to college should be reduced by about fifty percent. I agree with William A. Henry that the number of community colleges should be reduced down in our education system because first: a community college certificate has no value and oversupply of college graduates is affecting the economy. Second, community college tuition and expenses are climbing and in result continuing to offer cheaper education. I will analyze what community colleges are currently doing wrong, why they should be closed, and r...
Students go to college in search of knowledge, a new lifestyle, and the hope of a job after graduation. For many young adults, college is a rite of passage into an independent, mature new lifestyle. Not only is higher education a rite of passage, for some, it is also an opportunity to have a better life. Overall, college is a wonderful part of many people’s lives, yet the way the college education system is conducted wastes students time and money. College is basically composed of two parts: general education classes and major specific classes. General education courses are the source of wasted time and money, and should not be required of students. A few of the problems associated with general education classes are that they are basically a repeat of high school, unfortunately they can be the demise of students, they are costly, and they waste time.
In “College Pressures” from The Seagull Reader: Essays, William Zinsser examines the societal ideology of obtaining a degree from a university being the only path to financial and social success. Zinsser also discloses to his audience the encumbrances that college students face while enrolled in a higher education facility. The author’s main point is that college students should not be heavily pressured throughout their college career, for college is a time to relish the educational experience that comes with higher education. In his referential essay that is developed by description, William Zinsser effectively uses emotional appeal and rhetorical questions.
Numerous college students today feel as if they are not adequate enough. So much is put on their plate, and above it all, in order to maintain moving forward academically towards a career, they must showcase themselves. This idea is explored in “College Pressures” by William Zinsser. He discusses why students are driven to try so vigorously in order to earn a step ahead, yet the reasoning is arguable.
Studying a university degree is one of the biggest achievements of many individuals around the world. But, according to Mark Edmunson, a diploma in America does not mean necessarily studying and working hard. Getting a diploma in the United States implies managing with external factors that go in the opposite direction with the real purpose of education. The welcome speech that most of us listen to when we started college, is the initial prank used by the author to state the American education system is not converging in a well-shaped society. Relating events in a sarcastic way is the tone that the author uses to explain many of his arguments. Mark Edmunson uses emotional appeals to deliver an essay to the people that have attended College any time in their life or those who have been involved with the American education system.
I have learned many things throughout the course of the term, including such things as: how to write an essay and how to improve on essays that I have already written, how to locate and composite better research through the use of numerous resources found at the campus library, the internet, and the “Common Sense” textbook, how to cite research, examples, and quotations properly within the contents of my research paper as well as document it accurately according to MLA standards. Through the exploration of the “Subjects and Strategies” textbook, I have learned nine different methods used when writing an effective essay and how the different writing styles affect the overall theme and tone of the essay when used properly. This past semester, I have encountered many difficulties when trying to write these essays, but through the use of the textbooks, the aide of the instructor, and once I was able to classify the different types of essays and styles, I found them possible to overcome.