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.
The essay starts off with Murray saying of course more people be encouraged to go to college then countering with a yes and no to the question. He agrees that yes getting a education is important but majority of people are going for what they should have learned years before reaching the college level. The way people see college as a way to be success doesn't sit well with him as he gives many reasons to why this is false. The statement "college is seen as a open sesame to a good job and desirable way for adolescents to transition to adulthood." proves this point. He argues that yes getting a education is important but it's not always the best way. The hypothetical example involving a student choosing to go college for business or becoming a electrician. Then giving a example of why he would be probably be better off becoming the electrician rather than going to college to do something he may not be as successful as he could've been if he worked as a electrician helps prove his point. Murray continues to argue that the view about college is flawed that many are better off looking for better options rather than following the crowd and going to college.
The essay is written in a very critical style where the reader will feel like they have been wast...
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...a career to something that guarantees a successful life. This negative light gives many student the ugly side of college that maybe it isn't as good as it sounds. The function of the essay to deter students from becoming like sheep and following social norms, Murray wants students to become informed before making decisions that can change the outcome of their life for many years.
My opinion on this essay is that it is very well written and informative. The essay provides me the pros and cons of college that I didn't realize when I began my education. The essay did what it was meant to do which was help me and many other students think carefully about our future and what's really best for us. I guess you can say the essay did its job because it made me think about what if my decision to go to college wasn't the best for me, maybe I was meant to do something else.
In the article “America’s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor’s Degree” by Marty Nemko, the author argues several different views on why higher education may be very overestimated. For starters, the author shares his opinion more than anything else due to him being a career counselor. The purpose of this essay is to explain to the readers that most people start off with the idea of living the American Dream. Which is practically going to college to have a better life and career. But over the time the idea of working very hard for a Bachelor’s degree has become very dimmed. Furthermore, for some people, when they think of the American Dream they think of hope for bettering themselves and also helping their families. Unlike the author, Nemko feels that even the thought of trying to pursue to get a bachelor’s degree is overrated. The audience of this passage would most likely be teenagers going into college and parents. Nemko states that “Colleges are quick to argue that a college education is more
Caroline Bird writes the statement in her 1975 article “The Case Against College (Bird 15-18)” that not every high school graduate is ready to attend college. It is 2010 and this article is still valid today. Some of the college students I have been around were not mature enough for obedience school let alone college. A few of the points she makes in the article are: College has never worked its magic for everyone. Does it make you a better person? Are colleges responsible for your children? Are my children living in a country club? I will use some of my own experiences as an example of college life, as well as examples from my daughter’s college experience, along with my nephews as well. All to find the answer to the big question: Are you ready for a college education?
In the article "College is a Waste of Time and Money", Caroline Bird explains why higher education may not be the best choice for high school graduates. Bird writes that students do not attend college because they want to, but because of what others expect. College is merely the trend in today's society. It is an escape from the real world. Students may be shuffled into a system that is neither financially nor academically beneficial.
If the article was written to people who had already completed college and were well into their careers, it would be a pointless essay. Same goes for if the essay was written for people who had no plans on ever attending college. This essay was specifically written for those who are either about to enter college or have opportunities to transfer still. The author wants the audience to make the best decisions on what kind of institution is best for receiving and retaining knowledge. He also wants future prospects to see that so much more happens in college than just learning and the overall experience as a whole is what shapes one into an intellectual person. This is seen through his comment when he communicates that while some “working adults pursuing clearly defined vocational programs” (Neem 93) may learn wonderfully in an online environment, overall “we must deepen our commitment to those institutions that cultivate a love for learning in their students” (Neem 94). He wants an audience that sees the importance of furthering their education in the right environment like he does. This audience along with an intellectual appeal complement each other well in this argument and lead to an overall good
Right from the start, the title of the article “Is College For Everyone?” sparks immediate curiosity. Pharinet, author of the article and current teacher, explains her numerous reasons as to why attending college is not for everyone. Although Pharinet is not as credible as we would like her to be, she makes an exceptional argument. Beware, an argument like this may alter our opinions as Pharient sits back pulling on our heart strings, playing with our minds, and hitting us with back to back facts.
Murray believes that students should receive a liberal education, yet they should not have to wait until college to do so (Murray 225). Murray states that a person should not be forced to obtain a college-level liberal education, simply because they are capable of doing so (Murray 228). On higher education, Murray says, “A large proportion of people who are theoretically able to absorb a liberal education have no interest in doing so.” (Murray 228). Regardless of the fact that a person fits the criteria enabling them to pursue a college degree, does not necessarily mean that they should, if they are not interested. It is more logical to teach students extensively before the time of college, instead of leaving out information and forcing them to attend a school (Murray 225). However, Addison disagrees with this ideology, and believes that a college education is essential to growing up.
While interviewing Mr. Coles, I found I tended to agree with him on several of his points. Mr. Coles summed up himself, and how I feel, quite simply: "College gives you options." Unlike high school, you’re not required to fulfill a certain number of units in one year. If you have other plans for your life, you can accommodate those while going to school. But, that applies not only while you’re in college, but also when you get out of college. "Life’s about choices," Mr. Coles continued, "it’s about having choices. You come to critical points in your life where decisions have to be made, hopefully you have some options...[...
He conveys the point that many students are not academically prepared for the rigorous courses that are required of a liberal education “the threshold “college readiness” score was found to be 1180 on the combined SAT math and verbal test…only about 10 percent of American 18-year-olds would achieve if they all took the SAT, in an age when more than 30 percent of 18-year-olds go to college” (238). Not only does Murray talk about how the average student is not academically prepared he also goes on to make a point that students could be choosing a college for a purely financial reason instead of choosing the path that suits their academic level in life. According to Murray, this is caused by the fact so many employers require a B.A. “Employers do not even interview applicants who do not hold a B.A. Even more brutal, the advantage conferred by the B.A. often has nothing to do with the content of the education” (245). The reason that this affects young people so much Murray believes is because “more than 90% of college students report the guidance counselors encouraged them to go to college (251). This falls along in Murrays belief that many students who are not academically prepared attended college because they are encouraged by people who may not have a full understanding of the academic standards higher education requires. Murray ultimately believes a better system needs to be put in place in
Society tells almost every high schooler that they need to go to college in order to be successful, but that is not necessarily true. Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill question whether attending college is essential to being successful in their article, “Should Everyone Go to College?”. Owen and Sawhill discuss how even though college may be very helpful for many people, for some the benefits of a college education do not outweigh the costs. In discussing this, they compare statistics on the costs of college and general student success. Overall, this article does a very good job showing ethical appeals with statistics and showing logic with factual evidence, but only does an average job appealing to emotion.
Murray puts together strong support with keen counterarguments that make his arguments seem reasonable to the audience as well as me. The author is able to cohesively pull together his different main ideas and use them to bring across his main purpose which was to explain why he says too many people are going to college. All in all, Murray does an outstanding job persuading the audience and backing the idea that college is worth the price, but only to those who truly belong
In this society, almost every high schooler is told they need to go to college in order to be successful, but that is not necessarily true. Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill questioned if everyone needs college to be successful in their article, “Should Everyone Go to College?”. In the article, Owen and Sawhill discuss that even though college is very helpful for many people, but for some the benefits of a college education do not outweigh the costs. Owen and Sawhill discuss this and show the statistics on the pricing of college and general student success throughout the article. Overall, this article does a very well job showing ethical appeals with statistics, does an average job with emotional appeal, and does a very well job showing logic
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).
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
As a young girl in school, I always believed that I would one day would be successful and had the hope that a college education would assist me in being successful. I exceled in school even with circumstances such as hurricane Katrina and September 11 and had a thirst for knowledge. At the same time, the teachers that influenced me in life convinced me to attend college for the betterment of knowledge and a potential for a job or a career. However, those same teachers were teaching me textbook methods and no real on hand training that is essential in an education especially a college education. In "Vocation or Exploration? Pondering the Purpose of College”, Alina Tugend ponders the idea of college being either Vocation—job training— or Exploration learning. She starts off by referring to her oldest son is about to graduate high school, but quickly goes straight to the point of her essay with “What exactly is a university education for?” She provides answers such as college is a way to automatically receive a job if one majors in science, technology or a major that can be applied to a changing world that we live
...ing from 18 and older and an online survey in order to determine what people felt about college education. At the end of the survey they realize that a majority of the people felt that college education is worth their investment and a few felt it was not worth but rather costly, due to the debt they had to pay after their college degree. The article also emphasized that it is high time the government finds ways and means to cut the cost of college tuition so that people can changed their minds of not continuing with their education. The source contributes to my essay in a way that it gives the readers the idea to why people may or may not value college education. The information in the article is accurate and reliable because pew research center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.