The Importance Of Higher Education, By Charles Murray Are Too Many People Going To College?

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In the current era that America is in Education plays a vital role not only in childhood but all the way into adulthood. The way society has been morphed education is commonly thought to be the only way to be successful in life, according to some studies the current economic state of the united states has caused more students to believe getting a higher education is vital to their success and is the only way to live comfortable lives. Ultimately the decision to attend college rises every year due to the increase of jobs that require a college degree and the desire to be financially secure in a recovering economy.(UCLA) Furthermore, higher education plays a very critical role in the younger generations of American society due to it becoming …show more content…

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 …show more content…

Many educators and economist point to data showing many job opportunities require at the minimum a college degree and how they earn higher salaries than those with no higher education according to Hrabowski. Not only does he mention how financially better the college graduate maybe he goes on to explain that in reality, the current system fails to help students pick out the best secondary education. The college education system has so many diverse options “…4,700 colleges and universities. Students can find institutions-public and private, two-year and four-year for just about any educational niche and budget” (260) Hrabowski continues to say families should look close at every option they are considering including making sure they are looking at their expenses. Many students require counseling to help them find more information about all of the different educational options Hrabowski takes this even further by mentioning that “ That type of counseling is critical, but it is time consuming and expensive for both colleges and high schools” (261). He also goes on to state that funding continues to be an issue and that a lot of work is still required in order to educate students on the options and that secondary education must

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