American Dream Research Paper

The American Dream, the idea that has been glorified for centuries and has kept the generations pushing onward, in hopes of bettering themselves and their families, has not dimmed in the last twenty some years. The concept is essentially the same, but the means have changed over the years. In the past, hard work, sweat, sometimes blood, but always tenacity were the hallmark traits for success. No, it seems that without a college education, one cannot hope to succeed comfortably in modem American culture. Students have progressed from the traditional college•age students and have developed to include middle aged adults seeking a better paycheck. Regardless of the age, ahnost all of the students are going in order to get a better career and a

An anonymous professor. self-dubbed “Professor X“ laments in his article the “Iv, Tower about the flaws of the educational system that he/she must deal with personally. Being an English professor teaching an intro to English n ight-c la.. Profe.or X often must deal with the under, gilled students that attempt to get a degree, despite their lack of proficiency. Professor X 's mtic le is mainly an anecdote that emphasizes the position he is in as -the man who has to lower the hammer, and hold these under-qualified students to college standar.. and often give them the failing grade. Marty Nemko however, author of "America ' s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor 's Degree", .scusses in his aMcle the overemphasized importance of the bachelor 's degree, and offers grueling statistics and arguments that sup, in favor of some people abstaining from higher education and pursuing other. just as respectable career paths. Zachary Karabell. in his essay *The $10,000 Hoop-, questiorts the wisdom of the automatic r., most Americans give to someone who holds a degree. Karabell insinuat. that a higher education Ls almost overrated. and that street-smarts can never be replaced by a plaque on the wall with a dean 's signature on