Does college ultimately waste time or can it instill students to create long-lasting careers? Any college student around campus will declare that college is a substantial investment. College invests not only a great deal of time and focus, but also, and perhaps most significantly, money. Most students who have borrowed money to pay for college owe on average about $20,000 (1). Consequently, some people choose to stay away from a college education, stating that they can obtain jobs just as effectively as college graduates without spending a considerable amount of money. While this may be true, those who graduate from college have put themselves in a much greater position to develop and acquire a full career as opposed to jumping from job-to-job …show more content…
As authors of the article, "Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?", Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus put it, "The undergraduate years are an interlude that will never come again, a time to liberate the imagination and stretch one's intellect without worrying about a possible payoff." (180) All fields of study are ready and available to the student. Facilities such as the library on campus offer hundreds of books dedicated for the sole purpose of growing interests. Because college allows students to select their own courses, their initial interests are expanded upon in substantial detail. In short, college grants anyone the opportunity to expand their …show more content…
Sanford J. Ungar, in his article "The New Liberal Arts", states, "[Students] come to terms with complexity and diversity, and otherwise devise means to solve problems-rather than just complaining about them. They develop patterns that help them understanding how to keep learning for the rest of their days." (196) As most professors will affirm, education never ends. Once college succeeds in teaching students how to learn about their interests, study them, and apply that studied knowledge into the work force, then college has accomplished what very few people ever discover. Of course, college services like tutors can help anyone become aware of this realization. The old adage about teaching a man how to fish for a lifetime rings true for college, which applies this same philosophy into its education as
“Why College is Still Worth It Even Though It Cost Too Much.” Money.com (2015): N.PAG. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 11 Oct. 2016 The author of this paper address that a lot of college students feel like the time, money, and effort is not worth it; However, studies show that it does pay off by receiving higher pay, better work hours, and better benefits, such as insurance plans. A poll was done using college alumni to see if they thought that college paid off, and of the 30,000 that were in the poll a majority of them agreed that it did. Also, the writer includes several other polls conducted to show the life-long impacts of a college education, which includes better career and friendship
In the past several years, there has been a growing trend in the number of college-bound individuals getting two-year degrees from community colleges or earning certification for their desired career field at vocational schools. Such schools certainly seem to have some valuable qualities: all boast of having lower costs than other colleges, of their absence of student loans, of allowing people to make more money quicker, of being narrowly focused so students don’t have to take classes they don’t need. They attempt to point out apparent weaknesses in liberal arts colleges as well, claiming that such an education is unnecessary in today’s world. However, for every reason to go to a community or two-year college, a vocational track, or an apprenticeship, there is another, stronger reason for going to a traditional, four-year college, and the liberal arts degree gained at four year colleges far outstrips the degree gained at a two year school or through a vocational track.
Going to college gives students the chance to step out of their comfort zone, try new things, and discover who they are while pursuing a degree that may, or may not, interest them. In today’s world if a student drops out of college society assumes they are unintelligent, while in reality they could have come to the realization that being amazing at a trade job is better than being mediocre at a desk job. There has to be a way for students to want to finish college and find what they are learning interesting. If something doesn’t change, the system of postsecondary education will become a thing of the
Imagine telling that to a student who just finished four years of hard, grueling, expensive work; or, even worse, a parent who paid for their child to finish that same grueling work. But, in some ways, that statement can’t be any further from the truth. College can prepare a student for life in so many more ways than for a career. However, in the way that college is supposed to prepare soon-to-be-productive students, that statement could be right on. As a student myself, I’ve found college to be a little bit of both. I often find myself asking, "How will this help me later in life?" But, then again, college gives me more control over my life and where I want it to go. In trying to figure out what exactly made college like this, and whether the way I felt was felt by others as well, I interviewed an Anthropology teacher at Las Positas College, Mr. Toby Coles, and I examined an essay by Caroline Bird called College is a Waste of Time and Money. The two sources offered interesting views from both side of the spectrum.
College, a gateway for expanding the horizons within our youth has many conflicting ideas due to it's cost, suggesting that it may not even be worth it. Yet thinking about having this privilege of exposing our minds to anything and everything we desire while providing ourselves with far more opportunity in the future makes every late night double shift, staying up until 3 am, living off ramen noodles well worth it.
Imagine telling a student who just graduated from college that you have wasted four years of hard, stressful and even worse, expensive work. Unfortunately, in this cynical society today, the world isn’t just full of competitors, but it’s full of greedy money-grabbing businesses. The worst businesses aren’t manufacturing or electric companies, but colleges and universities. In Caroline Bird’s essay “College is a Waste of Time and Money,” she examines how college has been viewed for so long as the best place to send high school grads no matter whether they actually want to go or not. She adds that students don’t realize how much college costs and are wasting their parents time and money, which is especially a horrible thing to waste. Now that the economy is better since September 11th and states have been stabilizing their budget debts, it doesn’t make sense that tuition prices higher than ever for college students.
In addition, the writer of “The Benefits of a College Degree” wrote that”One of the most important and obvious reasons to earn a college degree is to increase your earning potential”(“The Benefits”). While it is true that college is indubitably expensive, the years of learning a particular trade or skill for the future of career of these students is important and worth the cost. Also, students can apply for a variety of scholarships for different amounts of money to help pay for college and lower the amount of debt caused by schooling. Furthermore, multiple students believe that a college education is not needed for their future and that they can get good paying jobs without it. This philosophy does not apply to any good paying careers with the exception of the military and some construction jobs. The good paying jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree in many cases, except for a few that require an
Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus report in their essay “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?” what is expected from universities in exchange of their high costs. Currently, the price of education has duplicated its cost in comparison to the last generation (Hacker and Dreifus 179). Making a huge investment and getting poor results are the reasons what make parents and students hesitate before choosing a college. Hacker and Dreifus emphasize that colleges that are doing well their job share factors that make worth paying high tuition fees. These factors include: close relationships between professors and students, an adequate use of technology, and access to scholarships or part time jobs to make education affordable. Considering the
Abel, Jaison R., and Richard Deitz. "Do The Benefits Of College Still Outweigh The Costs?." Current Issues In Economics & Finance 20.3 (2014): 1-12. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2016.
Throughout the years, America has always debated whether education is needed- if it helps people succeed or not. The argument in the past was always over high school education, which is now mandatory. That decision has helped the US rise economically and industrially. Today, the US is in the middle of the same debate- this time, over college. Some, like David Leonhardt, a columnist for the business section of The New York Times, think a college education creates success in any job. Others, such as Christopher Beha, an author and assistant editor of Harper’s Magazine, believe that some college “education” (like that of for-profit schools) is a waste of time, and can even be harmful to students. Each stance on this argument has truth to it, and there is no simple answer to this rising issue in an ever changing nation full of unique people. Any final decision would affect the United States in all factions- especially economically and socially. However, despite the many arguments against college, there is overwhelming proof that college is good for all students, academically or not.
Preparing for College after graduating from high school is considered to be as one of the most thought by students. Even so, most students nowadays are uncertain whether attending college will be a good advantage for them. Some believe that it is a waste of time and money, but most people consider it as a reason to thrive in life. Unlike High school, College is certainly different because it determines your future and should be taken more earnestly by the students. College education is a worth of cost because it basically provides students with great benefits, which can be a good help in shaping their future goals.
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.
The idea of a college education is the standard path for a student after high school, but differences in opinion would question its value. Parents constantly remind their children about the importance of college, and how it can lead them to have a successful future. Millions of students attend college whether it be at a community or a university, with the goal of pursuing a degree that only college has to offer. The amount of successful graduates, affordable tuition fees, and long-term benefits help make college valuable.
In today’s society, the idea of receiving a college education has been pondered quite a bit as to whether or not it is actually worth it. According to Michelle Adam, many people “…today believe that getting a good education is key to success in our society, this revealed surprising issues that challenge the notion of higher education being worth its price tag” (59). Naturally, many high school graduates apply for college right before or after graduation. Others decide to go into the work force, armed forces, or simply remain unemployed. The question that many people debate about is, is a college education worth it in the long run? Though some people believe a college education will benefit ones’ career, others believe it will cause a mass of debt and loans for college students and graduates, and postpone life events.
By attending college, students guarantees themselves a better job that the average Joe. Because the world is changing rapidly, and many jobs rely on new technology, more jobs require education beyond high school. With a college education, an individual will have more jobs from which to choose. In addition to obtaining a better job, people who go to college usually earn more money than those who do not. College furnishes you with proper credentials and documents to land high-level jobs. Figures from an A&E television program on ‘The Working Class’ show that in 2004 the average earnings were $23,895 for a high school graduate and $41,478 for individuals with a bachelor’s degree. Getting a college education is simply a stepping stone in ensuring yourself with a good start in life. Some may agree that college students are open minded and knows exactly how to expre...