Are Too Many People Going To College?

755 Words2 Pages

Is a four-year degree all it 's cracked up to be? Are colleges still a relevant cornerstone of our society? Are vocational schools the future of education? In his college hit-piece "Are Too Many People Going to College?", author Charles Murray attempts to persuade the reader that in fact the current educational system is outdated and becoming obsolete, that colleges are becoming irrelevant to society, and that vocational schools offer a better value for most students. In his examples, Murray overlooks the great variants of interests held by individuals, and diminishes the benefits colleges have to offer students. Murray 's lack of consideration for the human experience aspect of higher education calls into question the validity of his assertions.

The first incongruity in Murray 's argument is his one dimensional view of individuals. In one example, Murray fabricates an archetype of a sub-standard high school graduate with no outstanding personality traits. "He is exactly average in interpersonal and intrapersonal ability" (246). This statement burdens this fictional character with the inability to grow and assumes his current capacity will stagnate through his education. Murray then assigns him a single interest and above-average aptitude in an arbitrary vocational trade, an
He assumes students have no varied interests and will not develop any new interests throughout their educational careers, and underestimates the importance college campus resources and amenities have to students that utilize these features to facilitate their metamorphosis into a well-educated member of society. College is where people go to better themselves, it 's an experience you can 't simulate virtually, and there will always be individuals who thirst for that

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