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Negative and positive of community colleges
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How imperative is it that one pursues a traditional college experience? Although it might appear that Charles Murray and Liz Addison are in agreement that the traditional college experience is not necessary for everyone, Addison provides a more convincing argument that higher education is necessary in some form. This is seen through Addison’s arguments that college is essential to growing up, that education is proportional to the life one lives, and that community college reinvents the traditional college experience. Not only does Addison have her own opinions about college, but Murray does as well. 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. It is Addison’s belief that one enters the college experience as a rookie (Addison 213). This theory contradicts Murray’s thought that not every person would benefit from a college-level liberal education. Addison also believes that ... ... middle of paper ... ...accessible for all students. In his article, Murray states, “Employers do not value what the student has learned, just that the student has a degree.” (Murray 233) Similarly, employers often do not value where the degree is from, just that one has been achieved. Thus, community college is the quintessential choice to not only “break the norm” of a B.A., but to aid in financial stability while doing so. Addison’s counterargument strongly disagrees with Murray’s overall argument, that college is not necessary. TOPIC SENTENCE. Liz Addison and Charles Murray agree that traditional college is not necessary, yet Addison provides strong arguments proving that receiving an education through community college is the wisest decision. Addison shows how a community college has the power to create a person, gain new experience, and modify the college experience. CLOSING.
Rick Perlstein states in his article, "What's the Matter with College?" that college should be a time of self-discovery. He thinks of college as a gateway into to adulthood where everyone is suddenly gaining this new sense of freedom and finding their own identity. It was a time one to read their first banned book and see their first independent film. Perlstein seems to consider one's college years as the most defining years of their life. Today, however, students do not have the luxury of attending an institution solely in the name of self-exploration. The college experience is indeed different from what it once was, much to Perlstein's chagrin. No longer are students going to college for the college experience that was once known by past generations, instead, they are going for the opportunities promised by attending college.
Linda Lee, the author of “The Case against college”, uses rhetorical devices to sway the readers opinions. Most people can agree college is very important, while others have different opinions. Lee believes not everyone needs a higher education. She is forgetting the reason college is so important and why so many people receive a college education. Everyone should attend college, college graduates make more money, have more job opportunities, become more independent, and have more stability.
In “Two Years Are Better than Four”, Liz Addison argues against Rick Perlstein’s article “What’s the Matter With College?”. While Perlstein questions the value of college as it currently is, Addison argues that the “community college system is America’s hidden public service gem”(Addison 257). By way of that, she defends the value of college. Unsurprisingly, as with most situations, the truth is somewhere in between ends of a spectrum created by these two articles. While I agree with Addison’s idea of community college being an accessible starting point for everyone, she fails to appropriately represent the unique culture often found in these types of colleges. Also, I think that she also fails to look at the overall purpose of attending school and then neglects to acknowledge the benefits of a four year university.
In the article “Are too many People Going to College” by Charles Murray a W. H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, argues that our educational system needs improvement and that too many people are attending college. Some of Charles arguments on why too many people are attending college are obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree gives you a high paying job, college requires classes that are unnecessary, skill/talent may not need a degree and because they do not want to be labeled as dumb or lazy. Charles Murray makes a lot of good arguments on why too many people are going to college and I concur with his arguments.
In recent years, many have debated whether or not a college education is a necessary requirement to succeed in the field of a persons’ choice and become an outstanding person in society. On one hand, some say college is very important because one must contribute to society. The essay Three Reasons College Still Matters by Andrew Delbanco shows three main reasons that students should receive their bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, many question the point of wasting millions of dollars on four years or maybe more to fight for highly competitive jobs that one might not get. Louis Menand wrote an article based on education titled Re-Imagining Liberal Education. This article challenges the main thought many americans have after receiving a secondary education. Louis Menand better illustrates the reasons why a student should rethink receiving a post secondary education better than Andrew Delbanco’s three reasons to continue a person’s education.
College is a popular topic for most, and Sanford J. Ungar and Charles Murray have a unique way of explaining both their opinions. In his essay, “The New Liberal Arts,” Sanford J. Ungar advocates that the liberal arts should be everybody’s education, regardless of the fact that most Americans are facing economic hardship. The first misconception that he begins to explain is “a liberal arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford”. Career education” is what we now must focus on.”
The debate on whether or not students should attend college after achieving a high school degree is one that many would like to consider two-sided; Debra Humphreys says that “going to college is clearly better than not going,” but Claire Potter mentions the opposite side, quoting an unnamed professor who says that “the vast majority of people who end up in our community college system don’t belong in college at all.” I would argue that the issue is not two-sided, and that there are more complexities to the issue than are always printed in media; to say that all college students should go to college or that all should not attempt to place a variety of different cases into a single group. Perhaps a better option is to say that college (in the traditional sense, with boarding and special liberal arts programs) should be recognized as an option for students immediately after their high school graduation, but other options, including the choice to go to vocational school or entrance straight into the workforce, should be considered.
In "Colleges Prepare People For Life," Freeman Hrabowski counter argues a New York Times picture stating that "college is for suckers" (259). Hrabowski replies by saying "College graduates aren't suckers, they're the winners in a globally competitive economy" (259). He highlights the importance of a college education in a rapidly growing economy. He also includes other values gained from a college experience, including preparation for a career, increased openness to diversity, and a skillset necessary to be successful in all aspects of life (259-260). These values correspond with what some of the graduates who experienced college firsthand stated in the NPR interview titled "The Value of a College Education." Alejandra Gonzalez, a University
Two of the essays I chose for the Is College the Best Option theme is Liz Addisons’s Two years better than Four and Gerald Graff’s Hidden Intellectualism. In Liz Addisons’s essay, Two Years Better than Four she shares her own experience, having attended two community colleges that provided her a launching pad for her career. Addison expressed much elation for her experience in opening her mind to the varieties of experiences that followed her journey to earn a bachelor degree as a large animal veterinarian.
In Liz Addison’s “two years are better than four,” she describes how a community college is a good way to start for everyone that wants to be part of a new chapter in their life, especially for those students whose parents have never went to a college before or those people who are still undecided of were to go. She expresses about her experiences as a student in a community college and also how she would love everyone to follow their dreams they way she did and that college does matter to everyone. Also, she wants to demonstrate the reader that by only taking one test it can change their life and their thinking about their future. I think that Liz Addison’s point is understandable because she thinks that a good way to start is in a community college and based on my personal experiences as a college student I agree with her.
Attending college has changed quite a lot over the years. When it first arose, it was only accessible to the wealthy, and it was unheard of for everyone else. Only a few decades ago, a bachelor's degree could almost guarantee a comfortable job, and it was another advantage to any resume. In our current times, many students struggle and are unable to go to college due to the rising price tag that is not showing any signs of slowing down. A college degree is what most employers look for now-a-day, making it more essential than ever before.
Pharinet. “Is College for Everyone?” Practical Argument. Ed. Lauren G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 635-636. Print.
From even before their introduction into primary school, students are force-fed the idea that college is the only possible path to success and happiness. In a blog post, Pharinet included an essay titled “Is College for Everyone?” in attempts to challenge this belief. She builds her argument by appealing to emotions, logic, and her authority as a professor and by providing various examples that expound on her opinion that college is not for everyone. While she makes reasonably powerful points, her essay lacks solid evidence, which weakens her credibility and overall argument.
Education simply does not work for everyone. Unique qualities exist in every person and nobody can be expected to think, act, learn, and develop the same as another; in fact, bringing new qualities to the table is exactly what makes a person more valuable. Why, then, does mass-producing graduates seem to be the aim of current American education? To put students under the same curriculum does not accurately determine who is better than another—many factors compile this analysis. For one, Murray explains that people enjoy what they do well, and in turn, they do well at what they enjoy.
“Why should one go to college? One important answer to this question is more opportunity. As opposed to generations of the past, high school graduates today are unable to obtain the number of high-paying jobs that were once available. The U.S. has been transformed from a manufacturing-based economy to an economy based on knowledge, and the importance of a college education today can be compared to that of a high school education forty years ago. It serves as the gateway to better options and more opportunity”(College View). After high school, it is the standard for students to become matriculated. With most people under the impression that college is the only way to achieve a higher education people find themselves discouraged from taking the