How Did Freeman Hrabowski Colleges Prepare People For Life Summary

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

of Maryland alumna, informed the audience that "it definitely made me grow as a person and become much more accepting of a lot of different things that quite frankly I didn't know about" (00:03:41-00:03:49). This idea of increased diversity and opportunity for a wide array of experiences only attainable through college is emphasized in both the article and interview. These two sources are in support of receiving a higher education and feel that it is a rewarding experience that is beneficial to anyone's future endeavors.
On the opposing side, Mike Rose does not directly discredit higher education, but he encourages the appreciation of blue-collar workers and their form of education.

He explains in-depth the determination and dedication it takes to be successful in the blue-collar setting. Rose includes stories about his mother working as a waitress and his uncle at General Motors. He was able to observe the relationship they established with their environment and study the complex psychological characteristics required to be successful in their respective fields. In "Colleges Prepare People For Life," Hrabowski states, "college graduates are the winners in a globally competitive economy" (259). Rose opposes Hrabowski's statement when he includes "for Joe [his uncle] the shop floor provided what school did not; it was like schooling, he said, a place where you're constantly learning" (277). Rose believes that his mother and uncle acquired real-world knowledge that could not be obtained in a classroom; it could only be learned through direct, hands-on experience. Along with the graduates mentioned in "Colleges Prepare People For Life," blue-collar workers are also winners in society and acquire particular knowledge that someone in college may never obtain a firm grasp

on.
For my literature review, I plan to explore the problem of short-staffing found among nurses in hospitals. Short-staffing is one of the reasons nurses are so quick to quit their jobs. They feel neglected with the workload placed upon them and become quickly overwhelmed. Also, when forced to take on more shifts, they are likely to miss out on important events with their families. These are only a few of the drawbacks that accompany short-staffing. On the other hand, benefits of a small number of nurses in a hospital include increased one-on-one training with a superior and more opportunity to gain experience without the competition with peers. For a solution, I could propose hiring more nurses, lowering the length of work shifts, and increasing the number of shifts and rotations between nurses. By doing this, nurses could still have that one-on-one training and experience without feeling neglected and overwhelmed for a long period of time.