Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Is college really worth the cost
The benefits of attending college
The benefits of attending college
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Is college really worth the cost
Is college really worth going? The claim is going to college is a good thing for you and will give you a good life and a good job. The first reason why going to college is a good thing is you will have higher earnings. The second reason is you will be likely to have a job. My final reason is you will have a healthier and happier life. The three pieces of evidence for reason 1 are “college graduates earn more actually, college is very much worth it” This proves that people that go to college get paid more if you go to college. The second piece of evidence for reason 1 is “people with a college degree make around 1,156 a week”. This shows if you get a degree in college you will make more money. My final piece of evidence for reason 1 is “College
Is college worth it? This is a topic that has been heavily debated for years, and years to come. The late nights, stressful debts, and long papers due- not accepted a second late; does that make up for the amazing memories, high paying jobs, and social connections? Absolutely. The experience college can give is remarkable. College is a valuable experience because individuals who attend will have a lower chance of being unemployed, will be in better health, and paying off debts will be possible!
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.
In “Is college worth it?” the writer discusses which colleges and degrees will be better for their price and how the careers from these degrees will help pay off college debt. Throughout the article it is discussed how colleges that have lower scores and ranking will not offer financial help to students. To be able to pay off college debt, it is better to go to a college with higher scores. Since the cost of tuition is rising, more people are in need of financial aid, and to pay off this debt quicker, people are needing a career to do so. In order to have a career that makes a lot of money and pay off student loans, you need to get a degree that is in a field with a high demand.
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.
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.
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
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.
Right now in our society a college education is no longer an option or privilege, but rather a necessity. We are practically raised and conditioned to believe that one needs higher education in order to succeed in life. There is a saying that says "if you think education is expensive, try ignorance." But as technology is constantly advancing and computers are running almost anything, is a college education really necessary? There are people whom have never set foot in a college and are doing better than people who have their master's degree. There are views from both sides that contain a valid argument.
Elementary school, middle school, high school, college―that’s how we’re told our education careers should go. After college you go on and get a job based on the degree you received. Seems simple right? According to Erik Lowe in his Seattle Times article “Keep Washington’s College Tuition Affordable,” he informs that people in his generation are the first to be less educated than their parents, in the United States. He explains that this is due to the high cost of tuition followed by a huge amount of student loan debt. Lowe believes that there needs to be a significant change in the country’s higher education systems (in reference to the tuition costs) or the decline of college attendance will continue. There needs to be a decrease of college tuition because as it currently is, many people are unable to go to college due to the cost and if they do, they are loaded with debt and faced with the daunting task of finding a job.
College allows the student to choose their own path in life and not just take any job they can get. For instance, I have always wanted to teach and I like the added perk of having the summers off. Obtaining a degree will ensure that you earn your maximum earning potential. On average a person that has their Bachelor degree earns about $15,000 a year more than high school graduates, while associate degree holders make about $7,000 a year more (Graff, They say / I say: the moves that matter in academic writing, 2014, pp. 208-225). However, over time the gap significantly widens to almost $50,000 a year, in favor of the college degree holder. Some might would argue that not all degrees are equal with some paying significantly less. I agree that the type of degree one receives directly impacts their salary, but the benefits of obtaining a degree are still valuable. In an article written by Terry Caron, his researched showed that unemployment rates significantly decreased the more education an individual received (Caron, "College Graduates vs. Non - College Graduates: Unemployment Statistics.")As Freeman Hrabowski mentions, “College graduates are much more likely to be employed than those with only a high school diploma and earn substantially higher salaries” (Graff, They say / I say: the moves that matter in academic writing, 2014, pp. 259-263).
With tuition rising every year, students face the challenge paying the debt achieving a college degree comes with. “Student debt surpassed credit-card debt in June 2010 for the first time in history, rising to about $830 billion — or nearly 6 percent of the nation 's annual economic output”(Clemmitt, Marcia). Not everyone has a ton of money just laying around. Being that financial trouble is the biggest problem for students, they begin to question whether college is worth it or not. In recent years, students have taken out loans to help with expenses. Most students choose to attend a community and junior college to help minimize the debt. Even after graduating with a degree, students still face the struggle of finding a job in this economic time. For higher class families this may not be a problem to them. But for the middle class and low income families, they face tougher times being that they don 't have the financial help like higher class families do. For the middle class and low income families, it makes more sense attending a community and junior college rather than a four year university.
Attending college is worth it. Students who get a college education and graduate have many more life changing opportunities than those who don 't; the debates of studying after high school has been ongoing for many years but statistics have proven that majority to all students who go to college achieve more life goals than the average high school graduate. They get more work benefits, life skills, higher paying salaries, etc. There is a downside to everything in life such as debt is to college education. However, the price students pay is so small compared to what the benefits they receive after graduating from college.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Is a question most children hear from time to time though out their childhood. Most people ponder on that question as they grow up and become adults. The question that usually comes up when thinking about what they what to be when they grow up is “Is college worth it?” Are the risk of the high loans, and the challenge of finding a job after school worth the time of the college education?
There is a thin line of people who should and should not attend college. That is a huge decision that could either be the best decision they have ever made or it could be a costly mistake causing thousands of dollars of debt to pile up. There are reasons such as costly tuitions, unnecessary fees, no guarantee of a career, piling of debt, and questionable educational quality, that lead me to believe that college is not worth the money people pay for it.
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.