There are multiple reasons why a person would go to college, but obtaining a degree is a common goal for most. A degree, students believe, would secure their futures and push them more towards their desired career, but does this imply that they value the degree over the learning process they go through to obtain it? According to Cathy Small in her essay, “My Year as a Freshman: Connections to the Path Ahead,” students are eager to learn in college, but continue to credit their experiences outside school in teaching what is most important. Although their experiences in the “real world” teach these students life skills that can be beneficial to them in the future, they can learn lessons just as valuable in the classroom. The pressure to succeed …show more content…
She explains how these relationships might improve and shape college into becoming an ideal, engaging learning environment for students. Explaining what she thinks university faculty should do to prepare students for their futures, Small tells her readers she “[does] not know yet what making the academy/real world connection fully entails.” Colleges do provide sufficient internship and job opportunities for students, but in a sense, the college experience itself can serve as a preview on what to expect in the “real world.” Once students graduate and get their degrees, they may no longer have to stress about academics, but they will still have several other responsibilities, such as their careers, money, and family to balance. They will experience an even broader form of diversity, continue to make connections and meet people who have different ideas and opinions. If college gave students so many options to pave their path to the “real world,” the “real world” will open even more options for them to plan the rest of their
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
In a society where a collegiate degree is almost necessary to make a successful living, the idea that a student cares less about the education and more about the “college experience” can seem baffling. In My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student, Rebekah Nathan, the author’s pseudonym, tackles the idea that academics are less impactful on a student then the culture of college life. Nathan, a 50-year-old cultural anthropologist and university professor, went undercover as a college freshman for a research project. From her research, she hoped to better understand the undergraduate experience by fully immersing herself in college life. To do this, she anonymously applied to “AnyU,” a fake acronym for a real university,
In Matthew Sanders, “Becoming a Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education,” he teaches the readers that there is much more to college than the basic material in which we learn. We should approach our college education with an optimistic view on learning both who we truly are, as well as the material for specific job skills. Matthew Sanders states, “I am suggesting that you be more concerned about who you are becoming as a learner rather than about the specific job skills you may be acquiring.” It is vital to our growth in our educational studies. There are so many opportunities that come our way during college.
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
In society, independent learners are those who seek to further their education to the next level. In the article, “Why We Are Looking at the ‘Value’ of College All Wrong” by Valerie Strauss, Christopher B. Nelson argues that people can’t compare economics with receiving a higher education. Individuals who look at college from an economic lens are viewing education the wrong way. Instead, individuals should look at the bigger picture which is gaining an education and taking in the knowledge. When having an education, people grow and expand their knowledge. By expanding and gaining knowledge from the experience of college, people are able to become independent learners. However, most people tend to start evolving into independent learners after
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.
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.
Many people believe that in order for you to have a high paying job, you need to attend college. In Rebecca Mead’s essay, “Learning by Degrees” she argues that just because you get your agree doesn't guarantee you will have a career that requires your degree. Why should students still attend college when “eight out of the ten job categories…can be performed by someone without a college degree” (433)? However, in Ken Saxon’s essay, “What Do You Do With a B.A. in History?” he’s encouraging that college will lead them to unexpected and life changing outcomes. He also agrees with Mead in that going to college won’t guarantee you a career path, however “ it’s about discovering who you are, what you’re passionate about, what’s important to you,
Why has learning become so important? Students go through various years of learning and studying to get an education and ultimately have a good career. To reach the goal of earning a career, students must pass from one grade level to the next level of learning until they graduate. As students spend year after year in school, they are supposed to take in the new knowledge and build upon what was learned on previous years. But after graduation. what happens to the countless years of learning? The only thing left to do is to use the knowledge that was learned and use it for the better good of the community. College should help students understand that their career not only will determine the size of their paycheck, but more importantly, exercise
I want to join Year Up Inc. because the program appeals to many of my interest. Their investment operations, career networking, workplace norms, and the introduction to business are some of the specific programs. Year Up is also a way for me to gain entry-level skills in the growing field of technology and skills. Year Up also has a good track record of producing high quality personnel for the corporate world and, truthfully, since it does not cost me financially it is the best route for me to gain financial freedom.
It is easy to think college is not worth the cost to become better, but getting educated molds a better person, and creates happier people in the future and occasionally they become better in health (Leonhardt 25 ). Becoming a better and happier person is pleasing for everyone. Even former President Obama says “‘Education helps us be better people. It helps us be better citizens. You came to college to learn about the world and to engage with new ideas and to discover the things you're passionate about -- and maybe have a little fun’” (Procon.org). Learning and engaging in everything is a skill everyone should have, so like he said we should go to college to be able to do that. Additionally, education shows people to develop more intellectual skill and become more responsible (Pew Social and Demographic Trends). Thus said, being educated and smart is something everyone can do and college helps with that. Likewise, college can encourage someone to be more educated and happier. Reaching the point of happier and more educated is worth the cost.
Society urges young high school graduates to attend, or else they get a slap on the wrist and a bad look here or there. Often, we are told the only way to get a stable job is to have a degree of some kind. Lots of parents will push their children to do their best in school so that they will be able to get a higher education, and o those children, a college education might definitely be worth it after all of the hard work and dedication they have put into school. However, some people also believe that you don't have to have school for everything, that there is more to it. If you go to college and all your time and attention is dedicated to one thing, when will you be able to learn useful life skills?
A well-rounded education at an institution renowned for its history, culture, academics and diversity will be the perfect college setting for me to challenge myself academically and interpersonally get out of my comfort zone. It is in this ‘new place’ I can allow myself to get out of my ‘shyness’ box and engage in my personal discovery through classes and campus life and build the support base I need to thrive in my academic and professional career. It’s important for me to feel a deeper connection with the people around me (new friends, professors and mentors) that I learn to walk through the numerous doors of opportunity fearlessly and become the change I want to see in the world and to do so with a resilient-sense of
For me, College is the portal to self exploration and discovery. Many students are uncertain college is going to help them succeed, which is quite reasonable. As a community college student, it has often been difficult to find stability between my academic journey and social life. I have realized that balancing my priorities can be particularly challenging in the midst of unanticipated chaos that occurs outside the classroom. Moreover, the lack of information, that has resulted from insufficient interaction on campus, causes overwhelming confusion for us. Despite all the
At the start of my undergraduate education, I was taken aback by what I had ahead of me. Now finally out of high school, a bevy of opportunities suddenly sprang themselves upon me. I was faced with the questions of what classes to take, what to study, what to participate in, how to fend for myself, how to accomplish my goals, and countless others. After struggling with these monumental questions, I realized that, in fact, nothing had changed. I was still the same person I had always been, only now presented with much more opportunity and room to grow. Thus, rather than continuing to flounder in grandiose thought, I began to experience what only a university can offer, by embracing the infinite potential presented to me.