Ruan 1
Evan Ruan
ADV LA 6
Ms. Galler
5/28/14
Is the Ivy League Dream a Lie?
“If I’d gone to the University of Maryland, I’d still be in Science”
-Caroline Sacks
In a competitive job market where a good education is key, an Ivy League education seems to be a necessary component for success; but is it? An Ivy League education is not needed for success. Looking at math, science, and technological degrees handed out at high and low grade colleges, the percentage of degrees handed out are roughly equal. With that in mind, the money you pay for an Ivy League education just is not worth it. Also, getting into an Ivy League school introduces a new type of competition not known to high school students.
Some may argue that a person who goes to an Ivy League school gains more prestige due to its history. But is prestige everything? An education is why you go to school, not the attention from the institution you go to. Major pharmaceutical, manufacturing and engineering companies have even started leaning towards accepting students from colleges such as the University of Illinois rather than Ivy League schools (Jobs).
In a modern economy where a science, math, and/or technological degree are helpful for success (David and Goliath), an Ivy League college seems to be a good place to get one. But is it? When we look at Harvard University, which is one of the best universities in the nation, and Ohio Wesleyan University, a small, liberal arts college located in Delaware, Harvard seems to be the better college (usa.news). Harvard’s top SAT math scores averaged 753 and Ohio Wesleyan’s averaged 591. These numbers seem to indicate that Harvard students would receive more science, math, or technological degrees (STEM) than Ohio Wesleyan students. H...
... middle of paper ...
...e, and 1.5 percent said they attempted suicide in the past 12 months (Huffingtonpost). This shows that many students feel extremely overwhelmed with the workload. The extra stress from and Ivy League school only makes the stress worse. When Caroline Sacks was asked what would have happened if she had gone to the University of Maryland, she replied, “I’d still be in science.” (David and Goliath)
Ruan 3
Going to an Ivy League college is not needed for success in today’s economy, no matter how prestigious the university is. An Ivy League college may offer a more prestigious degree, but with public college education catching up, the rising cost of college, and the extremely competitive and stressful environment, an Ivy League degree is not worth it. So before you make that “easy” decision about going to Harvard, take a few minutes to think about your “easy” choice.
Those individuals that graduated college were better students in high school. (Vedder, 2012, p. 1) Second a good proportion (more than 40 percent) of those attending four-year colleges full-time fail to graduate, even within six years. At some colleges, the dropout rate is strikingly higher. While college students gain skills that can be marketable from just showing up, others end up taking jobs that are usually given to high school graduates, making somewhat more money but having large college debts and some lost earnings occurred while unsuccessfully pursuing a degree that could have been prevented. (Vedder, 2012, p. 1). Does this mean no one should go to a upper level institution? Of course not. First of all, college is more than training for a career, and many might benefit from the social and non-purely academic aspects of advanced schooling, even if the rate of return on college as a financial investment is low. Second, high school students with certain attributes like family wealth are far less likely to drop out of school, and are likely to drop out of school, and are likely to equal or excel the average statistics. (Vedder, 2012, p.
Frank Bruni’s article, “Today’s Exhausted Superkids”(2015), condemns the social standards of perfection inflicted on teenagers during their high school years. Bruni supports his claim by acknowledging the stress teenagers experience on a regular basis, providing evidence from books relating to the topic, and questioning the extent of how insane the desire for college has become. Bruni’s purpose is to help push people to redefine success in order to help the youth become less focused towards a societal goal of higher education that causes countless children to become insane due to constant panic to earn a spot in the Ivy Leagues. Due to the topic of the article it is mainly written to college admissions and adults in order to address
Secondary education rises faster in price than auto insurance. Yet, secondary education is almost required in the United States to succeed. Yes, there are hundreds of people in the United States that have been successful without a college degree, but they are outliers. Students should choose not to go to college based on outliers, but go to college based on the fact thousands have succeeded because of their college degrees. It is more important then ever to know what makes a college great if students are going to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars over four
Samuelson states that going to an Ivy League won’t automatically “produce a better job and high pay. Graduates of these schools generally do well. But they do well because they are talented’” (Lee 672). If one is successful it is usually because one puts forth the effort required to prosper. Degrees are simply accessories to what people build on their own. In the article “Is College Still Worth The Price?” by Penelope Wang, studies have shown that graduates of prestigious institutions earn relatively the same income as those who attend less selective universities. If someone is a bright student, they will do well no matter what; and if they do well it is because of their own efforts, not because they attended an Ivy League over a
The biggests explain I can think of is University Of michigan. They are famous for their football team. But do you know what else they are famous for? There science department. University Of Michigan get peoples attention only for football of science department what about other major? The major that could matter but don't get enough attention. This world of education is turning to only science majors and math or the football team. There classes like writing, speech, art and etc is turning into basic classes that supports science and math. The high the test score in these subject the better the rating for universities. What about the success rate of students? No college wants to rate themselves by the number of murders, suicides, failures, or dropouts. They all hide the negative side to attract the students to come to their college. Colleges are turning education into a business. They do this by adding classes that are not a part of their major, increasing the prices of books, and high tuitions that cause students to pile up with student
A high school education is no longer sufficient to succeed in America’s increasingly complex economy. However, because of the high price point of a college education, far too many Americans are unable to afford education beyond high school. As shown in the graph below, the higher level of education received greatly increases the chances for employment and also dramatically increases the average salary potential of an individual.
For many college students, college is their first big step into adulthood. Students now need to worry about money, roommates, serious relationships, pursuing their passions, future and present jobs, and above all homework, class, and studying. This is the situation that most college students are thrown into. We simply don't need one more thing to worry about. I believe this is why in 2008, an AP survey found that eighty percent of students say they are stressed daily, thirteen percent have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or depression, and nine percent have considered suicide.(Cite 1) This makes colleges that are actively pursuing lowering students grades such as Princeton seem maleficent. Harrell brushes this off in his article as he says that lower grades will increase competition and then makes the incredulously pompous statement: if you wanted to breeze through college you should have gone to Harvard. Harrell says that at Princeton their goal is to “Teach, not to entertain... [to] maximize academics, not leisure.”(CITE0) This mindset is not healthy. A student at a university that puts an emphasis on lowering everyones grades and increasing difficulty fosters a culture that overemphasizes gades. In other words, a college with this attitude would have a campus where instead of pursuing things like health, community, or lieser, students would mostly be inside worring and
...ation for the career of their choice. As Gatto so eloquently points out in his article, “We have been taught (that is, schooled) in this country to think of ‘success’ as synonymous with, or at least dependent on ‘schooling’…” (Gatto 150). If he is correct, and success is reliant on our schooling, only the few elite students even have a chance at becoming successful. And that is truly unfair because every student in our country’s education system deserves the chance to be able to become something great.
Doctor Emily Hauptmann is a college professor that holds a Ph.D. from Berkley as well as a publish author. Doctor Hauptmann quotes Jeff Schmidt in her lecture as saying, “professors rarely challenge their institutions being described as Ivory Towers because part of the image, the part that makes universities seem like islands of autonomy is so appealing even when you throw the tried irrelevance in it.” Those institutions are what shape our country through higher education. The students of those colleges and universities are the people that go on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, business executives and the politicians that run our country. Those politicians are the people that pass laws that direct the education system. It is a huge cycle that is never ending.
Why should a student attend an HBCU, some may ask. Those considering attending college should attend an HBCU no matter what their race or ethnicity may be. Many people think HBCUs are only African American colleges due to what the acronym stands for, Historically Black Colleges and Universities. According to CollegeXpress, “HBCUs do primarily serve African American students, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to have a limited cultural experience. On the contrary, people from all over the world come to the United States to attend HBCUs, which results in diverse student bodies.”(1) Anyone can attend and sometimes when an individual is not black and decides to attend an HBCU, scholarships are given because they want to show that they are willing to accept anyone, regardless of their race. Some HBCUs that are listed as being the best are: Hampton University, Howard University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College, but they are just a few of many out there to attend. There are also several famous people who attended HBCUs: Jesse Jackson, Wanda Sykes, Samuel Jackson, Toni Morrison, and Oprah Winfrey. Many students that have attended an HBCU love the friendly environment, the diversity, and the knowledge gained. If a student is not financially stable, the HBCU is willing to work out payment arrangements and help out in an effort for the student to receive the education that they deserve. It appears that a large portion of those that attend Virginia Union University came because of the cultural experience or because someone in their family attended and they want to continue the legacy. There are over 100 HBCUs in the world, which include public, private, two year, and four year institutions. Most HBCUs have small class siz...
When it comes to the individual choice on college education. Each student is motivated by a different branch of knowledge. Some have the goals of becoming lawyers, doctors, bankers, others choose to learn more about the liberal arts and its influence in building their personal characteristics with the world around them. This is precisely why institutions offer a large variety of programs to attract many high school seniors when it comes to deciding which institute to attend.
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.
It seems as though the majority of college students these days aren’t looking to further their education because it’s what they really want, they do it to please their parents, to be accepted by society, or because there’s nothing else for them to do (Bird, 372). These expectations have led to students being unhappy and stressed, and have pushed them into a school or a job that they don’t particularly care for.
. . higher education 's impact in society is often characterized by a range of socioeconomic data. How many students from which "SES," or socioeconomic status, often signals the type of institution in question. A large percentage of highest-quartile SES students suggests one of the nation 's elite universities. By contrast, you can bet that a preponderance of the two lowest-quartile SES students will lead you to a community college (Padron, 2014).
The debate on controversial topics has been going on since time began. “The debate on whether a college education is worth it may have begun when the colonists arrived from Europe and founded “New College” (later renamed Harvard University) in 1636 (College Education).” Whatever the case attaining a college education can be very beneficial to one throughout life. It can help one earn more money over a lifetime, and even can help someone live longer. Without college, the education system as we know it would be forever changed. Having a college education is something that can propel one through life and allow them to be able to reach all of their destined goals and desires. Not having a college education is something that can prevent one from reaching goals and being able to control their own life. In an ever-changing society where nothing is certain, gaining a college education can be the life saving x-factor throughout life.