Although some may say that earning a college degree is unnecessary to be successful in future careers, college and university experience can provide many specific, school-given opportunities, guide students to be proactive in their learning environment, and assist them in developing long-lasting relationships, ultimately setting them up to flourish in both their future professional and personal lives. Many university and college students today tend to believe that opportunities offered by schools are meant for extra entertainment rather than meaning to assist them in their futures. One example of such opportunities is the study abroad program. Studying abroad is seen by many college attendees as a waste of time and money that could be spent …show more content…
In addition to the previous advantages, she believes that students can become further immersed in their major, gain language development skills, and higher expertise in different cultural traditions. The position that Reichert holds on taking advantage of the opportunities offered to you as a college student is shared by Josipa Roksa and Richard Arum in their article, “Is college worth it? Is this even the right question?” when they insist, “The number of clubs and student organizations on any four-year campus is astounding, encouraging a high level of participation in a range of local and global issues”(Source B). Additionally, their article highlights that, “on average, college graduates fare much better in the job market than high school graduates.Among [such] graduates.those who used college resources or internships to find jobs were less likely to work in unskilled occupations”(Source B). Clearly, Roksa and Arum support Reichert’s conclusion that participating in school-provided experiences can only help students better prepare themselves for their future …show more content…
As a result, both sources identified the effectiveness of responsible learning and how it can better secure accomplishments for students on their path of life. Lastly, universities can provide many opportunities for students to develop long-lasting relationships that will lead to gains within their future careers. For example, Lambert and Felten explain that, “scholars have found that students who interact frequently with peers who are different in significant ways (racially, ethnically, religiously, socioeconomically and so on) show more intellectual and social growth in college than those who don’t”(Source A). Here they are saying that relationships not only help students in the present college-day experience, but also in the future outside world experiences as well. Additionally, Sophia Reichert agrees with Lambert and Felten in her article, “Make the World Your Classroom”. Study Abroad”, when she states, “For June, a graduate from Bates College who studied in Vietnam, homestays helped define her
Going off to college is probably one of the best things a person can do to further their education. The promise of a degree from a university seems achievable but is shadowed with the many challenges that come with a higher edification. Often many college students find themselves bothered by these obstacles which can determine whether the college student succeeds or not. There are many endeavors in college but it depends on how the student reacts to these situations.
As a young girl in school, I always believed that I would one day would be successful and had the hope that a college education would assist me in being successful. I exceled in school even with circumstances such as hurricane Katrina and September 11 and had a thirst for knowledge. At the same time, the teachers that influenced me in life convinced me to attend college for the betterment of knowledge and a potential for a job or a career. However, those same teachers were teaching me textbook methods and no real on hand training that is essential in an education especially a college education. In "Vocation or Exploration? Pondering the Purpose of College”, Alina Tugend ponders the idea of college being either Vocation—job training— or Exploration learning. She starts off by referring to her oldest son is about to graduate high school, but quickly goes straight to the point of her essay with “What exactly is a university education for?” She provides answers such as college is a way to automatically receive a job if one majors in science, technology or a major that can be applied to a changing world that we live
In todays’ society college has become more so a necessity rather than a luxury. With a job market without as many opportunities as in the past, college degrees have become required to gain most well paying jobs. Due to this it is logical to say that college should be an environment that properly prepares the young adult to succeed in the working world. Although there are some who believe that the youth of todays generation are unprepared, and that institutes of higher learning are not doing anything to aid the situation. This is a view shared by Jacob Neusner in his speech “The Speech The Graduates Didn’t Hear” and by Fred Reed in his blog post “On Campus at U.PE: The University Of Practically Everywhere”. The ideas both these men exhibit
Society pushes the ideals of college on to the upcoming generations without taking into account the cost and return. Students neglect to look into apprenticeships, vocational courses, and other forms of skill-based training because of the pressure to attend college. Owen and Sawhill delve deeply into the widespread societal assumption that higher education is the optimal path for all individuals. The essay scrutinizes the notion that college is a one-size-fits-all solution to career and economic success, highlighting the consequences of this mindset on individuals and society as a whole. Moreover, Owen and Sawhill's discussion about the importance of considering alternative educational pathways, encouraged me to broaden my perspective on what makes a valuable and fulfilling educational experience.
Use the time to help develop your people skills to help you in the future. College helps with your organizations skills, time management to prepare you for the future. In college, you learn that there is a lifetime of learning to experience and you getting prepared for the upcoming decisions in life. With the future jobs, you will have deadlines to meet with multiple things at once, but you will be able to handle with having had 4 class and several things due on the same day. In college, there are many organization that people are members of helps set their future careers. College gives people the experience of an atmosphere that is a step closer to the real world. The experience that the college offers to study aboard and explore other countries to learn cultures that you may know nothing about gives you a diverse learning experience. Many people do not get the opportunity to travel aboard without college because they can’t afford. College has set up a way for many to experience these things. The essay Is College Worth the Money? Answers from Six New Graduates The lawyer Beverly Ozowara stated “she had the opportunity to travel (for a third of the normal cost) to Brazil with the Notre Dame Concert Band. During the trip, I was able to do things like perform at the oldest concert hall in the Americas and to swim in the Amazon river” (Dwyer113). While in college now I have met many different people in the classroom, where they are from and different things about their background. Opening and communicating with others helps you to be a people person with in the
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
The argument about if college is worth it or not has been one of the biggest arguments throughout the media for decades. Students suffer a lot from the debts that they get from college and also the amount of studying that they do in college and when they graduate they ask themselves “is graduation from college really worth all the money that we paid and all the work that we have done?”
As students around the world have reached the end of their high school career all must choose to go into the work force or college for a higher education. As generations have progressed it seems now the only option for our youth is to get a college degree. Now it seems almost all jobs that pay at or above salary in the United States acquire some form of higher education. The articles The New Liberal Arts, College Prepares People for Life, and Hidden Intellectualism are only a few of many essays/articles that dive into the subject of college, and the impact it may or may not have on one’s future.
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.
In previous times it has been thought, by some, that with a college degree a person could have any job and would be very successful. In Colonial America, colleges were mainly founded by the wealthy. The goal of college at this time was to “produce Christian gentlemen who would inherit their family business” (Thelin). After a “college boom” so many state colleges were built and some became co-ed, adding “special” courses for women. The goal of college attendance still was not completion of a bachelor’s degree. College during this time was mainly primary learning so students could eventually move onto college-level higher learning. “Students sometimes took two years of courses in order to earn an LI (license of instruction) certificate to teach public school” (Geiger). Recently there has been debate over whether or not a college degree is really worth it anymore. Some people think getting an education isn’t worth the money. It can be argued that with a college degree you can get a better job. Going to college, seems to be the obvious next step for many high schoolers. Getting a college degree and education is worth it. Students will come to find that the benefits of having a degree outweigh the negatives. College helps prepare students for the future and exposes them to life experiences.
In Caroline Bird’s “College is A Waste of Time and Money”, it’s argued that there are many college students who would be better off if they were to begin working after high school graduation. Colleges and universities can no longer ensure that one will go on to get a better job, getting paid more than they would have without a higher education. However, high school seniors still stress about where they will be attending college, how they’re going to pay for it and what they’re going to study for the next four years. Bird points out how college has changed over the past few decades and how, in turn, it has set many young adults up for disappointment, if nothing else.
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.
The go-to-college tsunami has given young students who really don’t know why they are there or where they are going. Students been told that college is their only option and they will land better jobs and earn more money with a college degree. However, College is not always the logical next step of high school graduates. There are plenty of honorable and viable choices for the year after high school. The decision not to go to college should not necessarily be viewed in negative way. Many people could earn money by simply going to work in a field they want to explore. There are numerous non-college choices right out of high school such as military service, hospital aide, doing mission work in Central or South America, becoming a nanny, or cultural
College was once seen as the only way to better your life, and immensely increase your income. But now that is all the past. Caroline Bird states in her narrative “College Is a Waste of Time and Money” that “A great majority of our nine million college students are not in school because they want to be or because they want to learn” (Pg. 373). Sadly the author has a good point, and goes into detail what makes college, so obsolete in our day and time. In particular Caroline Bird mentions that students nowadays see college as something sad and depressing. She then goes on saying that most kids go to college to please their parents, or a way to get away from intolerable home situations. Today I will be talking about why I think is a waste of time and money, and will be elaborating on questions like, is college even worth it, and is it becoming obsolete.
As the late Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” When it comes to the topic of higher education and if it is worthwhile, strong opinions come into play. Many people believe that higher education is valuable because there are undeniable benefits from the time put forth in college and beyond. On the other hand, some people also believe that college is not for everyone, and all career paths do not require a college degree. Higher education is a valuable tool from which the benefits can been seen in future salaries, personal growth, and in opportunities that arise.