The Goal of College Attendance

1003 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Benefits of a Liberal Arts degree

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.
College helps students learn interpersonal skills. Being in college is way for students to socialize better. Living on campus students have many opportunities to interact with many different types of people. Students also can develop better social skills whether it is by partying or joining different clubs and organizations. “According to Arthur Chickering's "Seven Vectors" student development theory, ‘developing mature interpersonal relationships’...

... middle of paper ...

...ion - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. .
Geiger, Roger L. "The Era of Multipurpose Colleges in American Higher Education, 1850-1890," The History of Higher Education, Eds. Harold Wechsler, Lester F. Goodchild, and Linda Eisenmann, 2007 (92)
Goodchild, Lester F. "History of Higher Education in the United States," The History of Higher Education, Eds. Harold Wechsler, Lester F. Goodchild, and Linda Eisenmann, 2007 (90)
Hardy, Marcelina. "7 Benefits of Earning a College Degree," ." . N.p., 2013. Web. . .
Perkin, Harold. "History of Universities," The History of Higher Education, Eds. Harold Wechsler, Lester F. Goodchild, and Linda Eisenmann, 2007 (87)
Thelin, John R.. A history of American higher education. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004. Print. (3)

Show More
Related

  • The History and Influence of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the 1800s our country was experiencing a significant push for progress and innovation. Businesses were booming as a result of the Industrial Revolution, and the nation was facing the struggles that come with racial controversy. The need for education was considerable; however, higher education was limited to only prestige individuals. Moreover, the only colleges were either private or faith-based, making it even more difficult for working class citizens to be admitted. Justin Smith Morrill, a Republican legislator from Vermont, recognized this demand and initiated a plan to increase accessibility to advanced curriculum. Morrill pushed the idea to organize public institutions that offered agriculture and mechanic education and training. His emphasis on more practical skills instead of the arts was faced with much opposition. Angered legislators feared that creating A&M colleges would deplete the budget and jeopardize the integrity of established universities. They also expressed their view that the government should not make decisions regarding higher education. Among those who resisted Morrill’s proposal was President James Buchanan, who vetoed Morrill’s original plans in 1857. Fortunately, Justin Morrill would gain another supporter during the following presidential election.

    Read More

  • HBCUs: Relevance in 21st Century

    2163 Words  | 5 Pages

    Redd, Kenneth E. "Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Making a Comeback." New Directions for Higher Education 1998.102 (1998): 33-43. WILEY. Web.

    Read More

  • College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be by Andrew Delbanco

    1393 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... through the years after the Great Depression the Unites States staked a claim in the educational advancement of its citizenship in order to build a strong economy. However, unlike years past, public ownership and support of higher education has decreased in the face of growing inflation and the nations changing economy.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The New Liberal Arts

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    Instead, Sanford J. Ungar presents the arguments that all higher education is expensive and needs to be reevaluated for Americans. He attempts to divert the argument of a liberal arts education tuition by stating “ The cost of American higher education is spiraling out id control, and liberal-arts colleges are becoming irrelevant because they are unable to register gains i productivity or to find innovative ways of doing things” (Ungar 661). The author completely ignores the aspects of paying for a liberal arts degree or even the cost comparison to a public university. Rather, Ungar leads the reader down a “slippery slope” of how public universities attain more funding and grants from the government, while liberal arts colleges are seemingly left behind. The author increasingly becomes tangent to the initial arguments he presented by explaining that students have a more interactive and personal relationship with their professors and other students. Sanford J. Ungar did not address one aspect of the cost to attend a liberal arts college or how it could be affordable for students who are not in the upper class.

    Read More

  • Live and Learn: Why we have college by Louis Menand

    1106 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hutcheson, P. (2011). Goals for United States higher education: from democracy to globalisation. History Of Education, 40(1), 45-57.

    Read More

  • Three Reasons College Still Matters By Andrew Delbanco

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    Based on Three Reasons College Still Matters, there are three main reasons why a college education is so important. From an economical standpoint, an education is most of the time needed to earn enough money to live comfortably. Attending and completing college provides a possibility for future economic stability. Within a highly competitive workforce a college degree can put a foot in the door to a job of a person’s choice. Statistics show that people who obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher get paid more than those who do not obtain one. Many question the worth of a college degree because of how expensive it is, though some say that the money spent is an investment on a person’s future. One can say that the worth of a college education is within the eye of the beholder. Many q...

    Read More

  • Blanche D. Blank's A Question Of Degree

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    College is the place where people go to retain the necessary training for a job that requires specific skills, which results in earning a higher pay check. In today’s world, employers are scouting out for individuals with the proper dexterities to fill the shoes for that specific job. Blanche D. Blank, the author of “A Question of Degree," argues that possessing a degree of higher education isn’t the only way to have a very successful life. This statement is highly argumentative, due to the fact that college graduates still out-earn people without degrees. Obtaining a college degree is one of the best things someone can do for themselves, when it comes to looking for a stable job. There is also so much more to college than just receiving a

    Read More

  • Early American Education and Early Education Laws

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gutek, G. L. (1995). A history of the western educational experience. Prospect Heights, Ill: Waveland Press.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Rational Optimist's View Of American Higher Education

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his article “A Rational Optimist’s View of American Higher Education”, Dr Lane A. Glenn discusses his vision concerning higher education in America. Inside the article, he explains and also re-futes the principal reasons why today, some people doubt of the importance of higher education such as colleges and universities in America. Glenn is writing to an academic and public audience in order to in-form them about what is happening to the education. His main claim is that receiving a higher education is still valuable.

    Read More

  • The History of the American Education System: A look at the 1900s

    1905 Words  | 4 Pages

    Schugurensky, D. (March 2003). History of Education – Selected Moments of the 20th Century. Retrieved March 20, 2004 from

    Read More

  • Cheating and Plagiarism - The Plague of Plagiarism

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    Newman, John Henry. "The Idea of a University." The Presence of Others. 3rd ed. Ed. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000. 126 - 131.

    Read More

  • Prejudice and Racial Segregation on Campus

    2292 Words  | 5 Pages

    * Myers, Samuel L. Desegregation in higher education. Washington, D.C. : University Press of America, 1988.

    Read More

  • college

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jeynes, William. American Educational History: School, Society, and the Common Good. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2007. Print.

    Read More

  • College Education is the Best Investment

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    By attending college, students guarantees themselves a better job that the average Joe. Because the world is changing rapidly, and many jobs rely on new technology, more jobs require education beyond high school. With a college education, an individual will have more jobs from which to choose. In addition to obtaining a better job, people who go to college usually earn more money than those who do not. College furnishes you with proper credentials and documents to land high-level jobs. Figures from an A&E television program on ‘The Working Class’ show that in 2004 the average earnings were $23,895 for a high school graduate and $41,478 for individuals with a bachelor’s degree. Getting a college education is simply a stepping stone in ensuring yourself with a good start in life. Some may agree that college students are open minded and knows exactly how to expre...

    Read More

  • The Negative Essay: The Failure Of College Education

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    A college education can broaden one’s career horizons and help them achieve stable employment. Through education one can expand their intellectual capacity along with financial scope. “ The median person with a bachelor 's degree earns about $48,000 per year, compared with $27,000 for a high school graduate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau” (Haltom 14). A college education should allow one to thrive both internally and externally, whilst progressing society along with them into the ever-changing world. These statistics represent the aspired

    Read More

More about The Goal of College Attendance

Open Document