Bowie State University Commencement Essay

In “Too Many People Are Going to College”, the author, Charles Murray’s main purpose is to encourage people to rethink college. He clearly gives very valid and educated reasons on why college isn't for everyone and how society has made everyone think that college is a norm and, in a way, a rite of passage into adulthood and citizenship. Murray is given the difficult task of proving to the people that society has marred and distorted the views of college. He does an exemplary job of executing this task. Murray presents his argument that college is not all society says it is by presenting counter arguments and either giving rebuttals or conceding.

In 2013, Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States, gave the commencement speech at Bowie State University in Maryland.” For generations it was illegal for blacks to gain an education. Slaves that were found reading and writing were beaten within inches of their life. Bowie State University was founded shortly after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation with a purpose to “not just to educate African Americans, but to teach them how to educate others.” When the school was first founded, many Americans believed that African Americans should not and could not be educated.

In past years, when people was talking about higher education, they had no hesitation to mention university immediately. When others were mentioning that college also belonged to higher education, sometimes they reacted with a wry smile, and shook their heads. Yes, even if it is for today, university gets the higher appraisal than college, and even many people think ‘‘college as America used to understand it is coming to an end.’’ As parents, they prefer their children to study in university instead of college, no matter how high of tuition the university it is. They ignore the value of college. Although sometimes college is viewed as critical by other people, we still can find its value, and how it is really beneficial for our lives, even if we don’t pursue a degree.

Parents believe their kids are too young and immature to make a decision by them selves, therefore they pressure their kids into attending college believing it is the best thing for them. The author does not agree with these actions and thinks that students should decide for themselves whether or not they want to continue their education. If students feel that college is not for them, they should not stay there just because somebody expects them to. Furthermore, she states that if everyone got a higher education everybody would be on the same intellectual level, and there would be no difference in people.

College gives students endless opportunities. During this time, students are able to grow and develop academically and individually. It also provides students with

In her essay, Two Years Are Better than Four, author Liz Addison states that “It is here that Mr. Perlstein will find his college years of of self-discovery, and it is here he will find that college does still matter.” In other words, Addison believes that it is at community college that one can find himself and seek out his future, that community college is a stepping stone into life, and gives you a boost into the real world. In saying this, she believes that college is still relevant in today’s society, and is needed to succeed in the future. In recent discussions about college, a controversial issue has been whether or not college as America used to perceive it is coming to an end.

Just a two years ago when it was 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, our current first lady of the United States made a commencement speech at Bowie State University in Maryland. She gave a speech to the graduates of Bowie State University, which started giving education to black community two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. At that time, the school education was held in a small African Baptist church in Baltimore. However, because of such brave inspirited and qualified students who came to learn to become leaders in Maryland and throughout the country, a small church school started to flourish its education environment. So on this majestic

“Bowie Commencement Speech”, by Michelle Obama, is about the importance of a college education for African-Americans and the sacrifices that have been made for the right to receive a higher education. Obama illustrates this by sharing stories of how arduous it was for African-Americans to simply attend a school in the past. Obama compares the plight of those people to how much easier it is for people of color today to obtain an education.

Established in a time of overt segregation and restricted educational opportunities, Bowie State provided a way for Black Americans to achieve the necessary education to survive in America. The school helped to break the misconception that blacks where non-teachable and could not be educated. The university has demonstrated great effectiveness in fostering academic success. Providing a staff of faculty instructors and professors who have high expectations, offer strong support to its students, and role models who are qualified and worthy of the upmost respect is the foundation of Bowie’s history. Bowie State represents the men and women who have gone before us and paved the way for justice and equality in education. Paving the way for black students to see themselves as not just one of a few who can succeed but rather one of many who choose to

College is seen as a requirement for a stable life. From an early age, we are taught that college is an essential step in life. Yet is college all that it is pumped up to be? Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill along with Charles Murray gives us a good look into the benefits and drawbacks of going to college and take us on a journey of understanding that college may be a hindrance for some rather than an intelligent move.

Owen and Sawhill begin by stating how yes, higher education does hold a very important place in society today, however; it still may not be the best decision for every single student about to venture into adulthood (Sawhill 209-211). Many students go on to college and never obtain a degree, meaning they accumulated debt but did not achieve the higher pay that many studies have predicted. Others may obtain a degree in a field that doesn’t have a higher return on their investment on education. Just over half of students who enter a four-year school graduate in six years or less (Sawhill 218), some of this can be attributed to higher achieving students, however; many other factors attribute to low graduation rates. More often than not, first

Throughout the essay, Charles Murray stresses the idea that college is the wonderland of finding oneself and to find the career that one would want to follow for the rest of their lives. “College is seen as the open sesame to a good job and a desirable way for adolescents to transition to adulthood. Neither reason is as persuasive as it first appears.” Murray, C (2008) Practically spoken, this is not normally the case. College is a fair amount of work, much more work than one would normally acquire through any course of a high school or secondary school setting. In no way saying that the average student cannot meet the requirement and achieve success over the amounted work, it would also be ridiculous to expect every graduate to pursue going into higher education with the expansion of work that will be given.

College is a chance to be free and is a bridge between the real world and school. I’m an adult and expected to behave as such; I make my own choices where I have to decide what is important to me. I have an opportunity to learn how the world works, to explore the limitless possibilities and a chance to admire how vast knowledge can be. College will change my life in the way that I can develop life skills outside academics, to be fully

College, an academic milestone that every student strives to accomplish. While college has its advantages, it also has its disadvantages. Owing to that fact that college has a wide impact on society, it should not be exempt from criticism. There are alternatives to going to college, tuition is costly, and it can negatively affect health. So when choosing whether to attend college or go another route, until otherwise proven, students should not be forced to continue their education and earn a degree.

In society, going to college is socially admired and welcomed because it is the better thing to do. Most students who go to college only go for the title of being called a college student or to say they obtain a degree. Bird starts that, “For some young people, it is a graceful way to get away from home and become independent without losing the financial support of their parents” (221).