Fatemah Karim Ms. Meyer AP English 11 February 22, 2013 Is it really worth going to college, owing hundreds of dollars in order to get a degree in a profession to become successful and experienced in the real world? Today, as tuition costs increase students are questioning whether college is fit for them or not. For one, college can be really expensive, for example at the University of Minnesota for an undergraduate during the academic year of 2011-2012, the cost for one credit was $448.08 and $5,825 for a total of thirteen or more credits (“Undergraduate tuition”). A high school graduate that does not have a job may not necessarily have money so the only way to pay would be to take out loans and apply for financial aid. So is it not …show more content…
For example, look at Bill Gates, one of the most successful billionaires in the world. He was a high school dropout and did not even make it to college but is making billions of dollars today. Paul Schmitz who is the CEO of Allies and an author, made quite a similar statement in CNN special, “We all know the story of Steve Jobs, who dropped out of Reed College. Since the days of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, many business leaders got their starts without the benefit of degrees, including Bill Gates and Paul Allen of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz of Facebook, Michael Dell of Dell computers, Brian of Best Buy and Anna Wintour of Vogue” (Schmitz). There are many more people that are high school and college dropouts that are benefitting and creating a difference in the world that may not have a college degree. So it is still entirely possible to become successful without receiving a college degree because all college does furthers your understandings of other subjects that will benefit in achieving a degree in a specific profession. The opposing side believes that it is worth going to college despite the cost of tuition because by the receiving higher education it will guarantee getting better jobs than people who don’t have any college education. It is refuted by Anthony Carnevale, director of the Global Institute on Education and the Economy at Georgetown University that “jobs
Journalist David Leonhardt, in his article “Is College Worth It? Clearly New Data Say,” argues, through the use of statistical data, that from both a financial and economical perspective, that pursuing a higher education is beneficial. Leonhardt provides data from the Economic Policy Institute that states that, “Americans with four-year college degrees [made] 98% more an hour on average in 2013 than people without a degree.” Furthermore, on average, college graduates make “about $32.60” an hour while the average wage for those who did not pursue higher education is “about $16.50.” The disparity in wages should be a sufficient reason for pursuing a higher education. Yet, Leonhardt concedes that there is and will always be a percentage of graduates that will be unsuccessful in finding employment. According to Leonhardt, this unfortunate
In “The Great Debate: Is College Still Worth It?” author Ricardo Azziz endorses post-secondary education by stating its economic advantage in today’s society. The author begins his article by introducing a survey done by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, which shows that the majority of college graduates believe college education is worth its cost. Not only are people convinced of the value of a college education, adults with a degree of some sort (bachelor’s degree or associate degree) tend to earn more than those without one. But also, post-secondary education gives people a better chance at achieving the “American Dream” through diligence and hard work. Azziz states that “college graduates were 5.3 times more likely to leave the bottom quintile than non-college graduates”. In addition, in times of an economic downturn, individuals with a college degree are often able to better cope with the difficulty than those without. However, amidst the benefits of college, Azziz does not forget to address the reality that attending college is still, without a question, an expensive endeavor.
The previous claim gives a reliable perspective about choosing to pursue a college education, even if some majors are more limited than others. Research proves that having a degree provides more opportunities for employment rather than not. Statistics from the article on collegechoice.net show “the hourly wage for college graduates is roughly double than that of non-college graduates” confirming that although college students must pay off debt, their income is still valued higher than high school graduates. The article provides yet another fact as to how college graduates benefit from earning their degree because “for common careers not requiring higher education, those with higher education still tend to earn more in the exact same roles.” Corporations feel more confident hiring an employee who has more experience and training in the desired position rather than without, and seem more willing to give a pay increase. The article also states that college, in reality, is not as expensive as it appears. A fact from collegechoice.net claims with the average cost of a public four-year university being $8,890, the average total financial aid comes to $5,770, which is more than 50% of the cost. “While 66% of students do receive direct government aid in the form of grants or subsidized loans, and an even greater percentage receive either private or public aid”, the previous claim from “Special Report: Is College Worth the Debt” provides a perspective of how much the government and other associations are willing to help students who are serious about their education. If someone truly strives to pursue a degree while working hard to receive aid from the government and scholarships, the cost then lowers immensely. This article proved
Having escaped rule from a tyrannical British government, the United States was founded on ideals of freedom and equality for all people. These fantasies of universal egalitarianism turned out to be merely that: fantasies. American history is full of stories of the oppressed struggling to get the rights they deserve and of the controversy over these issues that consequently ensues. “The Hypocrisy of American Slavery” by Frederick Douglass and “We Shall Overcome” by Lyndon B. Johnson are two speeches made confronting two of these issues. Douglass’s speech, delivered in 1852, condemns the institution of slavery and maintains that slaves are men and are therefore entitled to freedom. Johnson’s speech, on the other hand, was written in 1965 and discussed the civil rights movement. In it, he implored local governments to allow all American citizens, regardless of race, to vote. Despite the significant gap in time between these two addresses, both speakers use similar persuasive techniques, including ethos, pathos, and parallelism, to convince their audience that change needs to be implemented in America.
Americans have always believed that going to college is beneficial in many aspects and leads to a promising financial future.Recently, people have started to challenge this belief. Back in the day, if you had a college degree you were almost guaranteed a job. As Sir Ken Robinson puts it “You’re better having a degree than not, but it's not a guarantee”. Robinson has a valid argument; education trumps ignorance, but at the same, you don’t always have a high paying job waiting for you. Common sense seems to dictate that if their isn’t a job awaiting you then why waste money on a degree? This imposes another debate; are colleges worth the price of admission? In Andrew Hacker’s recent studies, Hacker seeked to compose an answer. He concluded that
“… A college degree is the surest ticket to the middle class,” says President Barack Obama (10, “College Education”). However, many disagree. Only 44% of people say that college is worth it from a previous 75%. This is understandable because tuition is the highest it has ever been and is still rising; meanwhile, student debt has surpassed $1.2 trillion (4, “Is College Worth”). Is college really worth the money? It depends on many factors such as the student, major, college, and time taken to graduate. But for the average student, it is definitely worth it; in fact, a college degree has never been more valuable because it increases the chances of having better wages and benefits, more job opportunities, and marketable knowledge. Anthony Carnevale from Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce says that ““the only thing worse than going to college is not going to college,” meaning students must decide between risking lower wages and higher chance of unemployment or paying for college (4).
In the United States alone, roughly about 20.2 million people are attending American universities and colleges as of the fall of 2015 (“Back to School Statistics”). Students around the country are paying thousands upon thousands of dollars to receive a degree in a field of their choice, where they may or may not be able to use to find work once they graduate. Is college really worth the money? Is it worth putting ourselves tens of thousands of dollars in debt to receive a diploma that doesn’t guarantee a job after graduating? I believe it isn’t. I believe that driving up the cost of education is utterly unreasonable and outrageous in a society that expects young adults to earn a degree to be successful in life.
College tuition costs thousands of dollars, but is it worth the cost? Recent college graduates have been facing unemployment. The high rate of unemployment has people wondering if the benefits truly outweigh the exorbitant costs. Some people believe through not attending college you can save money and still be successful in life, but the benefits of attending college such as respect, higher wages, and better jobs clearly outweigh the high price.
In the essay “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say”, David Leonhardt states “Not going to college will cost you about half a million dollars.” (104) Leonhardt includes this statement to show that there is a huge wage gap between those who have college degrees rather than those who do not. Many people are still not understanding that going to college and getting a degree will be beneficial in the long run. Others start to wonder if going to college is worth being in debt because of the trouble it is to find a job with certain degrees.
The cost of college tuition is continually on the rise and has placed many burdens on high school students as well as their families. Some of the burdens that are placed are a result of parents putting pressure on their children to earn scholarships. Some of the burden is a result of students putting pressure on themselves to earn scholarships. Then, there is the burden of high college debt once the student graduates. Is this pressure really helping our students or is it hurting them? The bottom line is college tuition is skyrocketing out of control and something must be done before it destroys our families and our children.
In today’s society, the idea of receiving a college education has been pondered quite a bit as to whether or not it is actually worth it. According to Michelle Adam, many people “…today believe that getting a good education is key to success in our society, this revealed surprising issues that challenge the notion of higher education being worth its price tag” (59). Naturally, many high school graduates apply for college right before or after graduation. Others decide to go into the work force, armed forces, or simply remain unemployed. The question that many people debate about is, is a college education worth it in the long run? Though some people believe a college education will benefit ones’ career, others believe it will cause a mass
Why spend money that is really needed for other things? Why live uncomfortably? Why be trapped in this hole called a home that belongs to another person? Why not live free and peacefully? When a person rents he or she usually throws away money that could be used to purchase something that belongs to them. Money is not easy to come by so why pay out hundreds toward something that is not benefit to the person paying it out. There is no good explanation for making a decision like this. The best option in a situation like this is to buy a house. Buying a house is a better option than renting an apartment.
The sound of footsteps in heels came from behind, somehow sounds shrill to me. "Is your hair too long? You have to cut it this week. You are a student, don’t spend some unnecessary time on these things. Improving your grades is the most important thing you should do right now. " My principal, said to me, and then walk out with her high heels again.
Picture this, an intense basketball game with the score going back and forth for the past hour. By the end of the game both teams and every player, whether they were trying or not; received a participation trophy. Teens on sport teams should not just obtain trophies, but they should work hard to earn it. When everyone does not acquire a trophy it is teaching the teens to work hard through merit. Despite the idea of not all teens receiving trophies, some people think that teens should take the trophy either way as a confidence booster. In fact, there are more reasons why kids should not just take the trophy, but they should earn it and be rewarded for their great athleticism.
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your destiny; and the procedure; the process is its own reward.” (Amelia Earhart) When we obtain of what is right, we must be prepared to face resilient opposition when we select to pursue what is right. Additionally, we must collectively make sure we are constructing correct decisions for the appropriate causes. Consequently, we must build the right choice in order to glorify God, rather than ourselves. General James Longstreet was unequivocally unsuccessful in manufacturing the right moral option. He did, however, follow his commander’s orders, in turn, abandoning his men in the meantime. Longstreet dreamed of capturing the altitude advantage and end the war swiftly. “I wish we could take the hill. Could flood right on over it and end the war, wipe them all away in one great motion. But we can't. No matter how much I wish...or trust in God…” (Page 201) Likewise, this brings us to my first point.