Williams College Education Summary

Stephanie Owen's and Isabel Sawhill's report "Should Everyone Go To College" debates whether or not college is the right option for everyone. They begin with the fact that not all degrees or college graduates are equal. Choosing the right degree has a lot to do with the success of a college graduate. People who choose to go to college need to look at the job outlook for the degree they want to get while attending college. Those who choose a degree that has a lot of jobs and opportunities for success will find that college could possibly pay off. The people that do not do their research before getting their degree might struggle finding jobs and be forced to take a job that they could have had without a college education.

Caroline Bird writes the statement in her 1975 article “The Case Against College (Bird 15-18)” that not every high school graduate is ready to attend college. It is 2010 and this article is still valid today. Some of the college students I have been around were not mature enough for obedience school let alone college. A few of the points she makes in the article are: College has never worked its magic for everyone. Does it make you a better person? Are colleges responsible for your children? Are my children living in a country club? I will use some of my own experiences as an example of college life, as well as examples from my daughter’s college experience, along with my nephews as well. All to find the answer to the big question: Are

After carefully reading both articles, I have to say that I agree more with Caroline Bird. Throughout her article Bird made exceedingly valid points as to why going to college isn’t always beneficial and I can relate to her points and opinions. I believe college isn’t for everyone and it surely it’s not always the key towards a happy and successful future, at least that’s how I see it. College is like one of those toy machines you spy at your local supermarket. It lures you in with all the cool prizes and colorful designs, but it’s only goal is to take your money and in the end you weren’t lucky enough to win that cool prize no matter how much money you keep putting in. That’s the same way college works, they only want your money and they could

Marty Nemko, in the article, “We Send Too Many Students To College,” acknowledges that colleges have become obscenely expensive and that it is possible to be successful without going to college. Arguing that too many students are sent to college without realizing that it is not imperative, Nemko targets parents in his claims that colleges focus on educating in the cheapest way possible and most importantly, that the advantage of past college graduates in the job market is declining. One of his main reasons is that even though the average college graduate makes more money, hundreds of thousands of students in the bottom half of their high school class do not succeed in higher education. Nemko’s article is the most persuasive article on whether college education still has value as he argues that college is not beneficial to everyone through demonstrations of hyperbole, and figurative language.

“In the United States today, there is no more certain investment than a college education”(Carnevale and Melton). Education has always been a major component of American society. One can only go so far without an education, and the more education and knowledge someone has, the better their chances of being successful. Some people believe a high school education is enough, and it is, enough to land a job at a fast food restaurant. I speculate they feel this way because they feel school is not for them, or maybe they just do not want to go far in life. To get far in life people must go above and beyond, and learn things that others do not know to make them

Mike Rose uses his relatives’ experiences along with his own to show that college is not for everyone. This point of view is supported by Owen and Sawhill in ‘Should Everyone Go to College?”. “It is a mistake to unilaterally tell young Americans that going to college… is the best decision they can make.”

All of this information draws many people to the same conclusion: college is unnecessary. They assume that college is too expensive, or that it doesn’t adequately prepare people for the real world, or that the time spent in college can be used for significantly better things. This thought process is entirely fair. Ultimately, a college education isn’t necessarily for everyone, as the high number of dropouts

The debate on whether or not students should attend college after achieving a high school degree is one that many would like to consider two-sided; Debra Humphreys says that “going to college is clearly better than not going,” but Claire Potter mentions the opposite side, quoting an unnamed professor who says that “the vast majority of people who end up in our community college system don’t belong in college at all.” I would argue that the issue is not two-sided, and that there are more complexities to the issue than are always printed in media; to say that all college students should go to college or that all should not attempt to place a variety of different cases into a single group. Perhaps a better option is to say that college (in

This article was a very engrossing read, listing the pros and cons of college. Interestingly enough, the journalist John Cassidy leaves an insinuation that the revered idolization that is known as higher education of college is a scam. Similar to AP tests, attending college is expected of almost all students as it will give them benefits later on in life; high wages for an example. However, the expenditure for going to college is the hard fact that it will squeeze all the money from your wallet, bank account, mattress, and anything you managed to shove up your butt. This suffocation may lead some students to get a student loan and get into debt (which is something you specifically told us not to do). Add in the fact

Whether or not everyone should go to college has been a strongly debated topic as of late. There are those who believe college is necessary in order to survive in America, in terms of jobs, future living, and general life knowledge. Then, there are others who believe that college is merely an extracurricular for those who want to expand their opportunities or further explore their own lives. Despite the countless varying arguments either for or against the belief that everyone should go to college, there still exists a constant struggle for those deciding whether or not to pursue higher education. Two very strong arguments of this debate are “Is College For Everyone?” , by Pharinet, which argues against the belief that all Americans should

In their article “Should everyone go to college?” Stephanie Owen, Senior research assistant, and Isabel Sawhill, former Vice President of the Brookings Institute, argue that many factors lead to individuals not being able to attend college. They go on to claim these factors to be school choice, career field, graduation, and area of study. The article states that while on average the rate of return is usually positive, there are cases in which it is negative. One of their focal points is what it cost to attend college and its affordability. Claiming that with the rise in the cost of college, which progresses at a faster rate than that of the job wage increase, that college is becoming less affordable. In their conclusion a three step policy plan is included for individuals who plan to attend college. While realistically I agree that yes, some individuals should not go to college, my optimistic side would like to believe that everyone should and can go to college without it becoming a sour investment.

The second reason as to why not all students should go to college is because colleges have begun to lower standards. ACTs, SATs, and high school transcripts are all being looked at by colleges in order to decide whether or not a student is qualified to get into the college. However, are these scores actually being looked at and examined how they should be, or are the colleges admitting underqualified high school students into college because of the tuition fees that student would have to pay? College is very expensive, with the tuition costs, book fees, meal plans, and room and board costs. It could be

In the essay “Are Too Many People Going to College,” writer Charles Murray explains that not everyone is in need of going to college for three main reasons: a liberal education should be gained in elementary and middle school, many people already have knowledge and skills necessary for a technical career, and many students are in college to “buy an admission ticket-the B.A.” (246) and ensure employers consider their resume. Murray does not argue anything against college itself but more against society and especially the education system. Murray also accuses guidance counselors and parents of “automatically encouraging young people to go to college straight out of high school being thoughtless about the best interests of young people” (249).

Colleges and Universities are windows of knowledge that many people try to break, in doing so, people are ready for the next stage of their life. But not many have the option to go the world where knowledge is everything, and end being a simple worker all his life. People would judge a person for not having a degree, bachelor and many more. But do they ever think that colleges or universities are really preparing you for any jobs, does a piece of paper worth a lot now a days. Freeman Hrabowski wrote an article responding to people that think educations is a waste of time, and it is called “College Prepare People for life” (Hrabowski). In the article he mentions many positive thing about going to college and what is the outcome of going to college. But I believe that, he hasn’t done a very good job to explain why college is a good place to go prepare yourself for the real world. I believe that college is very important for our life, but not many of us know if we are really learning something while being in college. I feel like colleges or universities has become a place where we go just to go or try to earn a degree in any field. Therefore, I believe that colleges doesn’t enhance our basic skills, doesn’t give us a certainty of us getting a good job, doesn’t give us the hardships of the real world and it isn’t a place where everyone gets treated it equally.

In the article “We Send Too Many Students To College,” Marty Nemko feels as though people who are not fit for college attend simply because they feel they have something to prove whether that be to themselves or to their families. He states that people who do not do well in high school should not expect to succeed in college, using the statistic stating that if you were among the bottom 40% of your class, 76 out of 100 will not earn their diploma. Nemko explains how colleges operate as a business, not caring about the success of their students. This explains why colleges result in taking cheap routes to educate their students, including large lecture classes. It is completely understandable that the quality of education does not always match the cost of