Annotated Argument-The Belle Curve Essay

The standard way of thinking about college has often given the impression that education will open doors. College is foretold to be the wisest choice a student can make to better their future with a successful, high-paying job. Yet Charles Murray, author of the article “Too Many People Are Going To College,” introduces a controversial side to the argument, believing that the decision for students to attend college is one of great importance, but the choice may be made too soon. Murray emphasizes the reasons why this situation exists and continues to be proven true in today’s society with factors such as the misleading statements to students about college and the high academic standards students must conform to.

In his Essay “Are too many people going to college,” first published in a 2008 issue of AEI, Charles Murray explores many insights onto the topic of furthering education as well as exploring various other options to pursue after high school. Who exactly would think that too many people are going to college? Well with more and more students flooding campuses at the end of every school year and less and less going into trade schools, a shift in the job market is just beginning to be seen on the horizon. Charles Murray’s essay “Are too many people going to college” shows that not only are there other avenues to pursue a potential life long career, but that much of the time pursuing these avenues may offer better results for some wanting to go to college.

Most people only consider the direct impact of a college degree on their own lives-but a college degree has a tremendous impact on the well-being of our own families as well, especially our children. Not only are children of parents with a college degree education better off socially and economically, but studies have shown that children in households where one or both parents have a college degree are themselves more likely to earn a college degree. “According to an estimate in 2028 there will be 19 million more jobs for educated population that there are qualified people to fill them”.

In the essay, “Should Everyone Go to College?,” Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill cover all aspects of this topic. They include the rate and variations of return and policy implications, and they also give many statistics to support all of their arguments. It is a very well-assembled essay that gives both sides of the topic. It is a very well put together essay that allows the reader to further understand the topic.

The topic of “Are Too Many People Going to College?” was presented by Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise. In today’s world college is a must due to many employers seeking educated individuals. Murray develops an interesting conversation by demonstrating that many high school graduates who are seeking to go to college do not need a degree depending on their career paths. Murray provides the analogy of a high school graduate who is looking to become an electrician but is not sure if college is the most logical decision. Murray acknowledges the fact that a B.A. does not necessarily led to a higher income than one with a degree. The logical argument of money is brought to attention and is stated “the income for the top people in a wide variety of occupations that do not require a college degree is higher than the average income for many occupations that require a B.A.” (Murray 247). Although this is his main point, he understand that it varies due to the occupation one is leaning towards. There has been individuals without a college degree that are making millions of dollars, but it varies. Murray claims that getting a B.A. is going to be the wrong economic decision for many high school graduates (Murray 246); however not everyone wants to be an electrician or any other hand held jobs that doesn’t necessarily need a degree, but if one wants to be a lawyer, doctor, or anything require a degree, college is the answer. Having a degree in a

I am writing to you in regards to the blog you posted “The Case Against College Education.” You mentioned, “It is absurd that people have to get college degrees to be considered for good jobs in hotel management or accounting…” It is crucial for an individual to acquire a college degree, however, the American education system is unfair. By attending a college, students have a higher chance of economic success in the future and undergo opportunities to explore a wide variety of possible paths. There are various ways to get a college degree but in the end, there needs to be a lot of reform around education. The question remains, should we help more kids go to college or make it easier for people who did not attend college.

The rise of college tuition along with room and board have lead many to believe that college isn’t worth the money. This among with the other factors of how getting a job into society is more difficult and that a college degree no longer competitive due to the high abundance of them. On the other side, many others urge the importance of a degree. They bring up how more jobs today require degrees, the return investment, and many other things.

4. I believe that it is rational for some people to end their formal education with a high school degree, some to finish with a college degree, and some to obtain graduate degrees. Being able to pay tuition is one reason why people may not go to college, but there are many there reasons as well including family reasons and personal situations. Some people may not want to leave their families and attend college. Others might have a spouse that is in a financially stable situation where it is not important for them to work. These reasons lead people

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.

Since the world is overpopulated, we stick the eighteen-year-olds in colleges to temporarily get rid of them. We also fool ourselves into believing that these actions are good for them. Most of these unwanted young adults eventually learn to like it, and those that don’t drop out. The conservative Carneigie Commission estimated that five to thirty percent of students are in College reluctantly. Also buy giving figures of some surveys that students took, the author states that students think education is less and less important.

Although college tuition is a lot nowadays, graduates are “far less likely to be unemployed than non-graduates.” (D) A college degree gives you a higher chance of getting a job to assist in securing the future of you and your family while also helping paying off your financial obligations. A college degree not only helps you obtain a job, but it also increase your income. “Construction workers,police officers… make significantly more with a degree…“(D)

Perry’s article is effective in arguing that everyone should go to college and he is able to make this strong argument with his use of logos throughout the essay. He begins his article by stating a fact that “removing 80-90 percent of our students would interrupt the pipeline of skilled workers, making it nearly impossible to meet the needs of a society that has outlined postsecondary credential as an entry point for most professions” and in doing so he makes a clear basis for what his argument will be and how he chooses to support it (Perry,670). This introduction sets the tone of his article and portrays his logical voice. He makes the logical statement, based on facts that the country needs people who have gone to college. He is then logically able to flow his essay into the idea that “ we need more, not fewer university and community college graduates,” which is supported by his previous argument that it is important for entry into most professions (Perry, 671). Through the use of statistics, Perry strengthens his statement that people should be attending college. His essay follows a logical flow of the rewards or consequences of not attending college, which all stem from his main argument that college is necessary for a good economy and a better standard of

Within the essay “Are Too Many People Going to College?” important topics of misinformation and overgeneralizations are explained. The expectation of the same 4+ year college for every single student out of high school seems unrealistic. There are so many different job paths you can take. Although many jobs require a college degree, there are other options for on the job learning or even studying at a specialized school for your future career.

In the debate about whether college is worth attending, many argue that college is worth it but others argue that college is not worth it. Those who argue that college is worth it contend to say that college graduates make more money, college allows students to explore career options, and not going to college will cost people more money in the future but on the other hand, those who argue that college is not worth it contend to say that college graduates are employed in jobs that do not require degrees, students who do not graduate waste their own money and the governments money, and student debt can cause another financial crisis for students who are already struggling with financial aid. While it is true that college does cause many problems already, college is worth attending and worth all the problems at the end of the road.

Are too many people going to college? This is the question that has pondered many over the past few years. With increasing tuition and increasing attendance, college is becoming “not everything that it is cracked up to be.” Charles Murray, an author from the American Enterprise Institute, wrote an article in 2008 entitled “Are Too many People Going to College?” In the article he makes the arguments that the concept of college is slowly changing. Social norms are decimating the system, people get way too ahead of themselves with their life plans, and the system is suffering as a direct result. Murray indirectly states that too many people are going to college, sending the current system into shambles. Murray effectively states his opinion through persuasive writing, a simple structure, and notable examples that draw the audience into the essay.