College Essay : The Value Of A College Education

Over the past decade, it has become evident to the students of the United States that in order to attain a well paying job they must seek a higher education. The higher education, usually a college or university, is practically required in order to succeed. To be able to attend these schools and receive a degree in a specific field it means money, and often a lot of it. For students, the need for a degree is strong, but the cost of going to college may stand in the way of a successful future. Each year the expense of college rises, resulting in the need for students to take out loans. Many students expect to immediately get a job after graduation, however, in more recent years the chances for college graduates to get a well paying job

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.

Endless studying, expensive tutors, exhausting all-nighters, the common theme behind these: high school, or more importantly, graduation (SP #7). While this may not resonate with 100% of all high school students, for the majority of the student population this a mutual objective. Especially in a school like Ravenscroft located in Raleigh, NC, a college preparatory school that offers a high-level of honors and AP classes to ensure success for the 100 percent of graduates who typically pursue education beyond the secondary level (Private). A student there or anywhere else may devote four plus years to building up a student that colleges will

It has been a heavily debated topic over whether college is worth it or not. In “College’s Value,” college professor Eric Hoover explains his studies of college degrees and concludes that attending college has greater benefits than we expect. Nowadays, when families think of college, they think about the amount of financial burden instead of what they will gain from attending. In this article, Hoover states, “Yet the perceived benefits of attending college go well beyond the dollars” (Hoover 1). He writes how diplomas help receive better and higher paying jobs. Hoover is persuasive by using statistics, interviews with undergraduates and graduates, and acknowledging the opposing views as well as refuting them.

Sometimes a college degree does not pay off as one might hope, and sometimes the competitiveness of certain schools or programs make the cost issue even more prominent. When all is said and done, college might lead to debt and the shattering of dreams. Hence, the resounding question is, “is college worth it?” The answer to this questions is even more daunting for today’s average family and prospective high school graduates.

“… 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).

Most people would agree that getting a degree would make life easier as opposed to ending education with a high school diploma. With the shortage of career opportunities, jobs are becoming more competitive and most require higher education. College has become necessary and so consequently, it has become more expensive. While loans have made it possible for nearly anyone to attend college, because they are given too easily, the costs of college has increased even more. A cycle of giving loans and raising tuition is created and as a result college students are burdened with a colossal amount of debt. The issues of student debt go beyond affecting graduates’ lives and begin to cripple many areas of the economy, as well as hinder forward mobility.

Nowadays, we are always bombarded with the constant studies that show the economic benefits of going to college. For example, one study suggests that the average earnings gap for a high school graduate and someone with a bachelor’s degree working full time is about $15,000 (Owen and Isabel 210). But, all these sources only focus on the economic benefits and they make it seem that the only way to succeed. However, they don’t mention as much the possible negatives and that it might not be for everyone. The biggest obstacle, especially for the lower class students is the high cost of tuition. Which has caused student loan debt to become the second highest form of debt in the U.S, surpassed only by mortgage debt (Owen and Sawhill 212). Even if the student figures that out then there’s the problem of finishing school. Studies show fewer than 60% of students finish their 4-year degree within 6 years, if they finish at all (Owen and Sawhill 218). Then for those who do obtain their degree there’s the

Although many Americans believe that college is not worth the time and money, in fact college is valuable for gaining knowledge and building job qualification. This decade has seen a new era of college with more politicians questioning their credibility given the cost of tuition. Many Americans are asking if college is even worth the money when jobs have recently been accepting more people with High School Diplomas than before. The issue with

A respectable college education gives people the advantage to lead themselves in any direction they want to proceed in life. College is a time that students can truly become individuals. They have the opportunity to become more independent and to take on new responsibilities. The bonuses of a college education include more self-confidence, greater economic stability and security, and it makes you a major contributor to the greatest nation on earth.

With tuition costs skyrocketing and job opportunities declining for many graduates around the nation, it leaves many to question the supposed benefits of earning a college degree. In high school, students are geared towards the idea a college education will unlock various opportunities for those with a degree compared to those individuals without one. Although receiving a higher education may be extremely costly, it remains important to not underestimate its true value. There are a number of factors that make earning a college education crucial in today’s society. These include the knowledge you gain by earning a degree, and extensive opportunities made available after graduation. These two factors, along with the financial security and

The necessity of college is an important idea many students across the nation must consider, and for good reason. Opponents of this idea will argue that the price is too much to justify. According to studentloanhero.com, the average student in 2016 graduated with over 30,000 dollars of student loan debt, and it’s no easy feat to repay such debt back. Is the sky high price worth the high reward? College is well worth the price because one with a college degree is more likely to have employer provided benefits, makes thousands more per year, and is more likely to get a career of their choice.

Recent college graduates who are working full-time earn about $15,000 more annually than their peers, who have only a high school diploma. Jobs that only require a high school diploma or GED will not pay as much as the jobs requiring employees to have a bachelor or even higher, so graduating college with a degree is almost required in today’s society. Consequently, students are forced to choose the lesser of two evils: pay the great price to go to college with the possibility of suffering an enormous amount of student debt, or earn far less over a lifetime and undergo a greater likelihood of being unemployed for long periods, without the prospect of finding a reliable job. When looking at the two options, college still seems to always win because despite the recent struggles of college graduates, investing your time in a college degree may be more

“Do the benefits of college outweigh the costs?”, is a common question asked amongst America’s youth. Amy Gutmann answers this question in a 2014 article stating that “The dominant way of answering this question is to tally the added income benefits of a university degree to graduates, subtract the added costs, and see whether the benefits exceed the costs” (p. 137). She believes college is the smartest choice for someone to make mainly because of the economical benefits a college degree prevails. Strohush and Wanner’s 2015 article also discusses this topic by stating, “Studies by Avery and Turner (2012) and OECD (2013), among others, state that a college degree is a worthy investment and a rise in tuition costs is well justified by a corresponding

High school students are often stressed how important college is and how vital it will be for their future, but students often wonder if the thousands of dollars spent to further their education is worth it. According to the New York Times, “Student debt, meanwhile, has topped $1 trillion” (Leonhardt, 2014). Having that much in student debts, often questions individuals attend college or to join the work force right out of college. There are a lot of advantages of attending college as well as disadvantages of attending college. As an individual, you have to be the one to decide if it will be worth it or not. Some may view it is not worth all the debt in the long run, whereas some think it is worth every penny in the end. I have always had strong values when it came to education, therefore I think college is worth every penny.