Does Caroline Bird’s Ideas in “The Case Against College” Fly?

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

In a May 2003 persuasive article published by USA Today titled “College isn’t for Everyone”, the author W.J. Reeves states “about 15 million people in America are enrolled in college.” This is a staggering amount considering the fact that many people are in college for all the wrong reasons. About half of the Americans enrolled in college are there because they feel they owe it to their families. Only a small number of Americans in college actually feel it is necessary for successful lives. In this article, Reeves recollects on his experiences as a college English professor at an institution in New York. He speaks of how he believes that many students truly do not want to be in college. You can tell this by his stories of tardiness,

Michelle Willins stated “Transferring all power to the students is not fair to them; they never asked for that responsibility.” Which I completely agree with her because the transitioning of high school to college is difficult. Many cannot adapt quickly to the change of environments and still need guidance from their guardians. For example in high school students are used to adults reminding them of what needs to be done and have adults always on their feet making sure they have the grades that they need to move on. In college that does not happen. The student is now responsible for everything on their own. Which is why they still need their guardians to be involved that way they are not as lost as they would be if they were on their

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

In her article “College Is a Waste of Time and Money”, Caroline Bird attempts to pursued her readers that colleges are overflowing with students who don’t belong there. Her article first appeared in Psychology Today (May 1975). Since this material is outdated, I find it hard to believe that most of the responses by students and parents quoted in the article still hold true. The author has set out to pursue the readers that college is a bad and unnecessary choice for today’s youth. Yet the author holds a bachelors and a masters degree from two different universities. I would think that if she thought college was really a bad choice and a waste of time and money, she would not have gone back to get her masters degree.

It’s hard to think that at one point in a America college was but only a myth for the working class. It wasn’t needed. After high it was either the army or you get a job. But this AMerica is a very different one. Women can work, the draft is no longer and college is considered a necessity for survival. But with that said, controversy surrounds it. As the price of college increase and the “need” for it does the same people find more ways and reasons to avoid it. In the article, “Even for Cashiers College Pays Off” from The New York Times, it displays the media’s backlash on the ideology of college. Leonhardt writes, “ Television, newspapers, and blogs are filled with the case that

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

College in the USA has grown to be a bigger and bigger thing to attend as time has increased, yes it is a controversial subject matter. For some it’s necessity or a “luxury” to life, both opinions on whether they should or shouldn’t still lies. One side still prolongs that every child needs college while the other believes that there are multiple ways to further a child's education than having to attend college. In this article Pharinet states that “There are too many students enrolled in college who simply don’t belong there.” Being that Pharinet is a professor herself and has had close relatable experiences with college students she has dominance over this argument. With that being said Pharinet’s article is powerfully built but in the same breath she excludes the students who are actually college ready and the proper fundamentals and are neutral on the issue.

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.

A college campus is a place suggested by our third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, to be an academical village. Some may then wonder, well, what does that mean? It means that a college campus should not just be a place youths go from morning till noon to learn and then go on their merry way like they have become accustom to in their previous academic years. Rather, it means a campus should be their home. It should be their shelter and their playpen. A place where they can do everything they desire from when they open their eyes in the morning to when they close them at night.

In primary schools children begin questioning the need for education. It is a questions that continues to plague them even into high school. Upon entering high school the need for education becomes more apparent. High school guidance consolers help correlate the reality of becoming a successful adult and the life decisions one makes. As high school comes to an end some choose to go straight into the work world and others choose college. Many factors play into the decisions of furthering one’s life endeavors, many students have been pounded that college is the only option, parents install this concept into their children from birth. Why? I personally believe that there are many benefits of going to college, but it is not as necessary as everyone

For most students, college is an opportunity to mature and learn the responsibilities of being an adult in the "real world". College is meant to prepare you for adulthood and if universities began implementing more strict rules or limiting certain rights, like those of a high school, students would not be ready to face the challenges of life after adolescents. Further, college students, who typically age from 18 to 22, are legal adults and should be treated as such.

In her article "College Is a Waste of Time and Money", Caroline Bird attempts to pursued her readers that colleges are overflowing with students who don't belong there. Her article first appeared in Psychology Today (May 1975). Since this material is outdated, I find it hard to believe that most of the responses by students and parents quoted in the article still hold true. The author has set out to pursue the readers that college is a bad and unnecessary choice for today's youth. Yet the author holds a bachelors and a masters degree from two different universities. I would think that if she thought college was really a bad choice and a waste of time and money, she would not have gone back to get her masters degree.

It provides students a unique opportunity to mature, allowing them to learn life lessons that pay dividends after graduation. In fact, among survey respondents who graduated from a four-year college, 69% say it was very useful in helping them grow and mature as a person (“Is College Worth It”). Moreover, high school graduates who attend college become more independent. Prior to being a college student, the majority of high school students would ask their teachers to use the restroom, ask their parents if they could attend the movies, and basically rely on everyone else to do things. Students in high school tend to validate their everyday move with someone else’s permission. However, in college, this is not the case. When students go off to college, they are on their own in which they have to manage their own finances, meet specific deadlines, and make sure they maintain a goodnight sleep. In other words, students don’t have their mother present to do their laundry or their father to pay the bills. Hence, living on their own and not having their parents telling them what to do 24/7 gives students the opportunity to make their own decisions in life; therefore, shaping them into becoming more responsible with not only their academics but also with their actions in

In our society, we undermine the option to go to college and rather see it as a necessity. Parents aggressively encourage students to maintain high grades in order to be accepted into the most prestigious universities and schools. Many of us are raised to believe that college is essential to a successful life. Many of us choose to stray away from this path without a proper introduction or knowledge of what colleges can offer. What many may not know is that the education received from colleges will be very beneficial to the future of our society. Attending a university can provide students a variety of professions to pursue in and economic privileges when entering the real world.