Many students see college as the stepping stone to a successful career and a happy life. Which can be true for some, however, many overlook whether college will actually help them succeed, or if college will truly be right for them. College is expensive and it is not for every kid who graduates high school, although it is marketed that way, high school graduates must think critically about their decision. Should I take some time away from school, to know myself better? What do I intend to do for a career? Am I more interested in educating myself toward things that interests me now and discovering my major as I learn, or do I feel I know what I want to do? And also essential questions like, how much debt will I go into? And can I …show more content…
David Leanhardt a correspondent for the New York Times stated in The College Dropout Boom that often times the thought of high tuition prices scare students away, especially lower-income students, before they even think about attending a college (92). And there is good reason for this. With the average four year degree costing $91,304 at public colleges and $179,000 at private universities (Merrow), tuition prices are ridiculously high. How are people expected to get an education with school costing so much? In the article Angela Whitiker’s Climb Isabel Wilkerson tells of Mrs. Whitiker’s near impossible climb out of poverty and into the upper-middle class. Ms. Whitaker, faced many struggles on her way up the ladder, but she worked hard, and eventually she wound up on top. Still through all of her hard work she could not have gotten to where she is now on her own. She needed someone to support her and her family emotionally, physically, and financially just for her to graduate with an Associate’s degree (202-16). It took a lot of time and effort for Mrs. Whitiker to get out of the place she was born into, and at times it looked like she would never get out, but she pushed forward, and lucked out. Most people don’t have the drive Mrs. Whitiker had, many students simply leave college when they begin to feel the pressure. In a study over college students, Merrow found that
Ask yourself a question, is college worth it to you? If you answered no then in this case it will be beneficial for you to read this. When thinking about college you have to think more about what you want out of it rather than what you have to do to get through it. The skills that you get while attending college can be very beneficial to you. Having the critical thinking and advanced communication skills that you acquire in college. Getting a college degree and bringing what you learned to the real world will benefit you in your quest for financial success.
One question that comes to mind when graduating high school is, “should I attend college?” For many graduates this question have a very obvious answer. A high school graduate may state that, “college is the best option if one is trying to get a higher level of education, and will help one compete for a higher paying job.” However, in my opinion most graduates do not consider the fact that going to college is a very big decision to make and that the schoolwork will not be easy. Going to college is not the best choice for every high school graduate because many students cannot handle college, colleges’ lower standards, and not all jobs require a college degree.
To many high school students, college seems like a far away land, a mysterious place where everyone wants to be yet not many know how to get there. As children, our parents tell us how much time we have to think about college, and that it is too far down the line to think about. The truth is it is never too early to think about your future. I, like many people, put little thought into my future career and now am lost in an unfortunate mix of indecision and anxiety. Not knowing where you want to be in the future is a hard burden to bear. Many of us tend to find out that we only know what we do not want, not what we actually do want. Do we want to be poor? Absolutely not. Do we want a boring job? Of course we don’t. We all want our
Imagine getting the job of your dreams. Well, you can, but you have to get more of a education first. College is where you go after high school. Here, you can take many classes of your choice to help you to prepare for your career. Obtaining a college degree has many benefits.
College started to be the direction many students take after high school. During junior year, all the teachers start telling their student to consider college and the major that they want to pursue. Correspondingly, the students start to take the SAT and ACT tests. In junior year many students start to think if they are ready for college. Also, they start thinking about the major they want to enroll in if they decide to apply for college. More questions come in mind such as, would college be suitable for everyone? And is college worth the money the students would have to spend on tuition every semester until they graduate? From Leonhardt perspective, college is worth even with the debt it comes with. According to Matthews’s argument, college degree is needed because it is becoming more valuable with time. The arguments that both of Leonhardt and Matthews give prove that college is worth it and it is a good financial decision for most of the students.
Is going to college really worth the cost ? Attending college should be about getting a higher education and figuring out what career students would pursue that they would enjoy after graduating. College should help students grow in a positive direction. Yet instead students go to college because that is expected of them after high school. Not knowing the difficulties they would have to face. Most students do not know what they truly want to do with their life. Which can be a very bad venture, especially since college is so expensive. Although opponents claim that college is a good investment, it honestly is not worth the cost because it does not guarantee employment, it burdens students with student loans, and it does not prepare students for the workforce after graduation.
As a recent analysis, America’s colleges and universities are quietly shifting the burden of their big tuition increases onto low-income students, while many higher-income families are seeing their college costs rise more slowly, or even fall” (Eskow). Though education is the basic human right, most of the people in the U.S. are not being able to gain it as because of its rising cost. Since the 1970s, tuition and fees at public institutions have increased by more than 350 percent, while pay for working- and middle-class households has stagnated. As a result, the cost of a public-college education now accounts for almost 15 percent of the average family's annual income; 40 years ago it was about 4 percent (Kenneth W. Warren and Samir Sonti). The tuition and fees are increasing in such a way that the young Americans aren’t as educated as the young citizens of many other developed countries. The U.S. ranks 14th in the world in the percentage of 25-34 year-olds with higher education (42%).” When all adults of working age are considered, the US is still one of the highest-educated countries in the world. But when this age group is considered, we are falling behind (Richard Eskow). That’s the personal loss for the young people of the U.S. Education is not a privilege of the rich and well-to-do; it is the inalienable right of every people. It is a powerful tool by which people can lift
This website will give me statistics of the level of education that Americans have completed in various years. The statistics vary by age, median earnings, and poverty rates giving me various groups of people to look at and compare. The source is credible as they get their statistics from the United States Census.
Is a college education really worth the investment of time, money and energy? Is a college degree really worth going deep in student loan debts? Higher education is a considerable gamble. For many people it works out well, but many of the other college graduates have found themselves completely unable to get a great job in this economy with a huge amount of debt on their shoulders. The entire system encourages students to take out any kindand amount of loans they need without worrying how they will pay them back. For that reason these people also say that college education is a good investment. For the past few decades, a college education was actually an almost automatic ticket to a job and a middle class life but today, higher education
Many students are faced with the decision of whether they want to attend college, and their choice could either lead them into thousands of dollars of debt or a reliable, well-paying career. There are many deciding factors that need to be considered when choosing whether to continue education or start working. College is difficult and expensive, so if someone is not willing or able to complete college, it could be a waste of money. After evaluating your skills and what makes you happy, it is important to realize which career will be most beneficial. This career could require several years of college, or it could just require a high school diploma. Finding out what is best for you will help you develop a better future and a happier life. There are reasons why college is not worth it, why college is worth it, and why I think college is beneficial.
According to Lewis and Zaidane, “The cost of college prevents many low-income Americans from even seeking a higher education. Forty-eight percent of adults aged eighteen to thirty-four without degrees told the wall street journal that they can’t afford to go to college” (588). This evidence shows that people are struggling to pay for college and some people are afraid of enrolling in to a college because of the cost. Nonetheless, Allan and Thompson discuss that most of the students who go to Harvard do not end up paying full price, and most students take advantages of taking grants and scholarships (581). However, their information is not true because they only talked about Harvard University, and they did not mention how many students get scholarships or take grants.
After Robert Zaller explained how the housing market crashed due to a tremendous rise in prices, he said, “Now, looking at the costs of private higher education, typically in the range of $40,000-$50,000 per year, it seems clear that they, too, have become unsustainable” (553). High school students, from their first day of freshman year, are pushed to look into attending a “big” college, which often means the most expensive colleges. The cost of the college is not a top
Teens are constantly told by their parents that college is “ABSOLUTELY” necessary to be successful in this world. Fun fact: It’s not. College isn’t necessary because it isn’t required to be successful, and as many students have the mindset that college is the road to success, education has changed over time and it’s not as helpful as it used to be. Many schools build their students up to be a great student for a great college. But, when they go to the college to follow the dream that someone has set in their mind, they drop out and look at themselves as failures. All for what? For the approval of those who’ve pushed them to work for a dream that is not their own.
To most people college is their goal at succeeding in life. Whether you get a scholarship or pay yourself, college is expensive. To some it is a waste of time and money due to the fact that, graduates are not getting their money's worth in their degree, they are burdened by student loans, and their degree does not guarantee them a job. With that and a growing tuition rate, most people can't afford a higher education. College is simply not worth the cost anymore.
I’ve just entered my senior year of high school. I know that this is a very important year. I have a lot of decisions to make and not much time to make them. These decisions will either make or break my life, and I want to make sure that I make them to the best of my ability because there is no turning back. I need to make sure I definitely want to attend college. The decision is totally up to me. There are many positives and negatives of attending college. Go over them, and then decide. I know myself better then anyone else, and I won’t let anyone else tell me what to do. I will make sure if I am going to attend college that I have something in mind that I will want to do, to succeed in. Choosing a major can be a