Essay on Is College Worth The Effort?

Throughout the essay, Charles Murray stresses the idea that college is the wonderland of finding oneself and to find the career that one would want to follow for the rest of their lives. “College is seen as the open sesame to a good job and a desirable way for adolescents to transition to adulthood. Neither reason is as persuasive as it first appears.” Murray, C (2008) Practically spoken, this is not normally the case. College is a fair amount of work, much more work than one would normally acquire through any course of a high school or secondary school setting. In no way saying that the average student cannot meet the requirement and achieve success over the amounted work, it would also be ridiculous to expect every graduate to pursue going into higher education with the expansion of work that will be given.

One implication of college is that it’s the only route you can take to be successful. Charles Murray’s article “Are Too Many People Going to College” disagrees and believes that college really just prepares you for life. With still good focus towards a career but, there are many circumstances where individuals can get equal experiences going straight into the workforce. Murray uses the quote from John Stuart Mill who in 1867 told his students at St.Andrews that “Universities are not intended to teach the knowledge required to fit men for some special mode of gaining their livelihood” to help promote his argument. He claims that college is mainly preparing you for life, and I feel that there is still a heavy stress on the topic and learning the material. On the other hand I agree that kids that go straight to work out of high school be equally successful if done right, and do so without paying thousands of dollars a year on college. Do not fall into the illusion that college is the only option, look at everything there is to offer.

More people than ever before are attending college due to the endless opportunities that it provides. Louis Menand, a college professor and the author of “Live and Learn: Why We Have College,” explains the meaning of college through three theories that have been developed. Theory 1 supports the idea of the sorting-out process that separates the highly intelligent from the less intelligent. Menand’s second theory explains that college provides opportunities for developmental growth, personal growth, and teaches individuals about the world around us. These are valuable lessons that will not be learned anywhere else. Theory three supports the idea of people attending college to specialize in a specific vocation. I

What we get out of the college experience, we use in our day to day lives. Even the things we think aren’t important or useful end up becoming helpful. The material we learn in college is fundamental when it comes jobs and life in general. We are taught to make choices. We are taught how the real world works, and how to turn our education into our way of life. “…the really significant education in thinking that we’re supposed to get in a place like this isn’t really about the capacity to think, but rather about the choice of what to think about.” (Wallace 199).

Preparing for College after graduating from high school is considered to be as one of the most thought by students. Even so, most students nowadays are uncertain whether attending college will be a good advantage for them. Some believe that it is a waste of time and money, but most people consider it as a reason to thrive in life. Unlike High school, College is certainly different because it determines your future and should be taken more earnestly by the students. College education is a worth of cost because it basically provides students with great benefits, which can be a good help in shaping their future goals.

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

What do colleges provide for their students other than an increased education? Matthew Crawford, in an article written for New York Times Magazine, elaborates on what is the point of college: “If the goal is to earn a living, then, maybe it isn’t really true that 18-year-olds need to be imparted with a sense of panic about getting into college.” (Source A). This indicates that college does not help one find a career but rather does potentially only increase their education. Matthew also touches on the fact that we go through school, then to college, then rushed into a job. When does one get to go out in the real world and receive knowledge from experience? A survey of people who are eighteen years and older in source F provides us with the quantitative fact that: “For a young person to succeed in the world, 61% say a good work ethic is extremely important and 57% say the same about knowing how to get along with people. Just 42% say the same about a college education.” This knowledge is presented from people who have lived and have gone through real life experiences. It touches on the fact that a college education can’t teach us everything we need to learn in life, but that we have to live and learn ourselves.

As adolescents begin their senior year, the topic of college often runs without hindrance, often causing extreme stress. As the monetary value, as well as the time spent, begins to accumulate in their minds, students often find themselves bound at the wrists figuring out a way to balance as well as afford college living. In many cases, the upcoming graduates are unsure about their career path, almost enhancing their stress in choosing a school that would cater to their needs. It is almost then they begin to ponder whether or not University/college life is for them, which is could be an extremely advantageous shot in a, for example, high achieving family. Whilst college does allow for a plethora of doors to be opened, the lack of time, effort, and money can hinder one 's ability to properly choose a university. Though school can help with the stepping stones of life, they do not entirely ensure a proper future, therefore many may opt out of school; however, with the correct actions, they may turn out extremely successful, which may not have even happened without the release of the burden of school.

College has always been used as a means to an end, with that end being their American Dream. Through college, they would gain knowledge that could help them achieve that dream. Over the recent years, with the economic troubles, people have shifted from the idea of

Imagine hearing that as a student who just finished four years of hard, grueling, expensive work; or, even worse, as parents who paid for their child to finish that same grueling work. If college is supposed to prepare students to be immediately productive members of the work force, that statement could unfortunately be accurate. In other ways, however, that statement can't be any further from the truth. College can prepare a student for life in so many more ways than for a job. As a student myself, I can see how college can be both wasteful and enriching. I often find myself in my studies asking, "How will this help me later in life?" Yet on the other hand, there are ways that college gives me more control over my life and

I think college is more than just getting a degree to go get a job. If that was the main reason for college, online colleges would be much more mainstream and accepted. College is just as much a way to get a career as it is a bridge to help you transition from childhood to adulthood. For many students, college is the first time you are really away from home. You no longer have your parents around all the time, making sure you get all your work done on time and keeping you on the straight and narrow. On the other side, adulthood has none of those safety nets. Don’t do the work and you get fired; don’t pay the bills and you’re hungry out on the street. College is the stepping stone from that time of your life you have everything taken care of for you, to when you have to take care of everything yourself. If you don’t show up to class and do your homework, no one is going to come up to you and tell you to shape up.

College is a very beneficial life event to attend. When you go to college you are not just walking away with a degree, but also it shapes, and prepares people for the “real world”. In Source B Roth, Michael states that “Post secondary education should help students to discover what they love to do, to get better at it, and to develop

Many people that go to college gain beneficial perks in their life. These could be things such as a healthier life or having the skill to work better with others. according to the video transcript of “Five Ways Ed Pays” College board claims, “... much more likely to be covered by an employer's health insurance. As a college grad you're less likely to be obese, plus you'll exercise more vigorously, more often.” College boards claim shows that a healthier life will be included for college graduates, making them live longer and strive for more goals in their life. It is setting goals and achieving them that builds the foundation for a healthy life. Not only that but college is a great investment for the future, this is shown in the opinion, “Actually College Is Very Much Worth It” Andrew Rotherham rebutted that, “... (add the rest of the quote here) At the same time 86 percent of college graduates still felt the investment was a good one for them.” Andrew Rotherham brings up a great point that even though many believe that college does not provide much it is still worth the time and effort, any job that you want could pick some else that has a higher education. This world is a competition for who looks better with their skills and academics, because of this going to college, even if you feel it is not “good” you will have a much higher chance for that promotion or big job. Making college not only great for your health but one of the most important investments in your

Imagine the world with a lower unemployment rate and higher salaries where people don’t have to be homeless and aren’t limited in the job environment. This is the world in which people value having a college education. I believe that having a college education is very important. My parents have always urged me to get a college education because they did not have one, and because of that they didn’t do too well in the finance department for a good while of their lives. I feel college is important for these three reasons: 1. Having a college education gives people a head start in finding a suitable career. 2 It trains people in what they are passionate about; whether that’s art, math, psychology, film, band, or something else, the college

As a student in high school, the pressure of figuring out what I want to do in the future is real. The thought of growing up and going to college always seems to be at the back of my mind. What if I don’t want to go to college? It is hard to even think about that seeing as not going to college is often seen as lazy and irresponsible, but should it be seen that way? Is college really worth it?