Persuasive Essay

In 1983, Raymond Carver introduced his short story “Cathedral” to the public. The first-person narrative takes place within the narrator’s home, where his wife is waiting upon the arrival of her blind friend Robert. The narrator, however, becomes more concerned about how Robert’s visit will affect him rather than enjoy the situation. Once Robert arrives, the narrator tries to understand the blind man, but he is unaware of what tasks Robert is capable of performing due to the narrator’s inability to “see”. In time, Robert shows the narrator the difference between looking and seeing through illustrations of a cathedral, drawn by the narrator with his eyes closed. “Cathedral’s” narrator exposes readers to anti-heroic views

In “The Great Debate: Is College Still Worth It?” author Ricardo Azziz endorses post-secondary education by stating its economic advantage in today’s society. The author begins his article by introducing a survey done by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, which shows that the majority of college graduates believe college education is worth its cost. Not only are people convinced of the value of a college education, adults with a degree of some sort (bachelor’s degree or associate degree) tend to earn more than those without one. But also, post-secondary education gives people a better chance at achieving the “American Dream” through diligence and hard work. Azziz states that “college graduates were 5.3 times more likely to leave the bottom quintile than non-college graduates”. In addition, in times of an economic downturn, individuals with a college degree are often able to better cope with the difficulty than those without. However, amidst the benefits of college, Azziz does not forget to address the reality that attending college is still, without a question, an expensive endeavor.

“… 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).

Americans have always believed that going to college is beneficial in many aspects and leads to a promising financial future.Recently, people have started to challenge this belief. Back in the day, if you had a college degree you were almost guaranteed a job. As Sir Ken Robinson puts it “You’re better having a degree than not, but it's not a guarantee”. Robinson has a valid argument; education trumps ignorance, but at the same, you don’t always have a high paying job waiting for you. Common sense seems to dictate that if their isn’t a job awaiting you then why waste money on a degree? This imposes another debate; are colleges worth the price of admission? In Andrew Hacker’s recent studies, Hacker seeked to compose an answer. He concluded that

In the United States alone, roughly about 20.2 million people are attending American universities and colleges as of the fall of 2015 (“Back to School Statistics”). Students around the country are paying thousands upon thousands of dollars to receive a degree in a field of their choice, where they may or may not be able to use to find work once they graduate. Is college really worth the money? Is it worth putting ourselves tens of thousands of dollars in debt to receive a diploma that doesn’t guarantee a job after graduating? I believe it isn’t. I believe that driving up the cost of education is utterly unreasonable and outrageous in a society that expects young adults to earn a degree to be successful in life.

The primary reason why college is worth its cost is due to the fact that those with a bachelor's degree earn more per year, and thus over a lifetime, than those without. David Leonhardt of the New York Times shows this to be true, giving those confused about whether college is worth its cost, a clear fact that shows it is, saying, “Three decades ago, full time workers with a

In the essay “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say”, David Leonhardt states “Not going to college will cost you about half a million dollars.” (104) Leonhardt includes this statement to show that there is a huge wage gap between those who have college degrees rather than those who do not. Many people are still not understanding that going to college and getting a degree will be beneficial in the long run. Others start to wonder if going to college is worth being in debt because of the trouble it is to find a job with certain degrees.

The previous claim gives a reliable perspective about choosing to pursue a college education, even if some majors are more limited than others. Research proves that having a degree provides more opportunities for employment rather than not. Statistics from the article on collegechoice.net show “the hourly wage for college graduates is roughly double than that of non-college graduates” confirming that although college students must pay off debt, their income is still valued higher than high school graduates. The article provides yet another fact as to how college graduates benefit from earning their degree because “for common careers not requiring higher education, those with higher education still tend to earn more in the exact same roles.” Corporations feel more confident hiring an employee who has more experience and training in the desired position rather than without, and seem more willing to give a pay increase. The article also states that college, in reality, is not as expensive as it appears. A fact from collegechoice.net claims with the average cost of a public four-year university being $8,890, the average total financial aid comes to $5,770, which is more than 50% of the cost. “While 66% of students do receive direct government aid in the form of grants or subsidized loans, and an even greater percentage receive either private or public aid”, the previous claim from “Special Report: Is College Worth the Debt” provides a perspective of how much the government and other associations are willing to help students who are serious about their education. If someone truly strives to pursue a degree while working hard to receive aid from the government and scholarships, the cost then lowers immensely. This article proved

The articles suggest that people who do not attend college miss opportunities to learn the skills valued by employers, and therefore have lower chances of being hired. In addition, they lack the knowledge needed to create their own successful businesses. If success is judged by the skill of work, the degree of respect, or the amount of money earned, then a college degree will help you succeed in

In today’s society, the idea of receiving a college education has been pondered quite a bit as to whether or not it is actually worth it. According to Michelle Adam, many people “…today believe that getting a good education is key to success in our society, this revealed surprising issues that challenge the notion of higher education being worth its price tag” (59). Naturally, many high school graduates apply for college right before or after graduation. Others decide to go into the work force, armed forces, or simply remain unemployed. The question that many people debate about is, is a college education worth it in the long run? Though some people believe a college education will benefit ones’ career, others believe it will cause a mass

The typical college education is worth the cost. Following a degree, graduates earn more money over an hourly and weekly span than one with only a high school diploma. According to David Leonhardt, managing editor of analytical journalism at the New York Times and author of the article, “Is college Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say.” Americans with a four year college degree make 98% more an hour on average and that the true cost of college is negative $500,000, which makes going to college cheaper than not completing college courses. This leads readers to believe by going and completing college, you could potentially make more money per hour than your counterpart. Comparatively, College graduates can earn more over their lifetime, which improves

Source: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Health, United States, 2002. Flegal et. al. JAMA. 2002;288:1723-7. NIH, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, 1998.

“Your assignment is to write a persuasive essay and present it to the class in a week. You will be graded based on how convincing it is. Today we will be choosing topics,” announced Mr. Bowerbank, my 7th grade English teacher and ruler of classroom 110. My class simultaneously groaned at the prospect of work. I simply lifted my head with intrigue as it was already May and about time we had our first essay. He then proceeded to give examples of topics we could choose and gave us some time to think before we had to tell him our topic. My classmates were already rushing to tell the teacher their idea lest someone else steal it. That meant the usual abortion, death penalty, or drug use topics were out. I really couldn't think of anything and the teacher was slowly making his way through the remaining students like an executioner beheading criminals in a line. I have always thought that he would make a marvelous supervillain if he had a curly mustache, a tophat, and a cape. Eventually my name was called. I slowly dragged myself over to his desk. Even sitting down, he still seemed to tower over me. “What is your topic Cindy?” As usual in such desperate times, my mind turned to food. “Waffles are better than pancakes.” I figured that a waffle was just a differently shaped pancake with a nicer texture. “Hmm. Excellent topic. I look forward to your essay!” I survived to live yet another day.

The sound of footsteps in heels came from behind, somehow sounds shrill to me. "Is your hair too long? You have to cut it this week. You are a student, don’t spend some unnecessary time on these things. Improving your grades is the most important thing you should do right now. " My principal, said to me, and then walk out with her high heels again.

Why spend money that is really needed for other things? Why live uncomfortably? Why be trapped in this hole called a home that belongs to another person? Why not live free and peacefully? When a person rents he or she usually throws away money that could be used to purchase something that belongs to them. Money is not easy to come by so why pay out hundreds toward something that is not benefit to the person paying it out. There is no good explanation for making a decision like this. The best option in a situation like this is to buy a house. Buying a house is a better option than renting an apartment.