Persuasive Essay On Higher Education

Perhaps one of the greatest concerns that torments America’s new generation is pursuing higher education in order to make more money and while avoiding being in debt, decades after graduation. This topic has become even more as tuition continues to rise and politicians are left to ponder the best course of action to insure that the next generation of Americans is more educated than the last. One particular solution was posed by former president, Barack Obama, who promoted the idea of free community college. Although, it may not be the most direct or most elegant solution, it would certainly be a push in the right direction. By making community college tuition free nationwide, states would become more invested in accommodating the influx of students, lead different school systems to compete by lowering tuition prices, and finally address America’s shortcoming in adults who possess more than just high school diploma.

The function of the education system is to improve students education and prepare them for the real world. Students within that system should receive an “A” when they have mastered the information they are being taught. However, grades no longer accurately reflect how much students have learned. Since 1998 teachers have handed out more A-grades while the average SAT scores have actually fallen. In fact, as Greg Toppo states, an author for USA Today, the amount of A’s handed out actually went up close to ten percent (4). Students can manipulate their courses so that they can get good grades without actually learning much of anything. With grades not accurately representing what students have learned and charter schools failing to solve problehms, teachers need to change how they structure their class or grade assignments.

Teachers shape the minds of students to realize what their purpose is in life. Lately, because of certain educational reforms, it has been hard for teachers to say what they need to say. “In 40-plus states, the math and English guidelines determine the knowledge students have to master by the end of each grade, what they’ll be tested on this year, and in many cases, how teachers and principals will be rated at their jobs once those test scores are released” (Strauss). Most educational reforms are adopting standardized testing and should be reconsidered. Statistics even show that since we have taken part in reforms like No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Common Core State Standards math and reading are declining. These standards tell teachers what to teach and what the students should know by the end of the school year. The reforms also evaluate teacher performance by how well the students learn the information. Some people believe educational reforms should not be telling teachers how to teach their students, and others believe that the reforms are absolutely fine the way they are. However the truth is educational reforms are yet to be perfected.

In society today, a college education is often seen as a “the next step” in a young adult’s life. Whether they actually know what they would like to earn a degree in, they feel the need to continue their education as almost everyone around them is pursuing post-secondary education of some sort. It is often argued that a college education is not necessary to get ahead because of the manufacture based workforce that is up and coming in America, however, there are many benefits to having a post-secondary education such as a higher rate of pay and more job opportunities.

Imagine a store only sold two sizes of the new shirt you wanted. In today's society that is the perfectly painted picture on college education. College has become an option, a granted privilege, and no longer a necessity. Jobs such as small business owners, Web developers, and Wind Turbine Technician no longer require a college degree. College education is still worth it because college, ¨encourages students to think, ask questions, and explore new ideas, which allows for additional growth and development and provides college graduates with an edge in the job market over those who have not experienced a higher education¨ (McGuire). A college degree is an essential tool in an adult's life because of prominent health, labor market balance, and overall career success.

Colleges are struggling to adapt to society’s changing requirements for adults entering the work force. John Fawell laments this change and states that humans intrinsically desire to learn more for the purpose of knowing more. However, the focus has shifted away from this and has become more career-oriented. This shift is not well supported in the current college system. The education system is aware of this change and some have modified their programs, but they are too narrow and a broad college education is lost. Even though it has become almost mandatory in society, a college degree does not prepare students for a real-world work environment and is not necessary for most occupations. Many, such as lawyers or doctors, do require further education and a system that instructs them while also training the majority of the workforce would be an improvement.

So it’s not that colleges are spending more money to educate students, it’s that they have to get that money from someplace to replace their lost state funding; and that’s from tuition and fees from students and families (Sanchez 1). While most institutions tried to keep costs down, some took advantage of the public perception that a high tuition means a quality education (Sanchez 2). The problems that students face now are rising tuition, increasing loans and lacking financial aid to compensate. The fastest growing income for public colleges and universities in our country is tuition. Most students must take out loans to make it through college now.

The towering prices of college tuition is an avid cause for the overwhelming ignorance in America. U.S. leaders once hoped that 60 percent of the U.S. population would have college degrees by 2025. Today in 2017, it is closer to 30 percent. Not only do tuition costs dig deep financial holes in a student’s life, the pressure of making the investment causes unnecessary, avoidable stress. Students around the world flourish without the financial commitment. Students in America- the land of the “free”- need the same financial freedoms and opportunities to thrive and contribute to mankind in the changing world of today.

Over the past decade the cost of college tuition has risen drastically, because of the recession one would assume the price for funding of public post-secondary schools would decrease, but should the cost of college tuition rise as it did. For more than a decade college tuition has been rising far beyond the rate of inflation at public colleges and universities. Many people feel that high costs of college tuition will damage the economy. In the twentieth century’s generation when graduating from a university will not contribute to the economy, they will not invest in cars or housing because of the massive college loans they are left with. This new generation will cause true problems in the United States where one third of Americans between the ages of 25 and 29 hold college degrees. This becomes a national problem that will multiply rapidly in short term. High college tuition is affecting the future of many

In today 's generation a college education seems more like a choice than a requirement. From the time we enter elementary school we are being prepared for college. In this society Education happens to raise a lot of questions, for instances; “are people going to college to gain knowledge or for a good paying job?”, “with today 's technology is a degree essential to ones life?” and “ is school meant for everyone?” Education has a lot of connotations behind it which causes debates. The American society and students should be for college degrees because it expands academic knowledge, global exposure, and career preparation.

In America over the past decade, college tuition prices have gone through the roof. Many Americans today suffer with incredibly high debt, or they fear that they will not be able to pay off their debt, resulting in fewer people wanting to continue their education. Without citizens getting a higher education, America would be uneducated, which would result in America becoming neurologically nullified. Sarah Amandalore (2014), writer for the Los Angeles Times states in her article “The student loan crisis: How middle-class kids get hammered”, ‘The Delta Cost Project’ at American Institutes for Research examined rising college costs and concluded that, in recent years, a combination of state funding cuts, overspending by research universities and decreased donations have led to tuition spikes at both public and private schools” (pg. 1). When lower-income families are faced with these problems, it makes getting a higher education hard to reach. With a higher education, more life and job opportunities become available. By the government putting a limit on the amount colleges could raise their tuition, more people may opt to get a higher education. The fear of being in debt makes the idea of a higher education less valuable to many people. The government should restrict the tuition amount charged

College students all over the country are going through the tuition struggle, and they have every right to be angry about what they have to go through. In nearly 30 years, "tuition increased twice as fast as the overall cost of living” (Larson, 63). Just in the span of 1980 and 1990, the average cost of attending public and private university increased by 109% and 146%, ridiculously. Taking another look at these figures, a direct comparison can be made comparing them to other rises that took place in separate areas during that same given time. An example being the rise in medical care costs which was 117%, the cost of new homes rose to 90%, and the price of a new automobile went up 37%; simultaneously, middle class income only grew by 73% . The few capable of affording these ridiculous prices, are usually capable to afford to ignore them. However, the rest of us struggling individuals are forced to pinch pennies and are haunted by the desire of

Having just completed my first year of college I was out in the business world looking for a new job for the summer. I applied for various jobs online and received a couple offers and went in for an interview at a local hotel. I was interviewing for a pool attendant position. I met the manager of the hotel and we sat down as he described to me all of the inner workings of the job. He then asked me a variety of questions that apply to the job as well as the type of person I was. It is important to answer these questions with answers the interviewer wants to hear. Even though there isn’t a “right” answer for a lot of the questions, there are answers that the interviewer could approve or disapprove of. Using skills that I learned from my liberal arts education I was able to build a connection with the interviewer, answer his questions with answers he wanted to hear, and establish who I was and what I could bring to the organization.

“And no matter what you want to do with your life, I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it.” (Barack Obama) College is needed for many careers, whether you want to be a doctor, teacher, or vet, it will be required to obtain a college education. College has many benefits in the long run, from earning more money, increased job security, better health and much more. Going to college opens up a door of endless possibilities, which is why everyone should go to college.

A difficult decision people make is whether to go to college or not. Although not going to college allows one to start working immediately, going to college is still the better option. Going to college provides better job opportunities, a higher income, and a better future.