Statement Of Purpose: Launchpad

Andrew Simmons published his article for The Atlantic, “The Danger of Telling Poor Kids that College is the Key to Social Mobility” on January 16, 2014, which raises his concerns that higher education is only being promoted as an opportunity to increase their economic status, when it should be an opportunity to experience an education (Simmons). Through the use of students such as Isabella, Simmons disagrees with the way students now look at higher education and blames the educators through the students’ lives for this view. Instead, Simmons views education as an intellectual opportunity rather than a way to elevate ones economic class which is all people see when they see “higher education.” He believes that education, ambition and work ethic is how you have a satisfying life, not with how much you make. He makes the point that when economics becomes the main goal of education it’s all children begin to think about and they might not pursue something that they are truly passionate about or what they want to learn about, which then does not create an intellectually awakening experience (Simmons).

“Who Gets to Graduate’ by Paul Tough, publish May, 2015 in the New York Times discusses. The story of a young girl’s mindset on college. It begins with her starting in college and first failure on a test. It highlighted the doubts she had in her abilities. This opening introduces the article’s man discussion, which involves low income students who want to earn a four year degree but experience “troubles” along the way. It then discusses statistics that show dropout rates are highest with low-income students. The author included ability versus economics status.

Today, several of my childhood friends are dead, in prison, or addicted to drugs. I knew friends, who were talented, but never attended college since they felt compelled to provide for their families. Children from low-income families have this mindset—that is supported by the tenets implying we will not amount to anything surpassing our existing conditions compared to individuals from prosperous backgrounds. I realized I had to reach beyond the limits of my circumstances so I could pursue my

In the article, “Low-Income Students Seeking the Education They Need to Move Up,” Emily Yount writes about the way that poverty affects people entering higher education. In her story, a girl named Chelsea is a single mom trying to get her education, and the path is difficult for her. In this paper, I will discuss both my mother and Chelsea and show the ways that it is mainly the single moms that struggle the most in this society. Regardless if you’re rich or poor, your economic status always is important. A student’s economic status has a great impact and can affect her depending on the decisions she makes.

In Nigeria, my parents were not given the opportunities to excel as students, which led to their decision to move to the United States and build a family. It became clear that “going to college…was never even like a question (62).” I’ve always known that a college education was in my future and that it was my job to take full advantage of all of the resources available. At UCLA, there are many programs that help students achieve by providing mentorship, encouragement and financial uphold to help make their four-year experience a prominent one. Success is known to come to those who work hard for it, and I knew that I had to put in the time and effort now to benefit from it in the future.

However, college education not only delivers a degree or diploma, but also intellectual growth and a more promising future of financial stability and happiness. With things like fees, financial aid, housing and transportation, it is understandable for any individual to be frustrated with the many obstacles college may throw. However, college is only as difficult as one may approach it. It is an overwhelming statistic that “student debt has increased significantly,” within the past few decades (Leonhardt). With plenty of opportunities for financial aid, students can ease the tension of their wallets by taking advantage of the convenience scholarships provide.

Families of first-generation students do not know how to assist their children when it comes to exploring different careers, or searching for scholarships. These students can easily get discouraged as they do not have a role model figure to look after. In a study by Royster, Gross, & Hochbein (2015), it was mentioned (Kuh, Cruce, Shoup, Kinzie & Gonyea, 2008; Lloyd, Leicht, & Sullivan, 2008) that parents that do not have the firsthand knowledge of academic resources or college expectations do not encourage their children to challenge themselves with course that will lead them to be college bound. In addition, students may not feel motivated or supported by their families. It is important to understand that early exposures to college or career conversation do not necessary starts until their high school years.

After seeking a higher education, one is able to move on to the next stages of life peacefully. “One common thread, whether I’m reporting on poverty in New York or Sierra Leone, is that a good education tends to be the most reliable escalator out of poverty. Another common thread: whether in America or Africa, disadvantaged kids often don’t get a chance to board that escalator” (Nicholas D. Kristof). The “escalator out of poverty” indicates that non-affluent students must succeed in the world of academics. Successes that will give them hope to move on to the next stages of life. In addition, one can argue that non-affluent students who succeed in the world of education, epitomizes strong and fearless human beings. These human beings make the world a stronger and powerful place mainly because, they know how to overcome struggles that causes one question the meaning of success in life. Overcoming challenges in life, will allow you to overcome other challenges that you may face later in

The results from this study show that students from low income households have a significantly lower chance of receiving a bachelor degree than those coming from higher income households, which one could probably assume. Even the students that preformed at the top of their class in eighth grade, but lived in low income households had less than thirty-three percent chance of completing college (Roy). This astonishing fact proves that even the highest achieving students still do not have a guarantee of receiving a college education, if their parents have no way to afford it. Another study, conducted by the National Student Clearninghouse Research Center, tracked two million, three hundred thousand people from high school into college to track their performance while in college based on where they attended college. They found that low income students from lower income high schools tended to wait a couple years before enrolling in college while high income students attending higher income high schools enrolled in college the fall semester after graduating high school. Out of these participants, twenty-two thousand, one hundred eight students continued their education into college, and eighty-one percent of these college students successfully completed at least their second year of schooling (Sparks ).

There has been a moment in everyone’s life where they have dug too deep to jump back out and abandon the end goal. Students across the country that begin their junior year of high school are thinking about which choice of colleges they have in mind. One of the major problems that keeps a student back like solid steel chain is the tuition it cost for University admission. Students working their hardest throughout their high school career and having the ever conscious situation of financial problems stress them out. Students become discouraged when one of the main reasons for being unable to attend their dream college, is their inability to afford the yearly tuition cost of attendance. Students are then forced to face reality, in the sense that,

I have always used college as motivation; I like to believe that I am an overachiever by nature. However, I know that I have primarily been driven by the compelling possibilities of scholarships and financial aids. But, why should I? Why should my family’s income prevent me from attending college? College is not a luxury; it has become a necessity in order to succeed. Why should money dictate my education, my opportunities, the dinners I eat, the clothes I buy, the movie theater I go

Deborah Caldwell shares her emotional experiences with the college education system in her essay “My Son Was Accepted to a College He Can’t Afford. Now What?” that I hope will not reflect my own. I am a High School Senior who is planning to attend college in the upcoming term, going through the selection process just as Caldwell describes. Just like my mother, She takes pride in the achievements of her children and is proud they are accepted to prestigious schools for all their hard work. I see my family through her experiences as the year unfolds and I apply for federal aid. Just like many other middle class families, we are neither rich enough to afford university tuition without aid nor poor enough to qualify for government assistance programs.

Students from all over the United States are told all through their life that they need to attend college if they ever want to be successful, however, this is far from the truth. Often schools are culprits for driving students to attend money driven colleges, in other cases it is family. While schools all too often make the push on students to continue their schooling, parents can cause the same situation, as they may not have a degree and be working a low-paying factory job. Now kids already don’t want to be like their parents when they get older, so seeing them suffer in poverty or barely above the poverty line can cause some dissatisfaction, further seeking a degree to live a life that they never got. What many

Everybody loves a good success story. When the underdog, usually a lower class high school age student, defies the odds and comes out on top, beating his circumstances to get where nobody thinks he should go, everyone goes crazy for it. So crazy that Hollywood gets in on the act, with movie productions such as The Blind Side, Life of A King, and Slum Dog Millionaire. Sadly, these stories are not commonplace, in fact, they are very few and far between. More often than not, students from lower class families struggle to get by, as a result putting school to the back burner. Less than 75% of students in lower income households graduate high school, and even fewer go onto college (http://nces.ed.gov). From this group, excuses began to come out, the main reason underlies them all; they have become a product of their circumstance. The position they were in restrained them, forcing only one path, a

After witnessing countless people not graduate from high school, I was convinced as a young woman that I would not attend college. I’ve watched my mother work day and night, and my father work three jobs. As a child of parents who lacked college education, I knew that was going to be me.