Summary Of Are Too Many People Going To College

In his Essay “Are too many people going to college,” first published in a 2008 issue of AEI, Charles Murray explores many insights onto the topic of furthering education as well as exploring various other options to pursue after high school. Who exactly would think that too many people are going to college? Well with more and more students flooding campuses at the end of every school year and less and less going into trade schools, a shift in the job market is just beginning to be seen on the horizon. Charles Murray’s essay “Are too many people going to college” shows that not only are there other avenues to pursue a potential life long career, but that much of the time pursuing these avenues may offer better results for some wanting to go to college.

In the essay “Are Too Many People Going to College,” writer Charles Murray explains that not everyone is in need of going to college for three main reasons: a liberal education should be gained in elementary and middle school, many people already have knowledge and skills necessary for a technical career, and many students are in college to “buy an admission ticket-the B.A.” (246) and ensure employers consider their resume. Murray does not argue anything against college itself but more against society and especially the education system. Murray also accuses guidance counselors and parents of “automatically encouraging young people to go to college straight out of high school being thoughtless about the best interests of young people” (249).

Rhetorical strategies are ways in which authors craft language so as to have an effect on readers. Charles Murray, in his essay “Are Too Many People Going to College?” uses various forms of persuasion to convince readers that attending college is not and should not be a stereotypical norm for all millennials capable of obtaining a degree. The synopsis of his claims essentially lies in these three statements: college should not be a place where core knowledge is learned, college does not benefit everyone’s career path, college should not be required to achieve a higher educational understanding of a vast variety of interests. Murray peeks readers curiosity to his claims by making critical, emotional, and logical appeals. By appealing to all forms of persuasion, Murray’s opinions on this topic might just change the way reader’s view college.

Mike Rose uses his relatives’ experiences along with his own to show that college is not for everyone. This point of view is supported by Owen and Sawhill in ‘Should Everyone Go to College?”. “It is a mistake to unilaterally tell young Americans that going to college… is the best decision they can make.”

Stephanie Owen's and Isabel Sawhill's report "Should Everyone Go To College" debates whether or not college is the right option for everyone. They begin with the fact that not all degrees or college graduates are equal. Choosing the right degree has a lot to do with the success of a college graduate. People who choose to go to college need to look at the job outlook for the degree they want to get while attending college. Those who choose a degree that has a lot of jobs and opportunities for success will find that college could possibly pay off. The people that do not do their research before getting their degree might struggle finding jobs and be forced to take a job that they could have had without a college education.

Charles Murray’s essay proposes that American colleges are being flooded with individuals who are either unprepared for higher education or who are simply forced into attending college and can’t succeed because of the lack of certain innate abilities. Murray’s essay goes on to take issue with the idea that the pursuit of a traditional college education is somehow strategically creating a separation of the American class system. While Murray makes many salient points with regards to America’s obsession with college education as a standard into a class of the intellectual elite, the essay fails to take into consideration the various motivators that can lead to student success, despite

    In the article “Are Too Many People Going To College,” Charles Murray claims that a lot of colleges are filled with students that lack certain skills and qualities that are needed for the college level. Murray goes on to say that not all students learn at the same level, but he still believes there are ways for lower ability students to be successful in college it taught better throughout K-8 and high school. Charles Murray wants all students to learn the importance of all subjects taught at college. However, he believes these students should be taught more in high school in order to be more prepared for college. Murray certainly expresses how important K-8 and high school can be when stating, “More people should be getting the basics of a liberal education. But for most students, the places to provide those basics are elementary and middle school.” Murray argues that core knowledge is very important to reading and writing comprehension, stating that familiarity of these concepts is important when going to college. He believes K-8 is the perfect time to teach the core knowledge, which should raise the students effort right away in elementary school. Murray wants kids to be taught more throughout kindergarten and eighth grade, and believes students in high school should learn by surveys and classes that are just slightly below college level courses. Another interesting quote

“In the United States today, there is no more certain investment than a college education”(Carnevale and Melton). Education has always been a major component of American society. One can only go so far without an education, and the more education and knowledge someone has, the better their chances of being successful. Some people believe a high school education is enough, and it is, enough to land a job at a fast food restaurant. I speculate they feel this way because they feel school is not for them, or maybe they just do not want to go far in life. To get far in life people must go above and beyond, and learn things that others do not know to make them

Marty Nemko, in the article, “We Send Too Many Students To College,” acknowledges that colleges have become obscenely expensive and that it is possible to be successful without going to college. Arguing that too many students are sent to college without realizing that it is not imperative, Nemko targets parents in his claims that colleges focus on educating in the cheapest way possible and most importantly, that the advantage of past college graduates in the job market is declining. One of his main reasons is that even though the average college graduate makes more money, hundreds of thousands of students in the bottom half of their high school class do not succeed in higher education. Nemko’s article is the most persuasive article on whether college education still has value as he argues that college is not beneficial to everyone through demonstrations of hyperbole, and figurative language.

“Kids who are the first in their families to brave the world of higher education come on campus with little academic know-how and are much more likely than their peers to drop out before graduation” (1). Many people believe that school isn’t for everyone, and whoever goes is privileged for doing so. Countless people in the world today do not attend college, and this is mainly due to an influence of those in their family. Perhaps they are unsupportive of higher education, their parents and family members may view their entry into college as a break in the family system rather than a continuation of their schooling and higher learning. Most of the first-generation students decide to apply to colleges, because they aspire to jobs which require degrees. However, unlike some students whose parents have earned a degree, they often seek out college to bring honor to their families, and to ensure they make a decent amount of money for their future.

The decision to obtain a higher education beyond high school is no longer a question of if, but when. This is the question that author Caroline Bird discusses in her article, “College is a Waste of Time and Money,” written in 1975. This text strives to convince students, parents, and advisors that obtaining a degree might not be in the best interest for those involved. Circling around the idea that college is a requirement and no longer an act of free will. Bird starts the article off strongly by building her credibility through her own personal research and other credible sources as well as appealing to readers through logical reasoning using numerous statistics, but fails to convince readers and discredits her ultimate goal through a disconnect in her use of analogies.

In his writing, “Are Too Many People Going to College”, he talks about how a student should have already learned what they needed to learn in college and how it might not be necessary for them to even go to college. An example in his writing that gives reason as to why college may be pointless was when he gave a hypothetical situation about a student deciding on whether to attend university or skip college and become an electrician. Murray portrays the student through his thought process and reasoning, showing that the student had looked up the wages of an electrician, if it had sensible job security and the cost of attending college. The authors use of a detailed description of the student’s endeavors and going through the thought process really lets the reader see the student’s viewpoint through their own eyes. Nonetheless in this example, going to college proved pointless because the student would have made more money becoming an electrician than getting a degree due to the soaring cost of tuition for

Are too many people going to college? This is the question that has pondered many over the past few years. With increasing tuition and increasing attendance, college is becoming “not everything that it is cracked up to be.” Charles Murray, an author from the American Enterprise Institute, wrote an article in 2008 entitled “Are Too many People Going to College?” In the article he makes the arguments that the concept of college is slowly changing. Social norms are decimating the system, people get way too ahead of themselves with their life plans, and the system is suffering as a direct result. Murray indirectly states that too many people are going to college, sending the current system into shambles. Murray effectively states his opinion through persuasive writing, a simple structure, and notable examples that draw the audience into the essay.

As college has become more accessible over the past few years, more American students are being encouraged to attend. However, not everyone believes this is a benefit to society. Political scientist, Charles Murray, voices his controversial opinions in his paper entitled, What’s Wrong With Vocational School?. Murray argues the merits of non-traditional post-secondary education, such as vocational schools and technical colleges, while simultaneously condemning the results of the “false premium” placed on a college degree. He believes that due to the stigma surrounding tradesmen, many people are encouraged to attend college to “get a better job”, despite the fact that a degree promises no such thing.

To go to college, or not go to college. This is a question that has gone through the minds of almost every American, especially within the past twenty years. In Charles Murray’s essay, “Are Too Many People Going to College?” he explains that college is not worth the time or effort unless a lucrative career choice is being pursued. On the opposing side Sanford J. Ungar’s essay, “The New Liberal Arts,” gives evidence towards why more people need to receive a liberal education at the college level because of the skills that such an education provides. I find Murray’s argument to be more convincing because when considering the question of, “Why go to college?”, one should always be aware of the payoff that their occupation may yield. It is