The Pros And Cons Of College Education

Throughout the USA college tuition has increased drastically; in the last five years Georgia colleges have had 75% increase along with other states such as Arizona whose tuition has increased by 77% (NPR). Since 2006 the tuition in Utah has increased by 62.8% and is rising throughout the U.S. (Desert News). Between 1885-2016 the price of college has increased between 2.1% to 4.3% per year beyond inflation (CollegeBoard). Through calculations, that equates to about a hundred precent increase since 1885. It’s no secret that college tuition has skyrocketed, increasing student debt and leaving prospective students to ask “Is College Worth It?” college education is beneficial in that it teaches students valuable life lessons in responsibility, prepares students to enter the workforce and can be relatively inexpensive. The eduction is “college education” is worth every penny but America has created clichés to define the college experience which are expensive and unnecessary. In a radical new world a college education is required in many high paying jobs, which leads to the question “Is the experience of college all it is built up to be?” Through recent research, many articles and news mention about the value of higher education seem to only take account of is the financial aspect. A college education is worth what one makes it and is an investment in a future and in one’s self. The purpose of college the education is to be prepared to go into a the workforce having gained the

Is college really worth the time and money? This is the question I am going to be exploring. While many people may have an idea that college is just an abundance of debt, other students argue that most of the information they learn doesn’t provide them with the value they thought it would (Adams 1). Many college students who grow up with the opportunity to go to college usually don’t stress the idea of going to school, but most students who don’t have the opportunity to go to school usually make school their priority. Students who don’t have the opportunity to go to school think this way because they want the opportunities they think they could have with a college education. I am deciding to argue about this topic because I grew up in a household that didn’t grow up with parents who stressed college, as a result, I am making a strong effort to get through college. Although college does have some disadvantages, going to college is worth the time and money because it provides critical thinking and opportunities for job advancement.

Nearly every day, it seems that we as students are lectured to about the necessity of a college education. It seems that without a proper, costly university experience, we would be unable to lead a fulfilling and successful life. Despite the years of one’s life it takes up and the financial toll of the tuition, we’re told that it’s worth every second and every penny. However, we also learn about those who have been confined by outstanding student loan debt and have had little to no success after graduation. We’ve been confounded for a long time with the same question: is college worth the cost? As a society, we are unable to unite upon a reasonable response to this question. So, should we answer it?

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

Debt can make one’s life become a stressful thing. There is a constant worry the debt will continue to grow or dealing with the struggle of having to pay every last penny back plus more. Colleges are finding fewer reasons to lower prices and more reasons to raise prices. The college perspective is understood by many in this matter though. Colleges, as well as any other business, needs to make money also. The affordability of college is the second most important thing about a child’s college education, right below the actual education itself. “… the cost of college will remain unaffordable, tuition will continue to rise, and the 18-year-olds… will ‘get to’ continue paying for college with student loans” (college cost act does not…). Does it really pay off to go to college though?

College is a place where an estimated 21 million people will be spending a majority of their day to study in a particular major of choice ( Fast Facts: Back to School Statistics). Of course, with this higher education, it has a high cost and a reputation for it. About 1 trillion dollars of student loans will be granted to students across the nation from the federal government. Another 100 million will be from privately owned banks (Student Loan Debt). With these statistics, theoretically, one student of the 21 million will owe $47,619.05. This value may convince people that college isn't worth the financial investment. Therefore by digging into the numbers and facts, I'll help unravel if college is worth the financial investment through evaluating

Public education is a novel concept. Before, solely the children from the noble class had access to such a luxury; the remaining youth labored alongside their parents. Although the caste system in most countries remains a thing of the past, the ever increasing tuition for higher education poses a threat to enlightening the following generations. This past election campaign millennials rallied behind Senator Bernie Sanders, demanding free college. Others, dismissed the free education platform to stand with their capitalistic viewpoint. As both scenarios envision utopias, solving this modern problem demands a negotiation of the two, to create a ceiling sticker price for tuition and room and board in order to achieve the most optimal outcome.

High School students will often say that their senior year is a big year. This is often because of the onerous decisions being made. These decisions can be small or life amending; such as anything from choosing a prom date to deciding whether or not to attend college. But why is the decision of going to college or not going to college such a tough question to answer? This is often because students are often more than not still comparing, and contrasting the pros and cons of choosing the next pathway that tailors best to their strengths and weakness. Although individuals can be successful without a college education, those who extend their education will become a more complex thinker, who is a well rounded.

Higher education is an optional terminal stage of formal learning, usually offered after completion of secondary education. Records show that there has been an increase in college admission of up to 15 %, since the mid 90’s (Brennan, 2004). Better jobs, huge salaries, excellent perspective, good status and better lifestyle, are all promised to people considering to join colleges. However, there is a debate if they made the best decision to join and graduating from the college. The life that you would lead after college is a matter based on the program of study and the occupation you choose (Philip and Uros, 2013). The cost of pursuing higher education is also a matter of contention which limits the level of study one can reach with some opting to drop out due to constraints in finances and others having to deal with loan debts of an average $33,000. The question everyone is asking now “is college education worth it?”

After high school students are expected to attend college in order to find a stable job and to be better educated. Students are all expected to go to college and get an education more than they already have. As many people believe every student should attend college so they can become successful. However I don’t believe that is true because if that person does go to college and wishes not to that is a waste of money. There will be no point of going to college if they don’t enjoy it or else they won’t even try nor will they gain anything from attending. Students should attend if they want to and seek an education. Going to college can get you to a lot of places and a lot of jobs but will it all be worth the time and money if you’re not ready nor you wanting to go.

“Stress. Anxiety. Money. Time. People may think these worries belong to working adults, but they’re also common among college students, particularly freshman – unknown.’’ Freshman college students withdraw from college as a freshman for many reasons such as: the rate of tuition, fraternities and sorority parties, and the lack of preparedness. While many seniors from high school are very excited to become freshman, and began their first college year at the college of their dreams or the institution they made the decisions to attend; however, most students are obsessed with what they hear about the college life. With being said, many students still have the opportunity of being successful but, adversary plays a major role which leads to many freshman college students withdrawing from there institutions.

“Is college worth the cost? Many recent graduates don’t think so” is an article from The Washington Post by Jeffrey J. Selingo. This article published on September 30, 2015, addresses the issue being is a college education worth a large amount of money and debt these students have acquired just for a piece paper called a degree. This is relevant because a large majority of high schoolers face this issue. They don’t know if they can afford college and they do not want debt, but at the same time, most workplaces require some type of degree. That is exactly what this article acknowledges that at this time a college degree is only worth the debt because without it you are more likely to be unemployed. However, this article also addresses all the negatives of obtaining a college degree and how even with a degree you could find yourself in a state of unemployment. To inform the readers of the negatives surrounding a college degree the author uses to appeal to authority, statistics, and appeal to emotions to prove his point.

Is college necessary to be successful?  Since our society thinks that education is "everything" and judges a person based on their academic skills, people should go to college.  If they have a college degree, society will take students seriously, leading them to a difference in income, a better rate of employment, and if students have to work for the rest of their lives, no matter where you go, they should have fun at college before they start working.

When going to college you have to make a huge decision way before you worry about what classes you need to take. You have to worry about how you’re going to pay for your schooling. Will you take out student loans or work to pay off your tuition? As the cost of going to college rises the decision gets more and more tough. Most people don’t really want to take out student loans because the thought of interest taking over your life. College has become way more expensive than paying for health care, which is terrible in my opinion. One of the articles that will be talked about helping people that are new to the college experience figure out how to pay for things efficiently and the best way to do things without graduating with an overwhelming amount of debt to your name.

Former president Bill Clinton once said, “if we want to invest in the prosperity of our nation, we must invest in the education of our children so that their talents may be fully employed”. Higher education in the United States has not always been a primary focus for everyone for but it has been something that people aspire to achieve at some point in their lives. George Washington, the first president of the United Sates, on January 8th,1790 mentioned to Congress that there should be a national University but the Congress thought otherwise. During the making of the United States, the founding fathers figured that anything pertaining to education should be left up to the sates (Archbald,23). In the Constitution, which is the supreme law of the United Sates, there is no mention of education and how it should be handled. Nearly two centuries later, in the late 1930’s and 1940’s America had begun to change their focus from durable goods and their investments in education to an economy geared for war. After World War II ended, the attention of the United State reverted back to education. The United States took extraordinary measures to enable citizens to achieve the American dream which included a nation where people of all income levels could afford college (Collinge,1). Higher education was mainly for the upper class which hindered those in the middle and lower class. Majority of those that were in the middle and lower class only possessed a high school diploma. In 1944