The Real Purpose of a University Education Essay example

When it comes to the topic of attaining a college degree, most will readily agree that it is essential to securing a successful career post-graduation. Whereas some are convinced that a college degree does not guarantee entry into a career in one 's field of study nor does it determine success in one 's career, others maintain that a higher education is, in fact, the way to job security and financial success. What comes into question is whether the investment in a college education is truly worth it or not in order to accomplish a student 's goals of success. I think it could be said for most prospective college students that the reason for going to college is to gain the credentials required for most jobs today. What many of those potential students may not realize is the substantial percentage of graduates who do not acquire a job related to their majors, how much debt they will incur, and just how many students don 't graduate at all for reasons such as an overwhelming workload and a poor work/ life balance.

From a young age, most kids have been brainwashed to believe that college is the only path to success in life. Is it? Is college the right choice for everyone? Or are there better alternatives? These are questions that have been asked many different times but it seems like there has been a lack of a clear-cut answer. There are many different things to consider when looking at colleges as the only path to success.

A college education has been viewed as the key to the American dream. There are many opinions on the purpose of a college education from obtaining new information, becoming a more well-rounded individual or preparing for the workforce. Originally, the college education was primarily used to become more educated to provide services to society; however, the college education is perceived as an expectation and mandatory in becoming a useful person in society and workforce. The purpose of obtaining a college education to obtain the skills necessary to become a well-rounded individual in society.

More people than ever before are attending college due to the endless opportunities that it provides. Louis Menand, a college professor and the author of “Live and Learn: Why We Have College,” explains the meaning of college through three theories that have been developed. Theory 1 supports the idea of the sorting-out process that separates the highly intelligent from the less intelligent. Menand’s second theory explains that college provides opportunities for developmental growth, personal growth, and teaches individuals about the world around us. These are valuable lessons that will not be learned anywhere else. Theory three supports the idea of people attending college to specialize in a specific vocation. I

Colleges and Universities are windows of knowledge that many people try to break, in doing so, people are ready for the next stage of their life. But not many have the option to go the world where knowledge is everything, and end being a simple worker all his life. People would judge a person for not having a degree, bachelor and many more. But do they ever think that colleges or universities are really preparing you for any jobs, does a piece of paper worth a lot now a days. Freeman Hrabowski wrote an article responding to people that think educations is a waste of time, and it is called “College Prepare People for life” (Hrabowski). In the article he mentions many positive thing about going to college and what is the outcome of going to college. But I believe that, he hasn’t done a very good job to explain why college is a good place to go prepare yourself for the real world. I believe that college is very important for our life, but not many of us know if we are really learning something while being in college. I feel like colleges or universities has become a place where we go just to go or try to earn a degree in any field. Therefore, I believe that colleges doesn’t enhance our basic skills, doesn’t give us a certainty of us getting a good job, doesn’t give us the hardships of the real world and it isn’t a place where everyone gets treated it equally.

According to Lundberg (2003), “adult students are one of the most rapidly growing segments of today’s college student population, making up approximately 40% of all college students” (665).

Education has existed throughout history in one form or another. The process of passing down accumulated information from one generation to the next has been present in every human society, past and present. From the young listening to the stories of the elders around the hearths of the ancient world, to pupils being instructed in the alphabet in a one room schoolhouse on the American frontier, to the present day online teaching sessions; the tradition of teaching and learning has been a constant in the ever changing world. Education has been and continues to be used for many purposes, chief among them being the creation of an educated citizenry, the empowerment of that citizenry, and improvement of the

Many think college is not worth it, however when I think of college not being worth it, I ask myself what is “it”? Is college not worth the sacrifice, time, or stress? In this case, many are not college material, simply for lacking the amount of effort and self motivation it takes to get through college. I oppose with the statement “For many, College isn’t worth it” because college is worth everything it takes for you to become great in the field you choose to study. Many people are not able or do not have the mindset to get through college, but that do not mean they will never have the mindset. Most people do not work hard under pressure or have great skills at testing or learning at a slow or fast pace. Some people believe that after highschool, since it is required, that going straight into an occupation is better for them. In my opinion, college is a stepping stool for achieving higher education and newer knowledge for the area you decide to infiltrate. I believe the educational world is bias to the brainpower of many people and people of the world is bias to the things they are capable of doing. Therefore, I am confident in stating college is worth it because having a college background ensures you quicker job opportunities, college gives you knowledge to become disciplined and self-motivated, and; college also enhances your communication skills.

All of this information draws many people to the same conclusion: college is unnecessary. They assume that college is too expensive, or that it doesn’t adequately prepare people for the real world, or that the time spent in college can be used for significantly better things. This thought process is entirely fair. Ultimately, a college education isn’t necessarily for everyone, as the high number of dropouts

There is quantitative data on both sides of the debate about whether or not college is worth it, but it’s hard to measure some of the pros of a college education in numbers. Most agree, however, that college enriches people’s life in some way that isn’t just financial. Through encountering different perspective and getting a liberal arts education, people become better citizens of the world. Or so the argument goes. In his essay, "Colleges Prepare People for Life", Freeman Hrabowski argues that everyone should attend college, not just for the financial benefits down the line, but to enrich their worldview and prepare them to become better citizens in the 'real world '. While I agree with his view that college is one path to becoming a

People in the past did not stress value of receiving a higher education because it was not as indispensable as it is today. Now, people perceive others not only by their appearances, but by their accomplishments. Employers always hire people with the most education and experience. The majority of students are concerned about getting a higher education throughout the years. Nevertheless, some people question the purposes of getting educated, and consider it meaningless. The concept of education has a significant meaning. It enables one to take control of knowledge and apply it. It is education what prepares the mind to comprehend and learn important ideas. A higher education is very important for an individual's success in

Even though tuitiion costs have raised by almost 50% over the course of 30 years people still argue that college is still worth the price. One supporting reason that will always apply to this argument is, the fact that college graduates earn more money and have a much easier time finding employment than their peers who only have a highschool diploma. Others might state that though not all careers recquire a four-year degree, most do. With that being said a college degree can almost always give you ta head start and better skills for/in any field. Opposers also use Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg to say their choices to leave school were based off of billion dollar ideas, and that the two were already computer geniuses when their decisions were made. To add to that supporters of attending college would say , it’s not all about the learning material. The choice to attend college gives students the opportunity to gain financial responsibility, students usually learn how to put needs before wants when they attend college. Lastly whether it’s your peers or professors college provides students with the time to meet, and get to know new people, with new ideas who may challenge, inspire, encourage or even work alongside one another. This would be used by college supporters to show that college is also a networking tool, or maybe a student could just want a change of scenery. For some people the number 1 reason to go to college is to go away/move to a new location. Some may want to just escape the cold and move down south, others may want to get out of small towns and explore the world. There can be many reasons to attend college like just to live in dorms and experience a home without parents, all of these prove to opposers that college is still worth

College is a great place for many to experience new things and to further education. However, college is not for everyone. According to the film Ivory Tower, college teaches people valuable skills such as networking with peers and extensive knowledge. College also provides students, upon graduation, with a degree and proper credentials. Based on a survey done by the Pew Research Center; the article “The Rising Cost of Not going to College,” states that “economic analysis consistently find that college graduates regardless of generation are doing better than those with less education,” this shows that there is a reasonable gap between a college degree and a high school diploma. On the other hand, it may not be worth the rising costs. Carolina Bird, author of “Where College Fails Us,” mentions in her article “in the current slowdown it has become evident that there were never, and probably never will be, enough jobs requiring higher education to go around,” (59-60) this shows some people's job outlook may not be aligned with their major. Jeffrey Selingo’s article “Is College Worth the Cost? Many Recent Graduates Don’t Think So,” says that “nearly half of college graduates in their 20s are underemployed, meaning the jobs they have do not require a bachelor’s degree,” this brings up the possibility of college not being beneficial to many. College can be needed because of higher salaries after graduation and providing people with the tools to succeed. On the contrary, going to

In almost every culture and in all parts of the world, getting an education is valuable to a person’s future. But what is it that makes education so valuable? What is the purpose of an education starting from the early stages of a child’s development into adolescents, and from adolescents into adulthood?

"The more we know the world around us, the more successful we will be." This quote, from the introduction of my high school chemistry book, was my driving force as a teenager to attend college. My expectations of college were to gain insight into a world that I had not yet discovered. I had high aspirations of receiving a good education and obtaining a good job when I graduated. But four years later when graduation day arrived, I felt unfulfilled. In evaluating my education, I realized that I learned how to get good, but not great grades. I learned how to study to make the most of my time. The focus I shared with many of my peers was not always to appreciate the information received, but rather,