Why I Am I Here

What Is College For? By Gary Gutting is an analytical article upon the importance of a higher education to the public, he begins by discussing the statistics of what college has deemed worthful to people after their education. It was evident that many found it to be useful later on in life and helped them mature and grow intellectually. Gutting also points out that although many people find themselves to be successful later on after college that not everybody had the same experience, many had to drop out for the fact that a higher education was considered to be too expensive, or dropout rates too high. It is evident that he deems college to be an investment for many people who were fortunate enough to attend, therefore, providing the habits of mind of engagement, persistence, and openness to display how they play key points to the qualifying traits of a college student.

Yet many people don't seem to see it as a learning experience but instead a necessity to get to reach or stay in middle class. To me, the purpose of college is simple to help citizens to not only reach their maximum potential but to become better citizens. This can be achieved in college not only by our rigorous coursework but by the guidance of our professors.

There might be a time where people ask you, “why are you in college” or “why to decide to go to college.” People might reply by saying that they want a degree, that they want a higher paying job, or they need that for a future career that they are pursuing. Those responses are the most typical reason of why people go to college. Sure you can say that having a degree means that a person can get a better job with better pay rather than working in the manual labor fields with minimum pay. A college degree is the fundamental stepping stone to the future, it lays the foundation of where to start. College is everything to me; I’m in college so I’m able to unlock more potential in myself, to be able to make my mother proud with everything that she has done and hopefully becoming the first.

High school graduation marks the start of young adults’ lives, a time where they are expected to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Many young adults are pressured into attending college, whether they have determined their goal or not, but is it necessary? “The Case Against College,” an article written by Linda Lee, a mother who has questioned the former belief that college equals success, claims that “not everyone needs a higher education.” College, though beneficial to many, is not for everyone and should not determine an individual’s life.

In a May 2003 persuasive article published by USA Today titled “College isn’t for Everyone”, the author W.J. Reeves states “about 15 million people in America are enrolled in college.” This is a staggering amount considering the fact that many people are in college for all the wrong reasons. About half of the Americans enrolled in college are there because they feel they owe it to their families. Only a small number of Americans in college actually feel it is necessary for successful lives. In this article, Reeves recollects on his experiences as a college English professor at an institution in New York. He speaks of how he believes that many students truly do not want to be in college. You can tell this by his stories of tardiness,

College is a place where students learn what they want to be when they graduate and they use that knowledge they obtained from college to fulfill their dream by what they have studied, so hard for in college. Some people ask, “Is College worth it?” and the answer to that question is, “Yes.” A lot of people continue to disagree with that answer, but when it’s all said and done: college is worth it. That is why, there is still students that enroll into a 4-year college or a community college because they want to become successful in life which is the reason why they feel that college is worth it.

In Pharinet's essay, "Is College for Everyone" the author address the fact that while education is important and everyone's right, not everyone may be suited to attend college. The author emphases that many times the "desire for learning is not what drives students to attend college"(635). Pharinet could not be more accurate when she says this. While in college, I have come across many students with absolutely no idea of what they want to be or where they want their lives to go. Many have enrolled in college for the wrong reasons and this shift is a great problem. Many students are pressured by their parents, others hope to get a higher paying job, and many more if not most, due to the simple fact that they love receiving their financial aid

Society today is often very pressuring towards young adults when it comes to attending college. Maybe it’s because it is the most appropriate idea for people. College provides the average human with a higher satisfaction of life due to the experience and the positives outcomes than that of someone who chooses not to go to college. Although college results in the possibility of debt afterwards, it is still worth the journey.

After high school, many students make the decision on attending college based off of the things their parents/ teachers may have taught them when they were young. For example, many students further their education because throughout their lifetime they’re told they have to. In school we’re taught that in order for us to receive good jobs, and make a decent amount of money we have to have a college degree. Some are even taught that they must go beyond the undergrad and receive their masters, and doctorate degrees if they really want to be known as something in this world. While others go because it would make their parents proud, or to fulfill the legacy of being a first generation college student in their families. While this may be the case majority of the time, if you’re like me you go because

In Caroline Bird’s article, she argues that college is a wasteful investment with no bright future for those who do not wish to be there. In Bird’s article she points out the reasons in which students attend college. The reasons aren’t very complex, in fact, they are quite simple. As she quotes “They are there because it has become the thing to do or because college is a pleasant place to be; because it's the only way they can get parents or taxpayers to support them without working at a job they don’t like; because Mother wanted them to go, or some other reason entirely irrelevant to the course of studies for which college is supposedly organized” (Bird 217). Bird is explaining that students enroll in

College is an important place that can lead us to a bright and successful future. College success is more than academics; for us it’s learning how to become an adult for the first time in our life. In college we will develop skills to have relationships with professors, counselors, and with our peers. The whole college experience enables us to truly succeed. Meeting new people, becoming acquainted to different ideas and cultures, and mostly, the enjoyment of the four plus years of being in school. A couple of years from now we will look back at college as either one of the best or worst times of our lives. The one thing that motivates people to go to college is “career

At its very root a college education is an opportunity for young adults to further their education through critical thinking about a career field of their choice. Originally college was a way to separate the work force. When students graduated from high school they could join the labor force or continue education at a university. While most of these students’ families

As I read chapter one from Your College Experience: Strategies for Success, I agreed with their reasoning based on my experience. College is important, not just to me, but to the nation. It is a system that enables people, including myself a first generation low income student to work hard to achieve the American Dream. My overall goal is to graduate and be qualified for a career to support my family. To do this I need to plan smart goals and overcome challenges.

Many students decide to go to college to obtain a higher education with the expectation that it will prepare them for the work force in a field that interests now. However, most career opportunities do not expect the newly college graduate to know much of anything. The true purpose of a college education revolves around creating a well-rounded person and figuring out your purpose in life. According to Michelle Singletary of The Washington Post, “My daughter, a junior in high school, wants to be an early elementary school teacher. She gets outstanding grades in math and science, but she doesn’t have a passion for those fields. But we talked about her career choice and had her think it through and consider other options before we all agreed she’s got a gift for teaching.” (Singletary). While Singletary’s daughter may not end up becoming a teacher, this is the point of going to college.

I have fallen short in many ways towards the goals that I have made in my life.