Why People Go To College

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.

The standard way of thinking about college has often given the impression that education will open doors. College is foretold to be the wisest choice a student can make to better their future with a successful, high-paying job. Yet Charles Murray, author of the article “Too Many People Are Going To College,” introduces a controversial side to the argument, believing that the decision for students to attend college is one of great importance, but the choice may be made too soon. Murray emphasizes the reasons why this situation exists and continues to be proven true in today’s society with factors such as the misleading statements to students about college and the high academic standards students must conform to.

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,

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

A college degree is a valuable asset that could ultimately lead to a productive life in society due to the received education, but people without a college degree do turn out more than adequate in regards to societal success. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the forecasted 30 fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not require a high school diploma, nine require a high school diploma, four require an associate 's degree, six require a bachelor 's degree, and six require graduate degrees to get the jobs (College). In an article called “College Education” by ProCon.org,

Does college really give graduates the tools and knowledge required to succeed? In the article “Where College Fails Us”, author Caroline Bird attempts to argue that college may not be worth as much as people are led to believe. Bird believes that with the rise in college graduates being well above the Department of Labor Statistics anticipated job needs, college is quickly becoming a waste of time. Moreover, several reasons listed depict colleges many shortcomings, including the stress it puts on students and the unrealistic expectations it gives them combined with huge financial burdens. The author believes that the successful college graduates would have been successful regardless of their education, and that the majority of students felt forced to attend. Finally, she states that before wasting your money on a college education the reader should reflect on her article and determine if there is still value in a college experience. Although Caroline Bird presents many persuading arguments against the college experience in her article, I believe her logic to be outdated and generalized, and her content lacking of discrediting information. I disagree that all college graduates are taking dead-end jobs, and universities have withdrawn from the social side of their educational experience.

Throughout my middle and high school years, both my peers and I were strongly encouraged to go to college. I was not only urged by teachers, but my family members also. It is intriguing how closely connected that is after Murray discussed how college is promoted and organized. Growing up, I was taught that college would be the door of opportunity to a guaranteed better life. While college maybe unnecessary for some, it is necessary for others. As for myself, I believe college is necessary in order for me to advance towards my career in Journalism. Upon my high school graduation, I had decided to go straight into the workforce. At the time I preferred to have a job making money instead of going to school losing money. Quickly, I learned that I was still losing money even though I was working. I was working for survival, just to "make ends meet”, and in opposite direction of the career I desired. That experience alone encouraged me to pursue my college education even more because I knew I could not make it without it. Nowadays a bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite for jobs in journalism, regardless of the fact that one may have

It has been a heavily debated topic over whether college is worth it or not. In “College’s Value,” college professor Eric Hoover explains his studies of college degrees and concludes that attending college has greater benefits than we expect. Nowadays, when families think of college, they think about the amount of financial burden instead of what they will gain from attending. In this article, Hoover states, “Yet the perceived benefits of attending college go well beyond the dollars” (Hoover 1). He writes how diplomas help receive better and higher paying jobs. Hoover is persuasive by using statistics, interviews with undergraduates and graduates, and acknowledging the opposing views as well as refuting them.

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.

Caroline Bird’s essay “College is a Waste of Time and Money” explains her beliefs on why, for some people, going to college is an ineffective and inefficient use of their time. She states that many students do not belong in college because they are there for the wrong reasons and they are not happy learning. She also gives evidence to suggest that going to college and getting a degree does not actually allows a person to make more money in their life time. Her final claim is that college does not prepare most students for the real world and the jobs they will have once they graduate.

I have so many reason why I wanted to attend DCCC and each decision that I make at DCCC is that I’m gonna face it till the very end of my courses. I always wonder how can I get a step further in life and how can I get my stuff done and start early and there was an option that was given to me in my 8th grade year and it was a sign up for an orientation for Yadkin Valley Regional Career Academy a school where you can learn how to start you career and be professional looking/acting when applying for a job that suit you better. I came to Yadkin Valley for orientation where you can check the school out, but I had a little problem I didn’t have my glasses so couldn’t really see how the school look because my eyes were blurry, but I notice that I really didn’t need to see just listen to the teachers and how they talk and communicate and how they tell us what we be learning and discover while we are here at Yadkin Valley and what they have in store for us and then I heard a

In their essay “Should Everyone Go to college,” a part of the book They Say I Say, Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill explore the advantages and disadvantages of college and examine the value of college for all individuals. Owen and Sawhills’ purpose is to put an end to the belief that a four-year degree is necessary to be successful. They adopt an informative tone to influence readers to open their minds to a new belief that college is still important but not mandatory for every student. Owen and Sawhill argue that the proposition that college is a requirement to be economically successful has failed to recognize that not everyone is created equally by reminding readers that many factors play into whether college is the right option for someone.

In today’s society, the idea of receiving a college education has been pondered quite a bit as to whether or not it is actually worth it. According to Michelle Adam, many people “…today believe that getting a good education is key to success in our society, this revealed surprising issues that challenge the notion of higher education being worth its price tag” (59). Naturally, many high school graduates apply for college right before or after graduation. Others decide to go into the work force, armed forces, or simply remain unemployed. The question that many people debate about is, is a college education worth it in the long run? Though some people believe a college education will benefit ones’ career, others believe it will cause a mass

When it comes to the topic of college most people will readily agree that it is important for everyone to get a college degree. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of if a college degree is necessary to find a career. Whereas some are convinced that a college degree is necessary to find a career in today’s society, the authors of “Should Everyone go to College?” Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill, argue that college is important, but may not be the right path for everyone and people can still find successful careers without a college degree. I agree that college is not the right path for everyone because my experience with others whom have and have not gone to college confirms it.

I would like to attend college because I want to be able to demonstrate not only to myself but to my family that we can do what we set ourselves to do. I would to do go far in this life and accomplish my life goals. Without college, I will not be able to do my goals. My goals are to graduate from college, one day own my own land so that I can own my own agricultural business, and have my home there too, and I want to be a high school Spanish teacher as well. Another reason as to why I want to attend college is that I want to be able to show my little sister that anything is possible, we can do whatever we set ourselves to do, as long we do not give up we will be able to accomplish great things in life. My teachers have also been a great influence