College Is A Waste Of Time And Money Critical Analysis

The essay “Three reasons college still matters” by]Andrew Delbanco brings up a controversial topic. . Delbalco proclaims three major arguments in favor of a college degree, which include economic, political, and self-development factors. The newer generation may not be getting higher education compared to the former. Delanco expresses his personal concern about the fact that American High Education is suffering from a calamity. He says “college doors” remain closed for numerous students.

Recently, many have begun to attack and degrade higher education in the United States. In the book How College Works, authors Daniel Chambliss and Christopher Takacs claim, “As state support has eroded, and as more students attend college in an increasingly desperate attempt to find viable jobs, the price to students of attending an institution of higher education has gone up, especially at more selective institutions” (172). So is college even worth it? Caroline Bird’s excerpt from her book Case Against College “Where College Fails Us” is an adequately written article that agrees with those who question whether college is a good investment. Bird argues that although some students would benefit from college and succeed, many fall short, wasting

In Kwame Anthony Appiah’s article, “What Is the Point of College?”, he discusses the division of college into two main purposes that both intertwines and clashes with each other. The first is to provide students the practical knowledge and skills that can be applied in the “real world”, once they graduate and enter the workforce. It caters to the students’ wants and expectations in the hopes that it’s steep price tag will be justified. The second is to expand the minds of the students and have them think out of the box. It encourages them to challenge their own ideologies and be open to that of others.

Is college still important and relevant? The question is answered and confirmed when Liz Addison, author of “Two Years Are Better than Four”, wrote a counter argument in order to disprove the opposing views of Rick Perlstein, the author of, “What’s the Matter with College”. The topic that is being brought to light is the subject of whether or not college still matters. Perlstein that college is no longer what it used to be. It was after reading Perlstein’s article that Addison masterfully wrote her counter argument which successfully contradicted the opinionated, inaccurate views of Rick Perlstein.

The authors do a fantastic job of presenting these opinions fairly. The authors always present data or figures supporting college degree benefits. They also never undermine the quality or credibility of the data. However, the authors do a poor job of reacting to the opposing evidence. The authors usually react by stating that “for a given individual, the benefits [of going to college] may not outweigh the costs” (212).

Caroline Bird discusses, in “College is a waste of Time and Money,” her opinion on the recurring failure of education in universities. Bird alleges that college is not for everyone, but society forces high school graduates to go to college. College is believed to be the ticket to a successful career, however it some cases it is a waste of time because some classes are worthless. Those who actually decide to go to college, do so because it is a safe haven and it is payed for by parents. It is at the end a waste of time and money, according to Caroline Bird.

Some people carry the responsibility of repaying student loans well into their adulthood. The writer suggests these people should consider a different pathway in order to not deal with that responsibility. Even if financial difficulties can possibly be taken care of, college brings on rigorous academic challenges as well. Not every student is equipped with the skills to succeed in college; in fact, Pharinet states that, “there are students who cannot read attending college” (Pharinet 680). Although a rare case, it completely goes against the idea that college is for everyone.

Caroline Bird in her essay titled “College is a Waste of Time and Money” argues that college education is a useless endeavor that is often forced on students. According to Caroline Bird, students lack motivation and enthusiasm for college education. If money is the goal of education, she opines that there are better ways of investment. She also claims that college education does not make a student more ready for jobs and neither are there jobs that are relevant to the field of study. When there are some students who become very successful she says that the contributing factors are mainly intelligence and family background rather than their college education.

As a college student who is currently spending thousands of dollars to further my education and achieve a career goal, it was, at first, disheartening to read Caroline Bird ’s essay “College is a Waste of Time and Money”. However, after thoroughly examining her points, I now see that her essay is illogical. In her piece “College is a Waste of Time and Money”, Caroline Bird argues against the idea that “college is the best place for all high-school graduates” (1); in other words, college isn’t for everyone. Throughout her writing, Bird supplies her readers with evidence that explains how, for some individuals, college is a waste of not only time and money, but of intellectual effort, as well.

The Greek Philosopher Aristotle identified “The years between puberty and age twenty-one as the formative time for mind and character.” It was customary for young Greek men to attend a series of lectures that resembled our notion of a college “course”(Delbanco 36). Aristotle is a believer of education and the power it has on the development of the young mind. Likewise, he believes college is a place to establish one’s character. Caroline Bird’s essay, “Where College Fails Us,” definitely does not correlate with the opinion of Aristotle.

A Look into The Purpose Of College When thinking about the purpose of college, most people tend to lean towards either job-driven or life-driven. In the article “What’s The Purpose Of College?”, Brandon Busteed looks deeper into the meaning of the purpose of college. Instead of looking at college as solely preparation for a good job, we can also look at it as a way to prepare a person for a successful life through broad education. After reading this article, I agree with the author that the purpose of college is equally preparing students for jobs while also assisting them in ways to thrive throughout their life to be successful with a purpose. Summary

Reducing College Tuition College can either be a rude awakening for some students or it can be an opportunity for higher learning, but the goal is the same: to obtain a higher education and become successful. The purpose of college is to open people’s minds to new thoughts and ideas. Higher education offers knowledge and wisdom, but most of all, it offers experience, which is what people look for and desire when they think about attending college. Unfortunately, there is just one barrier keeping people from obtaining higher education, and that barrier is the price tag of college tuition.

“3 Reasons College Still Matters” by Andrew Delbanco 3) “Surely, every American college ought to defend this waning possibility, whatever we call it. And an American college is only true to itself when it opens its doors to all - the rich, the middle, and the poor - who have the capacity to embrace the precious chance to think and reflect before life engulfs them. If we are all serious about democracy, that means everyone.” 4) In this part of the writing Andrew Delbanco tries to persuade his audience by using the pattern of logic that agrees with the overall argument but also considers another striking point of view to strengthen the argument (While these arguments are convincing, they must also consider…).

Throughout the essay, Charles Murray stresses the idea that college is the wonderland of finding oneself and to find the career that one would want to follow for the rest of their lives. “College is seen as the open sesame to a good job and a desirable way for adolescents to transition to adulthood. Neither reason is as persuasive as it first appears.” Murray, C (2008) Practically spoken, this is not normally the case. College is a fair amount of work, much more work than one would normally acquire through any course of a high school or secondary school setting.

A rising issue in today’s society is deciding whether or not college is worth the cost. There is an extreme amount of pressure that is forced upon high school students by parents, teachers, and peers to further their education and attend college. However, there is research that challenges the thought that college is the best possible path for a person to take. College may be a great investment for some people, but it is not meant for everyone. This is supported by the arguments that colleges are expensive, jobs do not always require a college degree, and students are forced to choose a lifestyle before being exposed to the real world.