Henry Bienen: Why Too Many Kids Go To College

In his article, “Are Too Many People Going to College?” Charles Murray argues that too many people are going to college universities when they should be focusing on other lifestyle options. In his opinion, whether or not to attend college is a personal decision that should be thoroughly thought through. When weighed with the unrealistic prerequisites, the financial expenses, and the time needed to obtain a degree, many people will find that attending college will not be beneficial to them. Speaking of this Murray attests, “The question here is not whether the traditional four-year residential college is fun or valuable as a place to grow up, but when it makes sense as a place to learn how to make a living.

People go to college to get a good paying job, have job security, and get a degree. Well at least that’s what it should be about. That’s what Charles Murray believes in his essay “Are Too Many People Going to College.” Murray counters the argument of Sanford Ungar who believes colleges should have a more liberal approach towards its classes and have students actually learn a broad range of real life skills instead of just going into a career just because it pays well. In Ungar’s essay he explains the misperception that Americans have on obtaining a liberal-arts degree and how they believe it doesn’t translate well to the real world.

College graduates are more likely to rise from the income ladder than those who haven’t finished or chosen to go to college. But, “economic mobility in the United States is now below that of most developed countries, suggesting the American Dream is becoming a myth” (Matthews 2017). Jobs that are demanding skills needed are slowly disappearing, which cuts down the opportunities given to those without an education after high school. However, Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility proves otherwise. Students who are less fortunate financially and are accepted into elite schools benefit the same as rich students.

Attending college requires a significant amount of money, so it is easier for wealthy families to send their children to college. Studies show that with a $10,000 increase in home value, enrollment to college rises by 0.7 percent, and this increase in enrollment grows as home value rises. This means that in order for more people to go to college, they must make more money. Attending college often allows people to get better jobs, so they are able to earn more money and stay in the upper class. This again contributes to the perpetual cycle of wealth inequality because these new, upper class college graduates can send their children to college as well.

The general argument made by author Charles Murray in his article, “Are too many people go to college,” is that the college is not necessary for everyone. More specifically, the Murray argues that students who went to school should have learned the core knowledge they will learn in the college. He writes, “ K-8 are the right years to teach the core knowledge, and the effort should get off to a running start in elementary school” (236). In this passage, Murray is suggesting that start teaching the core knowledge in elementary school until high school is better than to spend money and more time to the college. It is not important to go to college.

There is many people that go to college, but because of the cost they don't get through college. The elevated costs of college cause not only students to struggle paying for college, but also to struggle financially paying for college when they are done. In many cases, after graduating, young adults who don’t find a job will become poorer, increasing the gap between the rich and the

When we look at lifetime earnings-the sum of earnings over a career-the total premium is $570,000 for a bachelor’s degree and $170,000 for an associate’s degree.” (pg.211 para. 1) This is an extremely effective use of logos to persuade as to why getting a college degree can yield “a tremendous return” (pg.211 para. 1), as the Hamilton Project stated. This is so effective because the authors lay all the numbers out right in front of the readers regarding lifetime earnings achieved through bachelor’s degrees, associates degrees, and high school diplomas.

people in the 21st century think that in order to be successful one should spend thousands on a college degree and spend four to eight more years in school. For example in the article it states “Construction workers, police officers, plumbers, retail salespeople and secretaries, among others make significantly more with a degree than without one. why? education helps people do higher skilled work, get jobs with better paying companies and open their own business” (Source, D). Since many people believe that getting a degree helps you make more money, here is an example to refute that piece of evidence.

When discussing the opportunity cost of college, evidence shows that “[u]sing average earnings for 18- and 19-year-olds and 20- and 21-year-olds with high school degrees (including those working part-time or not at all), Michael Greenstone and Adam Loony of Brookings’ Hamilton Project calculate an opportunity cost of $54,000 for a four-year degree” (par. 4). The statistics of opportunity cost of college displays an effective example of a strong type of supporting evidence since we are given the authors of the study, the project name, and also the statistics were presented clearly and effectively with the appropriate evidence for this article. The evidence also effectively tie in with the main idea of paragraph 4 where Owen and Sawhill were discussing other factors to consider when figuring out if the cost of college will negatively impact the student and be a disservice when choosing to attend college. Furthermore, when discussing the non-monetary benefits of schooling, “[r]esearch suggests that additional education improves overall well-being by affecting things like job satisfaction, health, marriage,... and social interaction” (par. 4). The details of non-monetary benefits presents an example of weak supporting evidence since the reader is not informed with various

Delbanco explains how students have changed their reasons for attending a college when he states, “...yet on the assumption that immersing themselves in learning for the sheer joy of it, with the aim of deepening their understanding of culture, nature, and, ultimately, themselves, is a vain indulgence” (222). Secondary education has become too expensive for learning to be an indulgence. Students only go to college to get a degree in order to gain a high paying career. Davidson explains how dire the situation with low paying job is by saying how the process should work, “Only through productivity growth can the average quality of human life improve” (339). Unfortunately, the productivity growth only leaves a bigger pay gap.

In his Essay “Are too many people going to college,” first published in a 2008 issue of AEI, Charles Murray explores many insights onto the topic of furthering education as well as exploring various other options to pursue after high school. Who exactly would think that too many people are going to college? Well with more and more students flooding campuses at the end of every school year and less and less going into trade schools, a shift in the job market is just beginning to be seen on the horizon. Charles Murray’s essay “Are too many people going to college” shows that not only are there other avenues to pursue a potential life long career, but that much of the time pursuing these avenues may offer better results for some wanting to go to college.

But, with tuition prices spiking in the last decade, college is not a choice for most students graduating high school. Not going to college is an opportunity missed within itself but colleges that vacuum all your life savings in one year also take away the opportunities of getting a great education, stable lifestyle, and job. Post-high school education is becoming harder and harder to reach and without the governments help there is really nothing we can do about it. School funds need to increase from the government so that the students of America can take the opportunity of going to a well-priced

Living where we live, you begin to comprehend that living off of $11.00 per hour including with your family will never suffice your needs. Getting a college degree can ensure the graduate a higher chance of being able to earn more financially. In the article “Why College Isn't And Shouldn't Have to be For Everyone” by Robert Reich, he states that “A degree from a prestigious university can open doors to elite business schools and law schools-and to jobs paying hundreds of thousands, if not millions. ”Even though Reich’s article is on the opposing side of the argument, he fails to overlook the fact that in the long run having a college degree will, and can open doors to many new opportunities. One of those opportunities is to be able get a well paying job that can earn more than the average non college graduate.

There is an ample amount of information that leads people to believe that college is a great choice. In Source F, it is shown that, “Adults who graduated from a four-year college believe that, on average, they are earning $20,000 more a year as a result of having gotten that degree. Adults who did not attend college believe that, on average they are earning $20,000 a year less as a result.” Also, provided in Source F, “...55% say it [college] was very useful in helping them prepare for a job or career.” While these statistics are true, the negatives still outweigh the positives.

Everyone tells you as you're going through your academic career that you need to graduate and go to college to get paid more. In chapter 3 of American Education, Springs says that studies have shown that schooling is associated with income levels. For example, a person that has a Doctorate earns almost twice as much as those with just a Bachelor’s according to Steven Strauss. In chapter 4, Springs describes people as human capital and that the more education that they have the better their success economically. According to Springs, if we are able to compete in the global market that would increase the capital of Americans.