Preview

College - Is It Worth It?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1057 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
College - Is It Worth It?
Right now in our society a college education is no longer an option or privilege, but rather a necessity. We are practically raised and conditioned to believe that one needs higher education in order to succeed in life. There is a saying that says "if you think education is expensive, try ignorance." But as technology is constantly advancing and computers are running almost anything, is a college education really necessary? There are people whom have never set foot in a college and are doing better than people who have their master's degree. There are views from both sides that contain a valid argument.

The main reason why people go to college is not because they want to but because they have to. Most high school teachers and parents are pressured by their advice to go to college because it is “the right thing to do.” In the essay that my friend wrote “College is a Waste of Time and Money”, she states that students go to college because their parents wanted them to go or some other reason entirely irrelevant to the course of studies for which college is supposedly organized. The student may have different ideas about what he or she wants to do in life, but because they think that these parents know what is best for them, they probably end up doing something they do not want to do, resulting in being miserable and resentful.

Let's face it, going to college is a high socially position. Most people go to college only for the title of being called a college student. For some young people, it is a good way to get away from home and become independent without losing the financial support of their parents. They do not want to be looked down upon so they do what would look best in the eyes of society. It is practically beat into our heads that in order to be a productive citizen of society, you should have some college education degree. Being a college student is perhaps a more respectable role than being.

Going to college and getting a degree does not

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In this essay that came from Caroline Bird’s book “The Case Against College”, she claims that most students that are in school not because they want to be, but because it is now the thing to do or to get away from their parents. (Bird 647) She also goes on to say a little later essay that she notices when she goes on campus that the students look sad. She says, “I have been overwhelmed by the prevailing sadness on American campuses”. (Bird 469) Birds has very good arguments, from how expensive college is, why a lot of students fail out of class, to letting high school graduates make up their minds on whether or not they want to go to college or not.…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Why go to college? Why would someone spend thousands of dollars to sit in yet another classroom? My uncle says “people that get a degree make over a million dollars more in a lifetime.” My dad counters that with “the world needs ditch diggers too.” I came to college to start my life, to become an independent man who finds his niche among society. I suppose some people can do that outside of school but I find college to be an optimum transition to the adult life as it teaches practical skills, instills a greater appreciation of the world, and makes one discontent with inequities in the community.…

    • 2704 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    This brings up the question as to why many people would so plan to go to college. This is also answered by the Survey data retrieved by the federal Department of Education. It is stated, “some of these students may aspire to college in the same way that many of us aspire to exercise: it is something they would like to have done but not something they would like to do.” In simpler terms, they would like to receive the benefits without doing the work. This solves the reason as to why so many high school students plan to go to college. Having a degree is an excellent key to the workforce, but the process of achieving it is very tedious. However, students will still face it to get the…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is College Worth Anything

    • 846 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Many people today question our education system. Many more of them will question education like colleges being worth it. With today’s job market and the cost to go to college, you might think it is not. A lot people in our society view higher education as an investment that will pay off in the long run but many others would tell you that you are just wasting time and money.…

    • 846 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Is college worth the cost or not? That is the question many high school graduates are asking. The answer to that question can be given by analyzing the sources given. College is worth the cost to at least eighty percent of all high school graduates because students are far less likely to be unemployed and people with a degree make more money than people without one. But others may disagree.…

    • 246 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Counselors want to students to go to college because it’s important and the key to success and a bettering our education. Counselors also say that if students go to college ,then they can potentially be anything they want in life. Attending college can give you more skills and most importantly enhance your overall knowledge of your career…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    College, just one of the most important decisions in life. The most common question asked is, is college really worth it? Yes. Having a college education is very valuable whether the benefits are getting higher yearly income than high school graduates, receiving better career options or, becoming a role model for your family. Therefore, there are many different reasons for people to value a college education.…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Society tends to believe that attending to college is something that everyone should do in order to live a successful and prosperous life. After doing research about the benefits of college, read different perspectives and opinions of different authors my view about college has changed. A lot of kids think that in order to get accepted into college you need to have perfect test scores and an exceptional gpa but that’s not true. Angel B. Perez in the article, Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail, asserts that college admission officers want to get to know the student applying outside of his/her academic history. That means that if you are eager to learn you can get into college and by attending to college you are going to expand your mind, gain more knowledge and be a successful person.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people argue that going to college is either a waste of money or a waste of time because “now a days” it does not matter if you have a degree or not, it is still hard to find a job. I believe this to be different. People who do not go to college are more likely to be unemployed and, therefore, place undue financial strain on society, making a college degree worth it to taxpayers. In my opinion I think that going to college is a great experience to meet new people, learn social skills, and earn a degree which will always pay off in the long run.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Although college is costly and there is a shortage of jobs in the economy today, I feel that going to college is still important. College provides a great opportunity for people of different backgrounds. It provides students with the benefit of finding who out they really are and what they want to do in life. It also gives students the benefit of learning responsibility and preparing for adulthood. In addition, college helps students to make their own decisions and to be more independent. After graduating from college, a person is more prepared for whatever career they decide to pursue. There are many possibilities that lie ahead due to a college education.…

    • 371 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    College Is Worth It

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page

    College is not for everyone, but it is still worth it. College is more than just sitting in lectures. It is life lessons, gaining friends, finding out who you are, and obtaining the knowledge one needs for their dream job. Even though college is expensive and some graduates have trouble finding jobs in their fields, this isn’t true for all students. There is always scholarships and student loans to help, and getting a degree in a field that actually has job opportunity would help as well. Just because there is a high dropout rate, don’t let anyone tell you college isn’t worth…

    • 103 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The first being there are plenty of jobs that pay a decent or an above average salary without the requirement of a college degree. For example, over at CareerCast they have amounted a list of excellent jobs that require no college degree ranging from executive assistant to web developer, that latter of which has an average salary of 75,000+ dollars. So ask yourself if you could earn up to 75,000 dollars a year, why would you rather want to be in debt for a undetermined amount of time as a consequence of attending college and possibly work at a job that may or may not give you a salary that’s larger than a job you could get without going to college? If you answered “I wouldn’t” than I'm glad I could shed some light on the issue for you, if however you answered “ I would still attend college,” then allow my second reasoning to appeal to your idealistic side, I am of course talking about the alternatives to college and how they can be just as rewarding as college is. Several alternatives to college are considered as some of the best things a citizen of the United States can do, such as: Military Service, a hospital aide, etc. For instance, those who enlist in the military are viewed as heroes by all, sacrificing their personal freedom and even their lives for the safety and freedom of the American people. If we compare the accomplishments of a soldier to that of a college graduate, who only choose college because everyone told them that college was the only road that led to a successful and secure life, it is apparent who is the more accomplished. All without the crushing mountain of debt, but also the uncertainty of what you're doing with your life, making you secure of your position in life but also your contributions to the greater good of…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    College Worth It Essay

    • 1374 Words
    • 6 Pages

    “In the United States today, there is no more certain investment than a college education”(Carnevale and Melton). Education has always been a major component of American society. One can only go so far without an education, and the more education and knowledge someone has, the better their chances of being successful. Some people believe a high school education is enough, and it is, enough to land a job at a fast food restaurant. I speculate they feel this way because they feel school is not for them, or maybe they just do not want to go far in life. To get far in life people must go above and beyond, and learn things that others do not know to make them stand out in job interviews. College helps develop skills that are necessary for life, and gives them an education that will enhance their future; and despite its few drawbacks, college is worth it.…

    • 1374 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Is College Worth It?

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Is a college education really worth the investment of time, money and energy? Is a college degree really worth going deep in student loan debts? Higher education is a considerable gamble. For many people it works out well, but many of the other college graduates have found themselves completely unable to get a great job in this economy with a huge amount of debt on their shoulders. The entire system encourages students to take out any kindand amount of loans they need without worrying how they will pay them back. For that reason these people also say that college education is a good investment. For the past few decades, a college education was actually an almost automatic ticket to a job and a middle class life but today, higher education does not guarantee anything. The only thing guaranteed for millions of people is that they will fall in a great amount of debt in student loans. According to Annie Lowery in Slate magazine\'s article \"Is College a Rotten Investment?” higher education is still a worthwhile investment. Lowery compares higher education to be very much like real estate and questions the argument that higher education is an economic bubble. Although there was no logical reason on why the prices on both homes and higher-ed have increased over a specific amount of time, Lowery mentions a reasonable analogy. Houses are like stock shares. They can be sold and bought but this method does not work with a college degree simply because it is not something you can trade in, or in other words, it cannot be inherited. Lowery describes a diploma as a very changeable and diverse investment in which a person is capable of doing many useful things. She also mentions that even though some may argue that colleges are overpriced, there are still many institutions that give you a higher education without being too pricy. As a conclusion, Lowery still questions the cost of higher education but also give us an assurance that taking your education to a higher level is…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some crucial jobs like doctors, and lawyers require a college degree, on the other hand there are jobs where college degree isn’t needed, but that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t have one. It is expensive; however, if one goes to college, for a job that pays a lot like a doctor, that person will be able to make that money within a matter of years. If one would rather not go to college, they should at least get some kind of education. One should know simple math and english at the least! There are very little jobs one can get without any college degree, what do people accomplish from not getting any education. Within one’s family one might be known as a failure, or a disappointment. Nobody will take somebody with no education seriously. Not to mention people meet some of their long time best friends in school. Overall it is very important to get a good education; however, some people might think…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays