Is college worth it? Essay

In the article, â€Å"Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission? † by Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, the authors did research on several colleges around the country to see whether our investment on higher education is really worth the money that we pay for it. The authors believe that universities are the ones responsible for the doubling of tuition costs compared to what they used to be , and not fulfilling the most important objective to student’s which is: â€Å"to challenge the minds of young people† (180). In the article, Hacker and Dreifus outline some things they think would help improve  some of the problems in the college system and a few universities that they like, and tell us why these schools have won their favor. Being an incoming freshman at Grambling State University, I’ve been able to see some of the issues universities can have from budget cuts, to problems with the G- men football team. The main problem I’ve had here were with professors who’ve gotten ahead or above themselves because of their level and tenure. I do agree, however, with Hacker and Dreifus when they said some professors â€Å"have no reasons to improve their teaching† (181). Some of my professors at  Grambling State University are wonderful, were some aren’t as wonderful. Some professors come to class when they get ready, look in their book and write some on the board and talk the whole class time without really teaching us anything. I believe all teachers, no matter what their tenure level is have to remember their main role as a teacher. I agree that it is frustrating if you’re attending a college that expects you to pay a tuition that the college isn’t worth. Hacker and Dreifus reinforce that college is suppose to be a fun journey were you live, get new ideas, and information. In the article â€Å"The New Liberal Arts†, Sanford J. Ungar thinks that a liberal education is what Americans should try to get, not deny. Ungar made 7 points addressing the 7 misconceptions made in his article. The first misconception â€Å"A liberal arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford. â€Å"Career education â€Å"is what we now must focus on† (190). Ungar argues with that misconception by saying jobs are actually looking for people who are educated in liberal arts instead of on specific subject because it produces better broader thinking. The second misconception says  students are having a hard time finding a job because â€Å"who wants to hire somebody with an irrelevant major like Philosophy or French? (191). Ungar quickly argues that not only are liberal art students are having a hard time finding jobs, but everyone else is also because of the failing economy. The third misconception says liberal arts are irrelevant for low-income and first-generation college students. Ungar says,† Its ignorant to think just because a student is first generation don’t mean they can’t receive the same education. † The fourth misconception says that a student should focus on the stem fields because â€Å"that’s where all  the action is† (192). Ungar argues this by saying that sometime the liberal arts take part in the broadcast parts of sciences and mathematics. The fifth misconception says it’s the liberal democrats, who got this country into trouble in recent years. Ungar argues that liberal education really doesn’t have anything to do with politics. The sixth misconception says America is the only country in the world that clings on to old form of post secondary education. Ungar argues this misconception by saying people from other countries are coming to the United States to admire our education like China. Finally the seventh misconception  says that the â€Å"cost of American higher education is spiraling out of control, and liberal-arts colleges are becoming irrelevant because they are unable to register gains in productivity†. Ungar argues this by saying if you choose a small liberal arts school you’ll get more one on one with professors which will lead to more thinking from students. So why does any of this matter? We as college students are putting a lot of money, time, and effort into our education. We should get our money’s worth, and enjoy the experience of it all while we can whether we chose liberal arts major or an S. T. E. M major program. Were not all individuals attending these colleges, but a 1 / 2 generation who all want to make it and be successful in life so it matters! Work Cited: Dreifus, Claudia and Hacker, Andrew. â€Å"Are Colleges worth the Price of Admission? † They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York. W. W. Northon, 2012 179-188. Print Sanford J. Ungar. â€Å"The New Liberal Arts† They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York. W. W. Northon, 2012 190-196. Print POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).