Is College Worth It?

Is college worth it? This one question turns into this debate high school seniors begin to think about before graduating. In our society you cannot really say no to college education because many make it known as a necessity to be successful in life. Many of our parents have raised us to know that college is a must go and that there are no failures. However some may think different. A lot of people may think that not setting a foot in a university or community college does not make them successful and that they will do just fine without a degree towards a career. We all know once someone graduates they are not always guaranteed a successful life with well-paid career and awesome benefits for you and your family. There are different views from both sides of this debate.

Have you ever just stopped to think about what it must be like to be “qualified” for a job yet be unemployed and homeless? Starving on the streets because you paid everything you had to an institution that was supposed to guarantee a better life, a more stable and successful career. Obviously this is an extreme case, not everyone who pays for college ends up living on the streets and broke, but almost every college graduate is in debt. For as long as college has been around it has always meant a better life, it’s always been that people who went to college were more successful, smarter, and would make way more money than someone who didn’t go to college ever would. Lately, however, college has become so expensive that going to college will more than likely leave you in debt working for years upon years just to pay back what you owe and then start making money for yourself.

The U.S. is home to some of the greatest colleges and universities in the world. But with an overwhelming 1.3 million students graduating with an average student loan debt of $29,000 each and with youth unemployment elevated, the question of whether or not college tuition is worth the money arises (The Institute for College Access & Success, 2013). Higher education faces intimidating challenges: continually rising costs, access and completion problems, constant changing of technology, and responsibility pressures from state and federal officials. But no challenge is more intimidating than the fundamental question that many Americans face to ask themselves, "Is college worth the cost?" As a result of the economic turn down, many students who graduate are not finding well-paying jobs, either within their field of study or not.

Is college worth it, many ask and a lot of them wonder. This controversial topic has a lot of arguments and still no fix answer to it. Some people might find college to be not worth it as most people find it useless after graduation as said by TOM BACHTELL on a college graduation “ diploma—need not be a statistics major to know that the odds of stepping into a satisfying job, or, indeed, any job, are lower now than might have been imagined four long years ago”. But in my opinion I would say that College is worth it and it 's worth more then anything and people should go to college.

Throughout the USA college tuition has increased drastically; in the last five years Georgia colleges have had 75% increase along with other states such as Arizona whose tuition has increased by 77% (NPR). Since 2006 the tuition in Utah has increased by 62.8% and is rising throughout the U.S. (Desert News). Between 1885-2016 the price of college has increased between 2.1% to 4.3% per year beyond inflation (CollegeBoard). Through calculations, that equates to about a hundred precent increase since 1885. It’s no secret that college tuition has skyrocketed, increasing student debt and leaving prospective students to ask “Is College Worth It?” college education is beneficial in that it teaches students valuable life lessons in responsibility, prepares students to enter the workforce and can be relatively inexpensive. The eduction is “college education” is worth every penny but America has created clichés to define the college experience which are expensive and unnecessary. In a radical new world a college education is required in many high paying jobs, which leads to the question “Is the experience of college all it is built up to be?” Through recent research, many articles and news mention about the value of higher education seem to only take account of is the financial aspect. A college education is worth what one makes it and is an investment in a future and in one’s self. The purpose of college the education is to be prepared to go into a the workforce having gained the

Many students today look towards the future scared and frightened debating their future, all of them asking the same question. Is a college education truly worth the cost and the amount of debt that a student acquires over a four-year period? Many ask what are they doing this for, a piece of paper called a degree. That’s what the articles “Five Reasons Why College is Worth the Cost,” written by Reyna Gobel and “Is College worth the cost? Many recent graduates don’t think so,” written by Jeffrey J. Selingo both address. The articles take different standpoints and views on the topic. Gobel’s article siding with the view that college is worth the cost. While Selingo’s article argues that college is not worth the cost.

College is a dream that almost every American wants to come true, however, with the extreme rise in the costs of tuition it is a dream that has quickly turned into a nightmare. “Tuition at a private university is now roughly three times as expensive as it was in 1974, costing an average of $31,000 a year; public tuition, at $9,000, has risen nearly four times,” (Davidson). “For the average American household that doesn 't receive a lot of financial aid, higher education is simply out of reach,” (Davidson). That is why many students have begun questioning the worth of a college degree and if the amount of debt that is received upon exiting college is all for the better. And considering that costs have risen much faster than the rate of inflation, many are starting to believe that college just isn 't necessary any more. However, according to White, economically, the answer would still be a yes. “While unemployment rates for new grads and experienced workers alike have fluctuated throughout the recession and recovery, the earnings premium that college-and advanced-degree holders enjoy over their peers who didn 't attend college has remained relatively stable, and in some instances, grown, according to the report that was released this week,” (White). A study was shown that many college grads are able to get earnings that are significantly higher than those who did not get enough education or only hold a high school diploma (White). Even

Is college really worth the time and money? This is the question I am going to be exploring. While many people may have an idea that college is just an abundance of debt, other students argue that most of the information they learn doesn’t provide them with the value they thought it would (Adams 1). Many college students who grow up with the opportunity to go to college usually don’t stress the idea of going to school, but most students who don’t have the opportunity to go to school usually make school their priority. Students who don’t have the opportunity to go to school think this way because they want the opportunities they think they could have with a college education. I am deciding to argue about this topic because I grew up in a household that didn’t grow up with parents who stressed college, as a result, I am making a strong effort to get through college. Although college does have some disadvantages, going to college is worth the time and money because it provides critical thinking and opportunities for job advancement.

In 1931 the phrase "American Dream" swept the world and continues to bring hope to many Americans today. James Truslow Adams book, The Epic of America, defines the term as a “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” This phrase continues to aspire hope Americans of a better life with endless possibilities. As time moves past the 1930s the pure reality of achieving the American Dream dwindles. Harsh realities quickly set in; people just are not making enough money to support themselves. Everyday costs such as health insurance, mortgages, transportation, and costs of pursing higher education depletes any chances of upward mobility on the social ladder. America creates establishes college to be a necessity by increasing tuition prices; this drastically affects the everyday American’s ability to afford it. The rising costs of achieving higher public education in the United Stated schooling system reflects the increasing enrollment rates correlating with the increasing amount of student loans creating a higher dropout rate than in previous generations.

Although college is very educational, I don’t think college is worth the cost. College is very educational. It helps you learn the skills for your future and you get a degree if the course is completed. The degree helps in many ways even if it's a job that doesn't need a degree. For example in source D it states,”A new study even shows that a bachelor's degree pays off for jobs that don’t require one:secretaries,plumbers,and cashiers.” Jobs like plumbers and secretaries don't need a bachelor's degree but it can help to have one. College Is NOT worth the cost, even if you pay all the money for college it is not guaranteed that you will pass the course and have the degree. If a student doesn't get a scholarship they have to pay to get into a

I have always been told that a college degree would get me a good job, and it would help me live a better life, but is it really worth it? I believe that a college degree is very worth it, not only to my future but for my self being. A college degree would bring me great satisfaction, to be able to accomplish something that nobody in my family has ever imagined to obtain. I do not rely on the fact or hope that a college degree will get me a job because either with or without it, I will still work my very hardest to make something out of myself.

Getting a “good” job is not straightforward as it used to be. In past generations, someone in an entry-level position could work their way up the ladder simply through hard work and determination; whether or not one had credentials or a diploma mattered very little. This is not the case today. Higher education is now critical to obtaining a better job because the demand for skilled labor is rising. For this reason, the value that a degree offers is higher than that of one’s actual intelligence or merit. Furthermore, workers without college degrees will quickly be outpaced in position and salary by degree

There is quantitative data on both sides of the debate about whether or not college is worth it, but it’s hard to measure some of the pros of a college education in numbers. Most agree, however, that college enriches people’s life in some way that isn’t just financial. Through encountering different perspective and getting a liberal arts education, people become better citizens of the world. Or so the argument goes. In his essay, "Colleges Prepare People for Life", Freeman Hrabowski argues that everyone should attend college, not just for the financial benefits down the line, but to enrich their worldview and prepare them to become better citizens in the 'real world '. While I agree with his view that college is one path to becoming a

Many people throughout history have said more or less the same words in many different ways, from Presidents to philosophers, from dictators to martyrs, men all through history have come to the same conclusion; knowledge is power. The question of knowledge being equal to power is not the question that has so many people preoccupied in the current economic climate. That statement as fact has been branded into the minds of young people in America and all across the world for so many generations that the point seems hardly worth debate. Now the question has become, “Is knowledge money?” The cost of a college education has skyrocketed to the point that many would be students are asking themselves, is college worth the cost?

Have you ever wondered how much some of our nation’s top college presidents are paid? If not, then the CNN documentary Ivory Tower is a good starting point.