Henderson 1 Marquis Henderson Professor Lang EH 102 February 10th, 2019 The Purpose of the American college Education In the United States of America people view college in many different ways; from it being the key to finances, the root of happiness, or being the most crucial aspect of a sophisticated society. In the public’s eye college is viewed specifically as the key to financial success. People interested in higher education should know that America has embedded in its citizens thoughts that the only way for them to gain access to money and happiness is through college. In the U.S we are taught since grade school that college is the key to financial success and happiness through standardized testing and private schools promising college ready students, and without it America becomes a hard society to live in. In American society, the standard for success is to attend college according to historical and modern evidence. Numbers show that you make over one million dollars more in your lifetime compared to a high school graduate whose median average is 17,500 dollars a year according to a (USAnews.com) article titled “Study: Income Gap Between Young College and High School Grads Widens”. People also do not see how valuable higher education is in our society. Higher educated citizens lead to a more sophisticated society of doctors, lawyers, and engineers cited in The New Yorker by Louis Menand titled, “Live and Learn”. Without college to produce these prodigies who else would be able to? This would put lots of pressure on high schools to produce them if college did not exist. American college students though in particular need to understand the importance of college through these aspects, more money for quality of Henderson 2 life, and a chance to improve American society as a whole. Historically though, college was viewed as the key to happiness and growth in America. Finances did not play as much of a role as it does today, because comparative to the price of college fifty and sixty years ago it has expanded greatly. People really do not know how much more money they can make by getting a bachelors or even an associate degree. High school diplomas only get you so far today in America’s society as good paying jobs require degrees. Without this credential most, if not all of these opportunities go out the window. People become limited in a competitive society when they do not seek higher education. Any job you want could be at your finger tips as long as you got higher education and credentials to your backing, because with a high school diploma you are limited but with higher education the limits you had go out the window. Because knowledge is key, and no one can ever take away what you know in your society. In our society today, higher educated citizens are valued as they improve society through all aspects, features such as finances, higher IQs, and having a higher understanding of society. Higher educated people lead to more diverse and more complex markets full of more moneymaking opportunities for our society. People do not understand how much better our society would be if everyone was granted free access to college like high school. With this free access society would be much better than it is right now. With college, we introduce ourselves to a greater understanding of ourselves and our limits. With higher education the power we can achieve is limitless; it is just up to us to decide on whether we want to choose this route or not. According to Rick Scott, the governor of Florida “college ensures a good job after graduation”. He stated this in The New Yorker article, (“Live and Learn”) by Louis Menand and he is in my opinion wrong about this topic. I personally cannot agree on this because no matter Henderson 3 what even when you have your degree, America is still a competitive society that makes you work for what you want. America is very unforgiving to people who aren’t willing to work for what they have or people who feel the world entitles them to something. People also like to say that if you are weak in high school your weaker in college according to Marty Nemko in his article titled, “America’s Most Overrated Product: Higher Education”. I personally disagree because personally, as a student athlete I really did not do much I sat around and played around my whole high school career and basically got people to do my work or went to my teacher with excuses to find a way for me to get out of doing the work. I only wanted to play football; I did not value my education until I got hurt and my scholarship flew out the window in high school. In college I strapped down on my work and knew that my education was more valuable in today’s society because nobody was able to take my education from me. Nemko’s opinion that high school students are weaker in college is not valid in my opinion because I feel like I’m a living example of why his opinion isn’t valid. America’s view on college also needs to change drastically. As a society, we do not see how valuable higher education is and how powerful it could be. Nobody is able to snatch your brain out and take your education from you, that’s how valuable it is. We the people need to care more about our education and happiness. Yes, college is expensive, but it opens up so many doors that would be closed if you did not attend college and get a degree. In 2008, the average income with someone with an advanced degree was 83,144 dollars, a bachelor’s degree 58,613 dollars, and a high school graduate 31,283 dollars according to the article in The New Yorker titled “Live and Learn”. Why not jump at the opportunity to make that extra 51,861 dollars or extra 21,330 dollars. That’s extra money for you and your family to live comfortably. America as a society really needs to show that we care about our education and show that there is a purpose Henderson 4 for college. There’s this saying from the wise that states that, “If you were to go broke the one thing no one would be able to take from you is your education”. That’s what all college students should think about when they think about dropping out or need motivation, an education is that valuable in our society today. Henderson 5 Works Cited Edmundson, Mark. “Opinion | Education's Hungry Hearts.” The New York Times Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2017, nyti.ms/2kpGOKG. Menand, Louis, and Louis Menand. “Live and Learn.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 19 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/06/06/live-and-learn-louis-menand. Nemko, Marty. “America's Most Overrated Product: Higher Education.” Access Key: h, www.martynemko.com/articles/americas-most-overrated-product-higher-education_id1539. Tugend, Alina. “Career or Deep Learning? Pondering the Purpose of College.” The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, The New York Times, 30 Dec. 2014, nyti.ms/2jOE4qm.
