College Is A Waste of Time and Money Essay

Maybe it’s my age or my personality, but I really haven’t enjoyed many of the stories that we have had to read. To me, there is an extreme amount of negativity in them, especially in the titles. I think it would have been more interesting and relevant to read a current article on this subject, and not something written in 1975. While the basics are still in play, there have been a lot of changes over the years. The most notable difference would be the demographics that make up today’s student body. As an older, non-traditional student, I don’t consider it a waste of time or money, and I don’t think many others feel that way. There are so many people who would love to go to college, but are unable to for some reason. Although, I’m not familiar with how young people look at college today, I think a significant number likely look forward to the opportunity. I do agree with many of Ms. Birds findings. I don’t believe anyone should be force d to go to college. It should be entirely up to each individual. We still see many parents pushing their kids to continue their education, and often for good reason, but if the child doesn’t want to go, it should be their decision. At the age of 18, many are too young and confused, and don’t know what they want to do with their life. It’s also nice to have a break after 13 years of school. We will always have kids who will rebel, just for the sake of rebelling. I think a main cause of this for many students is too much pressure. They have all these standards to live up to, whether it comes from their parents, their siblings, other family members, or society. Some may take that rebellious attitude because they have trouble learning, and they don’t want anyone to know. They would prefer to look like a rebel than to look like a retard. I also agree with the lack of quality teachers, and being required to take many classes that have nothing at all to do with your major. A couple of years ago, I had an in-class accounting teacher who just read to us from the book. I’m thinking I’m coming here and paying for someone to read to me, I can read all by myself, I am looking for someone to teach me. My main focus is getting a degree, but I also truly enjoy learning. I definitely agree with her on college being too expensive. I think she would be shocked to see today’s prices, and I would be very interested to know what textbooks and tuition cost in her day. The kids back  then had some fear of campus violence. But horrors, like the Kent State shooting, were not the norm. Today, we are always seeing campus shootings. Although these seem to have become a way of life and can happen anywhere, it’s still quite scary for the students and may actually have the opposite effect of parents wanting to send their kids off to college. It also seems that hazing has gotten out of control on our campuses. Unfortunately, there is just such an overwhelming hatefulness in our world. There is another factor that may play into a lack of desire to go on to college. They can look at the many success stories of people who didn’t go to college, some who never even completed high school. These folks used hard work to become millionaires and billionaires. I think some people are more successful because of their charismatic personalities, which has nothing to do with their ability or their intelligence. The article I have included with my essay bot h contradicts and agrees with Ms. Birds perceptions. The traditional white male students must feel that college is a waste of time and money, but they are in the minority.