When it comes to the topic of attending college, most of us will readily agree that obtaining a higher education is important. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of paying for it. Whereas some are convinced that tuition is too high, others maintain that it is important no matter the cost. Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus address just such an issue in their essay “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission”. Hacker and Dreifus discuss the issue of college tuition fees versus the quality of teaching they offer, but also point out that “colleges are taking on too many roles and doing none of them well” (180).
They offer solutions and several proposals on how to improve the college experience. The main point they make, however is that colleges “have lost track of their basic mission to challenge the minds of young people” (180). At first glance, college students might say that attending to their dream college is their high priority. But on closer inspection, are students receiving a fair value for their investment? What are they gaining from higher education? “Graduating with six figures’ worth of debt is becoming increasingly common”, Hacker and Dreifus say.
If Hacker and Dreifus are right that higher education industry is in need of a reform, as I think they are, then we need to reassess the popular assumption that attending to your dream college should be your priority no matter the cost of tuition. I agree with Hacker and Dreifus’ claim that a college education is worth more than the financial cost because I have experienced it first-hand. One of the most important things to remember when it comes to an education is that a student’s original purpose was to become an expert on a certain subject.
In order for people to feel that higher education is important, “Colleges should demand good teaching. They must become conscientious, caring, and attentive to every corner of their classrooms” (180). In my personal experience, I have decided to pursue a degree because I believe that it will be easier for me to find a job when I finish, I believe I will be more respected in the professional field and I will always have a degree to fall back on. This is why for me college is an investment, not an expense, which I will benefit from in the future.
Although the future of higher education may seem trivial, it is in fact crucial in terms of today’s concern over unemployment. With the way the job force has changed due to the fall of the economy, we can no longer rely on our trade or jobs that were lucrative and provided enough income for our families in the past. As it has been proven at Evergreen State College, “despite the university’s reputation as a countercultural bastion, 82 percent of its graduates found full-time employment within a year, and 93 percent of those who applied got into graduate schools” (188).
This idea alone proves the fact that one has a larger change of attaining a job, if one has a college education. The notion of having a better likelihood of obtaining a job, or broadening my options, puts my mind at ease about unemployment. Hacker and Dreifus go on to say that “college should be a cultural journey, an intellectual expedition, a voyage confronting new ideas and information” (188). This is true, particularly when I think about my children. As Hacker and Dreifus state “For most Americans educating their offspring will be the largest financial outlay, after their home mortgage, they’ll ever make” (179).
I strongly believe that providing my children with an education will make them better rounded people, this is why I am not concerned with the investments that my wife and I will be making in the near future. “For many students, college is a time of personal growth and social development-a chance to make friends, get to know people from different backgrounds, and explore new ideas and activities” (177). This interpretation challenges the work of those critics who have long assumed that a college education is not worth its price. Ultimately, what is at stake here is whether or not college is worth its price.
In my opinion, I consider the price of education and investment and think that it is worth every penny. I have experienced the importance of a higher education personally because I did not attend school earlier in life. I see, now, how much that has affected me, not only financially, but the way I communicate with others. Not being a native-English speaker has been difficult and I know that I would have benefited from a higher education more than most. Furthermore, with a college education, I have faith that, although the economy is bumpy at this moment, I will have a better chance at finding a job.
As a father, I know that a college education is the best investment that I will make for my children and know that it will make them cultured and refined. Consequently, a diploma is something that can never be taken from them and it is the best decision my wife and I will make. In conclusion these questions will remain “are colleges giving good value for those investments? What are families buying? What are individuals-and our society as whole gaining from higher education? ” The ultimate answer is that college is worth its price, however, it is a personal decision to elect what is done with the education received.
