![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i.giphy.com\/nnbyGJfJEp7zi.gif\")
<\/p>\nI have always thought that it was imperative to go to college. \u00a0From a young age I was conditioned to believe that success was synonymous with college. \u00a0The idea of going to college and getting a degree has been so drilled into my head by society and my family that I never thought otherwise.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, a recent\u00a0a controversial issue has been whether or not it is necessary to attend college<\/em>.<\/p>\n Some people, like my parents, say that you have\u00a0to go to college to learn and grow as a whole person and consider it to be an essential part of their learning process and success.\u00a0 However, many other people\u00a0believe that attending college is not<\/em> necessary.\u00a0 They argue that it’s\u00a0costly, ineffective, and that it’s\u00a0possible to be successful regardless of whether one has a degree or not. \u00a0Worst of all though, is that whether or not one attends college can cause social inequality<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n Basically, the issue is whether to pay to go to college and experience a full and formative educational experience, or to not attend college and to simply start working towards a career and learn from that.<\/p>\n I honestly think that it’s not that<\/em>\u00a0important to attend college.\u00a0 Although I realize that going to college is helpful because it takes a holistic approach to person\u2019s education and helps them form a more well-rounded person, I still think that a person\u00a0could learn what they need to in order to succeed through their job.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n College is Not all it\u2019s Cracked Up to Be\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s\u00a0possible to become educated without attending college.\u00a0 Just because you\u00a0didn’t\u00a0attend school for an extra 4+ years\u00a0does not mean that you\u00a0are not intelligent.\u00a0 After all, there is a definite education that you\u00a0get\u00a0simply from going through every day experiences that life hands you, and an even more specific education through your\u00a0job. \u00a0You can\u00a0learn almost as much as others who attended college, but are looked down upon because you\u00a0are just simply a \u201cworker\u201d.\u00a0 However, you\u00a0can learn infinitely more from working and real life experiences than you\u00a0ever could from just\u00a0sitting in a classroom because you\u00a0are going to be dealing with actual problems as opposed to staged classroom situations.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, employers and society do not agree with this.\u00a0 Professor and author Mike Rose has said<\/a>,<\/p>\n \u201cWe reinforce this notion by defining intelligence solely on grades in school and numbers on IQ test.\u00a0 And we employ social biases pertaining to a person\u2019s place on the occupational ladder\u201d (279).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n According to this view, there are inherent biases on the people\u00a0who do not attend college.\u00a0 Society thinks of these people\u00a0as lower class beings, only because they did not sit in a classroom for four years.\u00a0 This is how education is turning into a problem of social inequality<\/a><\/strong> because in society\u2019s eye, those who have been fortunate enough to receive a college education are supposedly \u201cbetter\u201d than those who have not.<\/p>\n They are viewed as more qualified, and now it seems as though employers only care if a student has a degree.<\/p>\n The B.A.<\/a> that students, such as myself, work so hard towards and put so much effort into receiving is now\u00a0just becomes a sort of screening device.\u00a0 Basically if I were to apply for a job somewhere,\u00a0a single sheet of paper would be enough for the employer to sum up\u00a0my\u00a0life, accomplishments, and worth. \u00a0The employer would look at me\u00a0differently depending on what degree I\u00a0received from whatever specific college I\u00a0graduated from, and whether it is \u201cprestigious\u201d or not. \u00a0This is completely unfair and a total biased approach, but\u00a0this is our new reality.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n People who don\u2019t Attend College aren\u2019t Dumb<\/strong><\/p>\n Today, if I\u00a0did not receive a B.A., many would assume that is because I\u00a0am too lazy or too dumb.\u00a0 This is a false statement though, because there are many other issues that could go into my\u00a0decision to\u00a0attending college or not.\u00a0 However, the biggest reason that people do not attend college is because of \u00a0financial issues<\/em>.<\/p>\n College is becoming more and more expensive, and not all families can afford tuition.\u00a0 Not only is tuition an obstacle, but also the fact that there is not always a big return to education<\/a>. \u00a0You could manage to receive large student loans to help cover the cost of tuition, but if you\u00a0do not make much money after you\u00a0graduate, then it will be very hard for you\u00a0to pay off these loans, and you\u00a0may wind up with debt.\u00a0 After all, the more money someone has to pay to attend college, the lower the net benefit of attending.<\/p>\n It may take years for students to pay off their loans, which is money that they could be earning, not losing, if they decided to go straight into the workforce instead of going to college.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But Maybe Going to College is a Good Thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n While it is true that in many cases college graduates do earn more debt, they also earn more money than those who did not attend college.\u00a0 However, not all the benefits that come with attending college are financial. \u00a0There are many non-monetary benefits that come with going to college, such as expanding your\u00a0knowledge and escaping\u00a0your socioeconomic status.\u00a0 Author David Leonhardt explains that<\/a>,<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026[a] force that can disrupt\u2026inequality [is] education.\u00a0 When a society becomes more educated, many of its less-wealthy citizens quickly acquire [a] crucial form of capital\u2014knowledge\u2014that can bring enormous returns\u201d (546).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What Leonhardt is saying here is that these educated people will be able to move away from manual labor jobs into more skilled professions. \u00a0People won’t\u00a0have to work long hours that cause strain on their body, but rather they’ll\u00a0be able to move up to a comfortable managerial position. \u00a0Basically, education leads to people getting\u00a0better jobs with higher wages, which allows them to have a better lifestyle.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So…Should I Go to College?<\/strong><\/p>\n While there are good points and\u00a0strong evidence backing the fact that attending college is an important thing to do, I still believe that it is not necessary<\/em>.<\/p>\n After all, there are many\u00a0negative aspects that come with attending college. \u00a0I mean, it’s a significant financial investment for a simple sheet of paper that society calls a “college degree”, that supposedly distinguishes one person from another. \u00a0I truly believe\u00a0that it’s possible for those who didn’t\u00a0attend college to learn just as much and be just as successful as those who did. \u00a0Although some might object that one receives a more of an official education in college, I would reply that an \u201cofficial\u201d education is unnecessary.\u00a0 Most people just need to be educated and mentored in their specific field of work by others who have come before them in order to do well for themselves and be successful. \u00a0This idea of \u201cbeing successful\u201d only through a college degree is simply because of a societal standard to attend college.\u00a0 However, it’s unnecessary that attending college or not causes these negative prejudices and class divisions.<\/p>\n I wholeheartedly<\/em> believe that it’s important to abolish these stereotypes and the notion that it’s\u00a0essential to go to college.\u00a0 It’s better to just allow people to freely choose whether or not attending college is the right choice for them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\n Owen, Stephanie, and Sawhill, Isabel. \u201cShould Everyone Go to College?\u201d They Say\/ I Say: The Rose, Mike. \u201cBlue Color Brilliance.\u201d They Say\/ I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Leonhardt, David. \u201cInequality Has Been Going on Forever\u2026but That Doesn\u2019t Mean It\u2019s Freedman, Josh. “Why American Colleges Are Becoming a Force for Inequality.”\u00a0The Atlantic<\/i>. The Kuper, Shaul. “Is a Bachelor’s Degree Still Worthwhile?”\u00a0FoxNews.com<\/i>. Fox News, 25 Apr. 2014. <\/p>\n Images<\/strong><\/p>\n Image 1:\u00a0http:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/mic-education-michelle-obama-flotus-nnbyGJfJEp7zi<\/p>\n Image 2:\u00a0http:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/AZMysyGs6X6yA<\/p>\n Image 3:\u00a0http:\/\/www.davegranlund.com\/cartoons\/wp-content\/uploads\/College-tuition-costs.jpg<\/p>\n Image 4:\u00a0http:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/~\/media\/Research\/Files\/Blogs\/2013\/05\/09-college-degree-investment-sawhill-owen\/smart_investment.jpg?la=en<\/p>\n Image 5:\u00a0http:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/college-workaholics-adam-demamp-4p4FaFkmulsU8<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I have always thought that it was imperative to go to college. \u00a0From a young age I was conditioned to believe that success was synonymous with college. \u00a0The idea of going to college and getting a degree has been so drilled into my head by society and my family that I never thought otherwise. However, … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i.giphy.com\/AZMysyGs6X6yA.gif\")
<\/p>\n![\"http:\/\/www.davegranlund.com\/cartoons\/wp-content\/uploads\/College-tuition-costs.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/ivannaq\/files\/2016\/03\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-11-at-12.42.38-AM-300x222.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"http:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/~\/media\/Research\/Files\/Blogs\/2013\/05\/09-college-degree-investment-sawhill-owen\/smart_investment.jpg?la=en\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/ivannaq\/files\/2016\/03\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-11-at-12.44.32-AM-300x176.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i.giphy.com\/4p4FaFkmulsU8.gif\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, With Readings<\/em>. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein,
\nand Russel Durst. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Incorporated, 2015. 208-223. Print<\/p>\n
\n<\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Writing, With Readings<\/em>. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York: W. W.
\nNorton & Company Incorporated, 2015. 272-283. Print<\/p>\n
\nInevitable.\u201d They Say\/ I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, With Readings<\/em>. Ed.
\nGerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York: W. W. Norton & Company
\nIncorporated, 2015. 542-547. Print<\/p>\n
\nAtlantic, 16 May 2013. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.<\/p>\n
\nWeb. 9 Mar. 2016.<\/p>\n