Is Going to College Still Worth It?
The essay title includes “still” to attract readers who are wondering if college is necessary in modern-day America. In this particular context, “still” implies that college education had been worth every penny in past eras.
This “economic letter” boasts a complex level of organization. Each paragraph is neatly sorted under its appropriate heading, such as “The Cost of College” and “Earnings Outcomes by Educational Attainment.” Data is organized in tables, line graphs, and bar graphs; each graph bears a title, such as “Figure 1: Earnings Premium over High School Education.”
Supporting evidence includes reliable data from respected periodicals and institutions, such as The Economist’s Voice, College Board, and the Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking. While these data certainly help to communicate the writers’ point, the essay could have been made all the more convincing by including expert opinions or other types of evidence.
The writers are well aware of the financial and personal benefits a college education holds for students, but to distinguish between the value of college and whether or not it is “worthwhile,” they “measure the costs against the benefits” by finding “the breakeven amount of annual tuition that would make the average student indifferent between going to college versus going directly to the workforce after high school.”
This is an “economic letter” and therefore appeals to pathos and ethos are left out altogether. This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a bad thing. Emotionally charged content is sometimes used in publications justifying college and might cloud the writers’ argument. That would make readers not want to read their letter, or worse, accuse them of sensationalized, half-baked propaganda.
They argue that college is still a helpful investment, based on the dividends paid and the well-sourced, accurate statistics.
What It Means to Be a College Grad
The beginning of Jennie Le’s essay serves to attract readers’ attention with a humorous, human anecdote about her college experiences (“By fall, there will be no more a cappella rehearsals, no more papers or exams, no more sleepless nights….”), and her funny announcement about “new commitments: weekly dinner dates with my mom, brother/sister time with my other two brothers, job hunting and career building.” Due to their wry, relevant humor, these opening paragraphs are highly interesting. Readers will not only admire them, but also relate to Le and keep reading her essay.
Alternatively, Le could have begun her essay with statistics showing that college graduates will more likely attain lucrative jobs. However, readers may pay less attention to an opening that does not contain much beyond common knowledge information.
Le’s thesis is a pertinent question: “What does it mean to hold a college degree?” Her readership will be hooked when they come across Le posing the very same question, and they will want to read the entire essay to discover the true meaning of a college degree.
Le’s coworker believed that bachelor’s degrees were too commonplace; therefore, it was insubstantial for Le to have one and hang it up in her office so proudly. This argument, in its essence, was that college degrees are so standard in our society that they no longer appear to be much of a feat. However, Le turns to surprising statistics to refute that position: “those who earn bachelor’s degrees are likely to earn twice as much as those who don’t,” and “only 27 percent of Americans can say they have a bachelor’s degree or higher.” As she points out, “Realistically, having a college degree will likely mean a comfortable living and the opportunity to move up at work and in life.” She considers college to be a wise investment.
The true importance of college
College may be considered an introduction to the world, like a training ground for after high school, when the student is in a field requiring a degree.
Fields requiring higher education include library jobs, teaching and academia, medical professions, English, STEAM, humanities, and occupations in mental health or social work. Students of many disciplines will often obtain better paying jobs with a degree; degrees are frequently "preferred" or "required" experience sought out on job descriptions.
Many college assignments provide practice for work-commissioned tasks as they are on reasonable deadlines and are often writing- and research-intensive; well-done assignments can be used for a work portfolio to store assignments for a capstone presentation.
College is important, partly practice for employment and partly because a degree can help one eventually obtain a job.
Students would likely benefit more from college if institutions eliminated many largely impractical disciplines, such as Women's Studies. Graduates may find employment with a Women's Studies degree, but society functioned and prospered for centuries without the field. Nor is this simply a matter of promoting greater cultural awareness.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to ensure America's students of all grade levels get the education they deserve.
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