In my English class we had to write an essay about some readings we were doing on college. This paper determines a huge part on my grade. Feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thank you :]
In Caroline Bird's essay, "College In America", she states the many reasons to why college is not the best choice for everyone. One reason Bird thinks that, is because most college graduates do not end up working in the same field as the major they studied. She believes that college is a waste of time and money. Students waste thousands of dollars for a college education, just to end up with their degree in their hand and with no job relating to it. I agree with Bird because she thinks that college education may not be the best choice for all high school graduates.
One of the reasons why I agree with Bird is because some students are just not meant for the rigorous college work. Although, some high school students take more than one Advanced Placement course, does not necessarily mean they are ready for college work. For example, my friend Jessica took two Advanced Placement courses for two consecutive years. Sure, you would then think she is a college bound student. When in fact, all she did was be on the teachers good side in order to receive a passing grade. Her presence just somehow seemed to be enough. Those passing grades got her an acceptance to University of California, Santa Barbara. Little did she know that her slacking off was actually going to catch up to her. Now she struggles to pass her college courses. She finds them with great difficulty because it is something that she is not accustomed to. Somehow, the only reason why she stayed at UCSB was not for the educational challenge, but because she expects to earn a high income after she graduates. Therefore, college is not for everyone, maybe not even for those high school students who took Advanced Placement courses. In this case, Bird would say that Jessica is wasting her time and money, and indeed should be spent on something else. Bird says "If money is the only goal, college is the dumbest investment one can make" (206).
No matter what dreams and aspirations high school students may have, they think that college is where they must go. Bird thinks that students feel obligated to attend college: "And adults- parents, employers, high-school counselors- began to push, shove and cajole youngsters to get an education" (206). These adults have pushed students to get a higher education by drilling the thought of college into their head. For example, my high school counselor did not really respect those students who were not college bound. He seemed to be nice, but only to those interested in a higher education. Literally, my counselor would tell other students "If you do not attend college, then you are practically worthless". Hence, making them think they should go to college, just so they will not be worthless. Furthermore, this is the cause of why there are more students entering college, when in reality they should not be there. Not because they are unintelligent but because that is not their path.
I also agree with Bird when she says "It violates the fundamental principle of respect for the differences between people" (206). Society just assumes that everyone is a fit for college, not knowing that it only comes naturally to a few. Some students do well in college while others might do better without it. For example, my uncle created a business and he successfully runs it. He did not attend college or receive any form of degree. Whereas, my aunt went to college, graduated and received a degree in Sociology. To this day she has not found a job that has to do with what she has learned. Society thinks that they can compare everyone equally based on their education. When in reality, you can be successful without a higher education. So then high school graduates cannot be compared to every single one of their classmates because they are all different, personally and academically.
In conclusion, Bird's argument written in 1976, still applies to high school graduates in this twenty first century. Students still seem to compete against classmates to be the highest in their society. I agree with Bird when she thinks that a college education may not be the best choice for all high school graduates because everyone is born and raised different. Everyone has their own special qualities that make them unique. They should take their qualities and embrace them to help them reach their goals and ambitions, whether it is a college path, or not.
This is a really good essay! I like how you give a lot of examples to make the statements clear.
The thing is, I think the essay is mostly of how you "only agree " with Caroline Bird. I was hoping to find your own statement where you didn't quote her. Something like a conclusion of what you've learned from her. Maybe you've already put in some opinions in this essay, but they're unclear. So to me, it's like your just quoting Bird and giving examples.
Try fixing the conclusion with your own opinion :)
