Is college a waste of money? How many friends do you have coming out of school with tens of thousands of debt from their student loans? I have a few. And i am sure they have a few. And i would bet that those people most likely knew a few more. It seems that quite a lot of people are coming out of their undergraduate school with massive loads of debt, and it begs one to ask: Is college worth the expense?
I think that the right type of college is worth the expense. If you are not able to receive any financial aid and you attend a private institution and are left to bear the tuition and other costs associated with going to school by yourself, then there is a very good possibility that it is not! Going in over your head to go to a school you think may hold more clout than your average state school is a very large gamble. Maybe even a gamble to the tune of $100,000 or more. That is no joke. Say you make 15,000 more from your private school job, compared to one you may have gotten out of a state school; just say. How long will that take for you to pay off all that debt? Including interest? A while. This is only a prospectus so i will not bore you with statistics but when final paper comes i am firing numbers out!!!
If you do choose a state school though, there is a good chance that college is absolutely worth the expense.
In order to support this i am going to need a fairly large amount of statistics. I am going to need the median salary of public college graduates, as well as statisitcs concerning those of private school graduates. I am going to have to be able to show that the cost of taking on thousands on thousands of dollars of student debt is not worth the suppossed job you may get from going to an expesnive private school. Also, the economy and the way jobs are not being created, and the inability for many to even find a job will have to greatly be taken into consideration. especially in relation to how well a school helps you find a job, a well paying job, after you graduate without having to pay for more graduate school.
Some counterarguments which will surely come up will be. You cant get a job without going to college.Expensive colleges get you higher paying jobs. A more prestigious college will look better on your resume compared to a state school where 50,000 people go.
While it is very hard to get a job without going to college, that is not precisely what i am asking. I am asking whether it is worth the expense. Is going to a college for 50,000 a year for 4 years and coming out making 50,000 worth it? Will you have more of a chance to move up the corporate ladder just because you went somewhere? It may be easier for your foot to get in the door, but once you are in that office space things tend to focus on your current work, not where you went to school. Also how long will you have this debt? How much stress are you going to have about paying for it? These factor into the is it worth it?
I hope to find research in many different areas in which I am looking at and be able to connect this different data into something meaningful about my question. I hope to find average student debt for public and pricate schools. Rate of job after 1yr out of college. Average income 3yr out of college. Average SAT score for public and private institutions. Highest ranked public and private schools and most likely more when the digging gets even deeper.
http://mrupured.myweb.uga.edu/pdfs/College%20Student%20Persistence%20to%20Degree%28abs%29.pdf
This article is about how load debt effects students even getting through school in the first place. It could help my paper is that it shows students become so burdened by the debt they do not even complete school, let alone finish and have to deal with the debt in the real world while also trying to find a job to pay it off.
http://www.aei.org/docLib/09-EduO-Oct-2010-g.pdf
This article has developed a system of rating whether a college is worth the investment. It says that many are not, and that public and some very highyl regarded universities are worth it. It is interesting how he goes about rating the colleges, and would be very helpful support for my paper.
http://www.class.uh.edu/faculty/simberman/das_imberman_2011.pdf
This article will be especially beneficial because it talks specifically about non-elite private schools. The schools where it may cost a boatload of money to go there but you will not truly get a whole lot in return. This seems to be just what i am coming after in my paper so it would be very helpful to examine this closely and try to relate to what this author says.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
The Achievement of Desire
In Richard Rodriguez's Achievement of Desire he describes how he changed, in twenty years, from a boy who could not speak English, to the reading room of the British Museum.He describes as the scholarship boy. The boy who would emulate the teacher, and do exactly what they wanted and always receive the best grades.And although his parents were the one to send him to school he was still very resentful towards them at first. "I intended to hurt my mother and father.I was still angry at them for encouraging me toward classroom English"(Rodriguez, 519) Rodriguez transforms from resenting the fact that he was in school, to becoming the most eager student you could be.
The tone of this writing seems to be one that is slightly bitter about the past. Rodriguez speaks of his scholarship boy actions as ones that have not truly allowed him to learn, rather just use other peoples ideas. It seems that he realizes this now, and is finally able to reflect on what he has been doing his entire life. Even from the very beginning he compares himself to the girl sitting in the front row taking notes on what he was saying, and not actually interpreting what was said. He speaks of his accomplishments and graduations, and how people say how his parents must be very proud, and the entire time he tells the true story, that he was ashamed and embarrassed by his parents. That his parents lack of education was his shameful reason for wanting to learn everything and he is finally admitting it. With this writing hopefully Rodriguez will finally be able to accept his family for who they are, and learn for the sake of learning, not just in imitation of others you want to be like.
The tone of this writing seems to be one that is slightly bitter about the past. Rodriguez speaks of his scholarship boy actions as ones that have not truly allowed him to learn, rather just use other peoples ideas. It seems that he realizes this now, and is finally able to reflect on what he has been doing his entire life. Even from the very beginning he compares himself to the girl sitting in the front row taking notes on what he was saying, and not actually interpreting what was said. He speaks of his accomplishments and graduations, and how people say how his parents must be very proud, and the entire time he tells the true story, that he was ashamed and embarrassed by his parents. That his parents lack of education was his shameful reason for wanting to learn everything and he is finally admitting it. With this writing hopefully Rodriguez will finally be able to accept his family for who they are, and learn for the sake of learning, not just in imitation of others you want to be like.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Well I guess PETA really is crazy
Kind of touched on this in class, but this is a different level:http://news.yahoo.com/peta-plans-porn-website-promote-message-171544732.html
Monday, September 19, 2011
Eula Biss: The Pain Scale
The pain scale is a very interesting piece of writing. Through the whole work the author is constantly talking about pain. She talks about ways to measure pain especially. She is does this in very colorful ways. She describes many stages of the wind measurement system. Showing how that system is not just based on the numbers 1-10, but even uses a description as to what a certain scale wind should look act like. At one point during the reading the author says that a couple hundred years before a wind scale was ever created, philosophers would use Dante's Inferno as a basis to make arguments about how pain was felt, and about the specific parameters of hell.
The idea of comparing our present day 1-10 scale of pain to people in history trying to define the specific dimensions of hell is a very interesting one. They may seem different but they are in actuality, very similar. Both our 1-10 scale for pain and trying to map hell through a fictional work are addressing the same sort of problem. The problem with trying to base hell off of a fictional book seems pretty obvious; that every measurement you come up with will not be correct because the first piece of information you start with is subjective and not based on any fact. The same is true for the pain scale. When you are choosing from 1-10 the one is based on your pain tolerance and it will vary from person to person, and thus a 10, or any number for that matter, will not be equal if two different people take the same test.
The author illustrates the subjectivity of the pain scale, and other ways to address pain rather than just through showing other forms of measurements for different things. The wind scale clearly shows that numbers do not provide enough information in themselves, that a description is needed also. It shows that the pain scale would also benefit from a more in depth measuring system. She shows that the pain scale does not allow a patient to offer the doctor enough information into the depth of the situation and the pain which is there.
The idea of comparing our present day 1-10 scale of pain to people in history trying to define the specific dimensions of hell is a very interesting one. They may seem different but they are in actuality, very similar. Both our 1-10 scale for pain and trying to map hell through a fictional work are addressing the same sort of problem. The problem with trying to base hell off of a fictional book seems pretty obvious; that every measurement you come up with will not be correct because the first piece of information you start with is subjective and not based on any fact. The same is true for the pain scale. When you are choosing from 1-10 the one is based on your pain tolerance and it will vary from person to person, and thus a 10, or any number for that matter, will not be equal if two different people take the same test.
The author illustrates the subjectivity of the pain scale, and other ways to address pain rather than just through showing other forms of measurements for different things. The wind scale clearly shows that numbers do not provide enough information in themselves, that a description is needed also. It shows that the pain scale would also benefit from a more in depth measuring system. She shows that the pain scale does not allow a patient to offer the doctor enough information into the depth of the situation and the pain which is there.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Pollan: Why Bother?
Just read Pollan's article Why Bother? The reading starts off with the author speaking of all the reasons to not "go green". He says that even if somebody were to turn their life upside down that there would be some other person, maybe in a developing country, who is buying the SUV and has moved to the city and is becoming the massive consumer that you chose not to be. He says this while also using the phrase carbon foot print. which is then used frequently until the end of the article. While continuing to rant over how the individual may be helpless in the fight against climate change, he says it may just be less of a hassle to "buy the imported chops from Costco". After that he quotes a man that says personal virtue is not enough and that laws and money will need to be brought in for climate change to be addressed fully.
Pollan goes on to explain ways of combating the climate change. He describes the need for people to develop a personal relationship with the earth and not to be reliant and helpless on fossil fuels when there may be a point that they can not be used in the near future. He describes planting your own garden and the benefits not just to your carbon footprint but also to your entire life. Lifestyle is brought up as the major thing which will be affected by climate change and he presents ideas such as growing some of your own food, and using resources at your disposal; such as the sun and the soil for some of your needs.
This was a good article, it did provide some ideas as to what an individual can hope to do to help against climate change. One thing I really felt was missing was a much more pressing idea as to what could push a people off of fossil fuels. Not a social conciseness which goes viral and all of a sudden everybody respects the Earth. Because, frankly, I highly doubt that would ever happen. Money is what I feel was not spoken enough about. And when it was spoken of, it was in the wrong way. He describes people now as have a "cheap energy mind" and urges people to not thik that way. But the fact is, energy is becoming very expensive. Ask somebody who heats their home in the winter, or has an hour long commute to work everyday by car. The cheap energy mind is a thing of the past, and soon people are going to start going green out of necessity. People may not start growing their own food because they can not afford any, although that is probably a good idea. But people will start turning the thermostat down when they see that bill, and will either look for new work or find a different way to get there is the gas pump is taking half of their pay.
This article does present climate change as a pressing issue, but there are still many doubters out there about the extent of our role in it. At one point he asks if you have recently seen a climate scientist, because they look very scared. That is the perfect example of how this is an opinion based essay, and nothing to be scared about. Not that anyone was scared, but just in case. Another controversial issue there is on the dependence on fossil fuels which is brought up as a reason to go green is the possibility of a supply of oil running out. While this paper does get the readers attention it should definitely be taken with a heavy grain of salt. The author provides some useful ideas as how to get back in touch with yourself and community while also helping the environment. Do it! But also realize, soon, unless you have a lot of extra income, you may be forced to change your way of living anyway.
Pollan goes on to explain ways of combating the climate change. He describes the need for people to develop a personal relationship with the earth and not to be reliant and helpless on fossil fuels when there may be a point that they can not be used in the near future. He describes planting your own garden and the benefits not just to your carbon footprint but also to your entire life. Lifestyle is brought up as the major thing which will be affected by climate change and he presents ideas such as growing some of your own food, and using resources at your disposal; such as the sun and the soil for some of your needs.
This was a good article, it did provide some ideas as to what an individual can hope to do to help against climate change. One thing I really felt was missing was a much more pressing idea as to what could push a people off of fossil fuels. Not a social conciseness which goes viral and all of a sudden everybody respects the Earth. Because, frankly, I highly doubt that would ever happen. Money is what I feel was not spoken enough about. And when it was spoken of, it was in the wrong way. He describes people now as have a "cheap energy mind" and urges people to not thik that way. But the fact is, energy is becoming very expensive. Ask somebody who heats their home in the winter, or has an hour long commute to work everyday by car. The cheap energy mind is a thing of the past, and soon people are going to start going green out of necessity. People may not start growing their own food because they can not afford any, although that is probably a good idea. But people will start turning the thermostat down when they see that bill, and will either look for new work or find a different way to get there is the gas pump is taking half of their pay.
This article does present climate change as a pressing issue, but there are still many doubters out there about the extent of our role in it. At one point he asks if you have recently seen a climate scientist, because they look very scared. That is the perfect example of how this is an opinion based essay, and nothing to be scared about. Not that anyone was scared, but just in case. Another controversial issue there is on the dependence on fossil fuels which is brought up as a reason to go green is the possibility of a supply of oil running out. While this paper does get the readers attention it should definitely be taken with a heavy grain of salt. The author provides some useful ideas as how to get back in touch with yourself and community while also helping the environment. Do it! But also realize, soon, unless you have a lot of extra income, you may be forced to change your way of living anyway.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
People seem to always need something new, something besides what they already have. Something better(supposedly) something that everybody else has, or something nobody has. The need is there in both cases. I don't really know if it matters the way or the cause which brings about the need, but the need being there is enough for right now.
So what is it about wanting something, needing something, that is new or different? It could be useful, an upgrade which will have features that are made useful. A bigger truck bed for carrying larger loads. Or it could be a getting a bigger truck with a bigger bed because you wanted to have a bigger truck.
The fire alarm went off the other day when I was sitting in my room. Ran out of my room as fast as possible. I came back to see my chair knocked over, all my drawers open and the place looking more disheveled than usual, which is a shock. That loud noise absolutely terrified me. Later when I could finally think about the incident and my brain was not being rampaged by so much sound I could not think, I thought what good does that possibly do?
So what is it about wanting something, needing something, that is new or different? It could be useful, an upgrade which will have features that are made useful. A bigger truck bed for carrying larger loads. Or it could be a getting a bigger truck with a bigger bed because you wanted to have a bigger truck.
The fire alarm went off the other day when I was sitting in my room. Ran out of my room as fast as possible. I came back to see my chair knocked over, all my drawers open and the place looking more disheveled than usual, which is a shock. That loud noise absolutely terrified me. Later when I could finally think about the incident and my brain was not being rampaged by so much sound I could not think, I thought what good does that possibly do?
Thursday, September 1, 2011
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