Summary Of The Article 'College Is A Waste Of Time And Money'

Terra Davis
English 1301
Dr. Ann M. Pearson
April 9, 2014 “College is Not a Waste”
In Bird’s article, “College is a Waste of Time and Money”, she approaches the topic of higher education as, “a ticket to the big show”, rather than the continuation of education in a chosen career field culminated with the tools to hone oneself socially and professionally. Furthermore, it would seem that personal accountability counts for naught, as she assigns the blame to societal values that influence attendance of these learning institutions. Social values play an integral role in everyday life but that does not mean that the entire populace has been brainwashed into collective servitude; nor do they regulate the desire or disregard
opportunity for self-improvement. Therefore, my theory differs from Bird’s, whereas I believe that a higher education provides essential building blocks for future advancement, while the decision whether or not to pursue a college education is based on one’s own morals and aspirations. According to Bird, the expansion of higher education institutions in the 1950’s–1960’s, accompanied by the increase of education-to-industry importance, has since been the culprit for escalated college drop-out rates, and is the scapegoat for lack of follow-through within the education system.
Although this has been established, throughout the years we have witnessed a surge in the propaganda expressing the importance of going to college to advance in the professional world. She then places her theoretical foundation on college admission rates spiking as a result of social and corporate hype. Unbelievably within a decade, the national college census waned due to the influx in dropout rates and reduced admissions. “A college knows it can charge $40,000 a year for tuition because the government will make it possible for a student to borrow $40,000. If the government stopped, tuition would drop”, observes Jack White. Was this incursion based on plausibility of Bird’s theory that students and future prospective pupils stopped believing college is necessary to succeed? Her theory is lacking necessary contributing factors, such as: financial feasibility, childcare considerations, and time restrictions that regulate people’s availability and
attendance.
As previously stated, a multitude of causes account for national college census, however, Bird’s theory directly implies a lack of true necessity. Within her article, she cites the specific instance of a graduate who disliked the college experience, but completed the degree plan based on his belief that it would benefit him in the future. Bird’s argument that these values have been instilled through societal influence is partially correct; nonetheless, the graduate in this particular scenario finished the program in its entirety, regardless of his emotions regarding the experience. With the admission of the aforementioned case, in conjunction with unforeseen similar happenings throughout the educational system, the decision is solidified as that of personal choice in self-improvement. Thereby removing the convenience of renouncing responsibility for one‘s own lack of endurance or some would even speculate, patience.
Finally a consideration of many areas decides attendance availability for those who want to attend, with the emergence of Financial Aid and its ease of access.
Monetary issues with admission fees and book costs became a thing of the past, allowing those of less fortunate backgrounds to heighten their chances for a successful future. During the era which her concept is based upon, the Vietnam War likely would have played a significant role in the decline of admissions, as well as the increase in dropout rates. Primarily, the military draft during that period drafted young men of college age to serve overseas. Therein producing the no-win situation by forcing course withdrawal and causing the drop in potential future scholars. A further consideration of the ‘baby boomer’ population must influence the equation as an upturn in the college aged is bound to fluctuate the
admissions.
In conclusion, I must reiterate and emphasize the fact that we cannot base society’s main objective or apply the theory of group thinking to a sample extracted from a different era of time. People as a whole, do partake in trending behaviors; however, people also individually choose the tendencies that they are going to follow. After further study on this particular situation, I don’t believe it to be a trend at all. At best, this was no more than a series of unfortunate events.

Works Cited
Bird, Caroline. “College is a Waste of Time and Money.” www.grossmont.edu, 1975. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Friedrich, Patrick J. “College Costs Too Much, but What to Do about It?” San Jacinto College Library. USA Today, 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014
Rich, Adrienne. “Claiming an Education”. Convocation of Douglass College. New Jersey, New Brunswick. 1977. Speech