The Meaning of Higher Education Essay Example

The true purpose of higher education Whether it is in a developed country or in a developing one, higher education is a crucial and decisive part to the development of any societies. Higher education provides knowledge necessary for people so that when they graduate they can do well in their jobs and professions. So what exactly is the true purpose of higher education? Graduating from a good college with a high GPA does not provide anyone with a guaranteed success because the true purpose of college-level education is to teach people how to think. The most successful people do not always graduate from top-ranked universities. Joe Queenan listed some famous examples in his “Matriculation Fixation”: “Bill Gates, David Geffen, Michael Dell, Graydon Carter and Madonna are all college dropouts. Ronald Reagan attended tiny Eureka College, while Warren Buffet went to Football U in Lincoln, Neb.” (Queenan 380) There are in total more than 4,000 public and private colleges in US and there is a ranking of them. Most people have a wrong belief that if they attend higher ranked colleges, they can be guaranteed a rich, full life. Queenan wrote: “Such individuals believe that securing admission to a top-flight university provides a child with an irrevocable passport to success, guaranteeing a life of uninterrupted economic mirth” (Queenan 379). In fact, it is not always true. I agree that higher ranked universities may provide a better environment to develop, but they do not include all the best students. Many smart and talented students cannot go to good universities not because of their academic ability, but because their financial state just allows them to go to lower ranked and cheaper ones. Good land does help, but a good plant itself is still the most important. Furthermore, success does not just depend on intelligence, it depends a lot more on social skills, communication skills, creativity, diligence, etc. That’s why, Queenan wrote: “In real life,