College Essay

There is a notable question that sparks debate as tuition rates spiral out of control and unemployment for college grads hits record levels. This is enough to engender question of concern on whether college education is still worth it. When students and parents question the worthy and benefits of a college education they seem to ignore some of the most important factors. They focus merely on the money aspects of a college education and degree and tend to forget the most significant ones. For many the value of a degree is not just the earnings impact over a lifetime but the experiences and personal development that occur during the years of their educational college experience. The skills that one develops in college are exclusive and very useful in the long term. Colleges can mature a person into becoming a more focused and passionate learner which helps them to find opportunities for career progression.

 According to source D; the pay gap between college graduates with a bachelor’s degree and those with only a high school diploma has reached 83 percent as of 2010 . Three decades ago the pay gap was 40 percent more for those with a bachelor’s degree. These significant gaps in the two different groups of people help to prove the advantages and befits for having college education. When comparing these transitional statistics we see that a advantages for college graduates  with a bachelors degree has so far been existing. The coast of colleges might be seen as very expensive at the time , but it will all eventually pay off when you are earning more money than someone who didn't attend college. “College graduates, though hardly immune from downturn, are also far less likely to be unemployed than non-graduates”(Leonhardt.) This is a great advantage especially when there is a lack of employment and people are fighting for jobs .

 There is certain special things that can only be obtain or benefited from attending college ,such as; A liberal arts education. A liberal arts education provides students’ with a broader understanding about the world around them. The purpose of a liberal arts education is not for training someone for a specific job, though it does prepare you for the world of work by providing you with an invaluable set of employ ability skills, including the ability to think for yourself, the skills to communicate effectively, and the capacity for lifelong learning. “A liberal education remains a resource years after graduation because it helps us to address problems and potential in our lives with passion, commitment and a sense of possibility.”(Roth.) These are some of the more obvious benefits that are gained from attending college. “Many liberal arts students become innovators and productive risk takers, translating liberal arts ideas in to effective, productive work in the world” (Roth.) This quote from source B is a great example of how these skills can help a person become successful in life and therefore supporting the idea that college is indeed worth to attend, many blame money as being the main factor for teens not attending college. The truth is that this not all about the money. If it were then everyone attending college would be very unhappy because they would just be there without excitement or thrive.

Everyone who goes to college is passionate about something, they also enjoy learning. The people who truly want to attend college will make no excuses for their education, they will get the best grades for scholarships and will also work to help pay for their tuition. You cannot say “is college worth it?” because the question then turns to you. “Are you worth going to college?”Anything is possible and for the people who want to attend college they will put no excuse. Once in college they will fully benefit from everything their college has to offer them. In Source E, Wieder explains that co-founder of paypal was willing to pay each of the 24 winners of his Thiel fellowship 100,00 to not attend college and instead develop ideas in areas such as energy. This fellowship’s purpose was to help winners develop their ideas more quickly than they would at a traditional university.

The fact that there were some more student who denied this deal than accepted, shows that these university student believe that their education is greater than the money they can in exchange receive. Mr.Thiel’s success is a clear contradiction to his statement of colleges not being worth it because without t his business relationship forged during his days at Stanford, he would of not been as successful as he is now. Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."This is true because there are an infinite amount of things that you can do with the knowledge you gain from a college/University .It really is true, an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.