Monday, January 25, 2010
thoughts on final paper
I actually did not plan on taking this class this semester. I origanlly planned on taking a class like gaming and sports or the class called conspiracy to fill my writing requirement. I showed up the first day not really know what to expect from college! but as the first class went by I noticed that this class was perfect because it was excaclty what was going on in my life. For the final paper I was thinking about writing about the costs of college and if going to college will still excel me into a good high paying job in the future. With todays economy college might not even be worth it anymore. It puts you in major debt and you dont even know if your getting a good job when you get out. I know many people who are still waiting tables and working at local stores with their college degrees. Another topic i was thinking of was actual college and college life. How does drugs partying and alcohol effect all college students? It somehting that probably affects every college student even if they are not the ones using them.
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You raise some very interesting questions here that could generate good topics for the class. The problem may be choosing among them.
ReplyDeleteThe question about the real monetary value of a college education is discussed and you should be able to find abundant literature on that. Most of the data-based arguments (that use income as the main measure of success) do suggest that college is "worth it" for raising income. I am not sure if any of these studies factor in debt, however. And I know there have been some arguments on the other side over the years -- including one I read as a first year student in The Norton Reader way back in 1983 here at Rutgers that argued you would be better off financially to set up shop as a mechanic than to go to college. So I think that could make for a very good topic, so long as you challenged yourself to find lots of research from both sides of the issue and if you factored in the question of debt (which would have to be researched as well). You might also look historically at how the monetary value of college has changed over time. Most authorities say that college is becoming more and more essential to monetary success, which provides some economists with a rationale for why tuition has gone up way ahead of inflation. But when does college turn out to be a raw deal for the consumer? And how beneficial is a college education if you just maintain a C average vs an A average? Has anyone compared the two? It may be that it makes a very significant difference.
The question of drug use and "partying" would also make for an interesting topic. My own experience of college taught me that these could be very dangerous for some people and there is no question that drug use directly correlates to lack of success in school. I have also been personally appalled as a professor to actually witness several students over the years miss class due to partying or even come to class smelling of drugs or alcohol or appearing intoxicated -- and this for early morning classes. So it does make you wonder.