Benfield 1

Kristin Benfield Professor Mia Eaker English 1102-004 November 7, 2012 Annotated Bibliography High School seniors are at the point in their lives where they have to decide what they do next. After they walk the line on graduation day, their future is up to them. Where they take themselves in life is completely their decision. Some may go to a community college, a four year college, start working right away, or take time off to figure out what they want to do. A college education holds the expectation of a job when we graduate. Over the past few years, the guarantee of a job has decreased. So is college worth it if were not guaranteed a job? High school seniors should be asking themselves this exact question. College is one of the biggest expenses of most of our lives. Why go to college if were not going to find a job when we graduate? Pew Research Center. "Is College Worth It?" Pew Social & Demographic Trends (2011): n. p. Pew Research Center Publications. 15 May 2011. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. The Pew Research Center is located in Washington, DC and conducts research on issues that shape America today. This research article is based off of two surveys taken that explore the purpose of a college education. The first survey was taken nationally with 2,142 adults over the age of eighteen surveyed. These results highlight the cost and value of a college education. It then shifts to monetary payoff, using a graph to show the

Benfield 2

amount of money people earn with a college degree versus people without a college degree. The consequences from debt of college loans and the social expectations of college are then projected in percentages. The second survey taken of college presidents in the United States is presented in the article next. This survey explores college presidents view on the stance of our education system. It then goes to discuss the quality of students and grade inflation. Paul Taylor is the director of Social and Demographic Trends by the Pew Research Center. He also serves as the vice president of Pew Research Center. He was a newspaper writer at the Washington Post for fourteen years prior to serving as the chairman and president for the Alliance for Better Campaigns. The information provided in this source proves to be useful to my topic because my target audience is the general public and that is who was surveyed. After graduation, college debt delays plans for a large percent of graduates. The actual aftermath of loans after graduation will be useful in proving why some think college is not worth it. Frederick, Dana. "Why Do We Go To College?" Web log post. BetterGrads. N.p., 9 Feb. 2011. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. BetterGrads is an online volunteer-based blog system that generates articles about education. This article is from a students perspective and discusses the main focus is the value of a college degree. A real-life example of the authors father in the workforce is used to make the argument that a college degree is not necessary. The author then points out the relationship between college and the workforce, stating that essentially our hard work, strength, and dedication is what gets us to the places we are in our careers.

Benfield 3

Dana Frederick is a political science major at Owens Community College in Ohio and the author of this article. She is involved on campus under a grant by the U.S. Department of Education. Frederick hopes to be involved with the U.S. government eventually as a political analysis. This source is useful to my research because it is written from a students perspective. It is incredibly important to have this perspective because students are the ones being affected by the purpose of education. The source uses the example about her father in the workforce, which is useful because it brings to light a new perspective. Strikwerda, Carl J. "Is College Worth It?." The Huffington Post. N.p., 10 10 2012. Web. The Huffington Post is an American News website and blog. This article published by the post focuses on the point of a college education. It starts by pointing out the fact that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were college drop-outs, and then compares that to the value of college. The difficultness of finding jobs after graduation is evaluated. The article goes on to state reasons why college is worth it, highlighting the unemployment rate for college graduates versus high school graduates. Loan debt is evaluated next, stating that parents should borrow as little as they can to pay for college. The author gives an example of buying pizzas over four years, and the amount of debt it can add to college. Carl Strikwerda is the author of this article published in the Huffington Post. He is the president of Elizabethtown College. He has a PhD in History from the University of Michigan. This article is relevant to my research because it offers perspectives on higher education that are unique. The Steve Jobs and Bill Gates argument is one that had not

Benfield 4

showed up in my research. This article is very useful because of the focus on college debt, which is the main reason students do not attend college. "Why Go To College?." CNN Exclusive. CNN: . Web. 30 Oct 2012. CNN provides the world with breaking news and top stories in entertainment, politics, business, and so much more. This video aired on CNN starts out by interviewing a high school senior who works during summers to help pay for his college education. Then the video shifts to a young entrepreneur who has a different take on college. His family has asked him to attend college, but he does not think its necessary for him. He shares that he thinks college is for students to learn about life, and he has already done that so he has no reason to go to college. The CNN contributor then goes to state that many students are struggling with the idea of whether to attend college or not, and shifts to Dr. Robert Lemar where he shares his idea for an apprenticeship program. This source is credible because it was produced by CNN. The network has a very high status for being reliable and made up of the best professionals. The people interviewed in the video are students, who both give the audience an insight on their opinions about higher education. Dr. Robert Lamar is part of The Urban Institute. The information provided in this video is useful to my research because it gives the perception that some students already learn life lessons before college, so they do not need a higher education. This is an opinion that is very new to my research and I think its really interesting. "Is College Worth the Cost?." Perf. Jennifer Hartstein, Ray Martin, and Nicole Williams. The Early Show. CBS: New York, New York, . Web. 30 Oct 2012.

Benfield 5

The Early Show is a segment of CBS news that produced a segment on higher education. This segment is introduced with statistics about college tuition and college debt. During the segment, three people are interviewed to help bring to light the issue of higher education. The financial contributor explains the increase of student loan debt over the years. A psychologist explains that parents should communicate with their children early about college. Then the career expert talks about the value of a college education and points out the skills developed during college. CBS is a very credible source not only because it is a famous news show, but because the guests are all credible in their own way. The people interviewed in this segment are all professionals with college degrees. Ray Martin is a financial contributor for CBS; Nicole Williams is a career expert, and Dr. Jennifer Hartstein is a Psychologist. This source is relevant to my topic because the professionals explain higher education talking about everything from debt to college experiences. It covers a wide variety of information from different perspectives, which is exactly the kind of source I need in my research. Higher education is a topic with varying opinions. Every bit of research you find will give different pros and cons of a college education. The perspectives that college is worth it and college is not worth it are backed up by tons of research and some obvious reasons. The amount of money it takes to pay for a college education leads to the idea that it is not worth it in the end. The value of education is questioned in this perspective, too. Job promotions and college experience are only two of the many reasons that college is worth it. This perspective is widely popular with current college students. I am one of those college students and I think its one of the best experiences someone can ever have.

Benfield 6

One of the biggest perspectives on higher education is that college is not worth it. The Pew Research Center survey states that college is too expensive for the value of education students receive, and that it delays plans after graduation because of the amount of debt. These two perspectives were from a survey of students. College presidents were surveyed in the same article and a small percent said that the education system is headed in the wrong direction. ("Pew Social and Demographic Trends") The student blog in my sources gives the example of someone working their way up in a job and essentially reaching the same level as a college graduate, without the excess debt attached. (Frederick) The Huffington Post included Steve Jobs and Bill Gates as examples of college dropouts who were very successful in life. Money is essentially the most important factor in not attending college. (Strikwerda) A friend of mine transferred from a four-year university to a community college last year because the cost of college was too expensive for him to pay. He decided that a community college was more appropriate for him for several reasons. He wasnt receiving much financial aid, and he was going to be in debt to his neck by the time he would graduate. If he went to a community college, he could live at home and work at the same time. He would be saving on rent and making money to pay for school. This is the route many students take after graduating high school. I agree that college is too expensive and the debt when graduating might set me back a little, but I think its worth it. Whether its worth it or not is a decision each person has to make on their own. The perspective that college is worth it is based on the job aspect. The Pew Research Center survey showed that college graduates were paid a much larger amount of money with a college degree. Even working their way up in businesses, people who did not earn a college degree earn less a year than those with one. Not only does a degree earn you more money, but it

Benfield 7

leads you to more job promotions as well. ("Pew Social and Demographic Trends") My mom makes more than her coworkers because she has a masters degree in Accounting. The higher the degree someone has, the higher the salary typically. So typically, no degree means a very little salary. The Huffington Post tallied more job promotions for college graduates who had a degree. Employees look at college degrees when hiring, and when promoting. A college degree can altogether help you when it comes to a career. (Strikwerda) College is worth it because of the experience gained while attending is the next perspective. The CNN video interviews students about college, and one states that the experience is the most important part of college. ("Why Go To College?") The Huffington Post listed the pro of being a better-rounded person when explaining why college is worth it. This will take you far in the career world as well. (Strikwerda) Ive only been in college for three semesters so far, but the first semester I was here, I learned more about myself than I ever knew was possible. Each semester it seems that I grow more as a person and everything I experience makes me wiser. All of these perspectives are what make up the controversy of college. The debate of whether college is worth it is one that does not have a clear-cut answer. Each student has to make their own decision based what they want their future to hold. A college education is critical to access my full potential in life. The benefits of a college degree outweigh the financial factor for me. The perspectives listed above are not answers to the debate on higher education. They are simply opinions generated by professionals and students trying to explore the depth of a college education.

Benfield 8

Bibliography Frederick, Dana. "Why Do We Go To College?" Web log post. BetterGrads. N.p., 9 Feb. 2011. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. "Is College Worth the Cost?." Perf. Jennifer Hartstein, Ray Martin, and Nicole Williams. The Early Show. CBS: New York, New York, . Web. 30 Oct 2012. Strikwerda, Carl J. "Is College Worth It?." The Huffington Post. N.p., 10 10 2012. Web. Pew Research Center. "Is College Worth It?" Pew Social & Demographic Trends (2011): n. p. Pew Research Center Publications. 15 May 2011. Web. 1 Oct. 2012. "Why Go To College?." CNN Exclusive. CNN: . Web. 30 Oct 2012.