ENG 111 - Discussion Posting 2 - Response To Stephens

Raymond Prescod
Professor - Dr. David R. DiSarro
ENG111 Critical Reading and Writing I
I believe higher education is broken can be used as the thesis statement. This
statement is not only his personal opinion and invariably sets the tone for the main idea
of the entire piece; it controls the ideas and direction of the paper as the author offers
proof as to why his statement is true.
It rewards

conformity rather than independence

Competition rather than collaboration
Regurgitation rather than learning
Theory rather than application
Creativity, innovation and curiosity are stripped.
Failure is punished instead of seen as a learning opportunity.
We think of college as a stepping-stone to success rather than a means to gain

knowledge.
College fails to empower us with the skills necessary to become productive

members of today's global entrepreneurial economy.

College is expensive.

Stephens began by introducing himself as a winner of a Thiel Fellowship because it

shows that he is accomplished and outweighs even the college educated for such an
award. This introductory strategy appeals to the ethos because it applies an ethical
standpoint by convincing the reader that he has the credibility to make these
statements.
Stevens uses research findings also to prove his argument

The College Board Policy Center found that the cost of public university tuition is

about 3.6 times higher today than it was 30 years ago

Sociology professors Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa say that 36% of college
graduates showed no improvement in critical thinking, complex reasoning or

writing after four years of college.

Student loan debt in the United States, unforgivable in the case of bankruptcy,
outpaced credit card debt in 2010 and will top $1 trillion in 2011.

Referencing successful non college graduands.

Becoming the next Mark Zuckerberg

His examples are very thought provoking and strong and it makes me think that he is
correct simply because I am back at college as a representative of the pool that thinks
of college as a stepping-stone to success rather than a means to gain knowledge.

Stephens considers possible arguments against his thesis.

I do not think everyone should leave college e.g. MD Studies

Mentioned that people believe that college dropouts will sit in their parents'
basements playing games and doing drugs and acknowledge them as valid
concerns.

He was able to successfully refute each possible argument through witty but logical
reasoning. If you want to be a doctor etc, it is imperative that you attend a formal
learning institution because it was suggested that it would not only be illegal, it would
not give you the necessary understanding required for the job. The bigger one is
disparaging the belief that college dropouts will sit in their parents basements as
unproductive citizens only because they are dropouts. He considered that concern to be

totally irrelevant even though valid and advised that people who indulge in drugs and
alcohol do so before, during and after college. It simply is dependent on the priorities of
that person. I would have preferred to see some research study presented as back up
to this claim. It is a brilliant counter to the situation but having evidence would have
made it irrefutable.

I am inclined to believe that the references to we relate to the thoughts of the masses
but mainly college goers. It relates to those who stay their full term because anecdotally
if offered a pay check of a lifetime many if not most would accept the offer and walk out
the door. This means that their only goal was to have financial success by whatever
means and college is the most popular of stepping stones. He is already a dropout with
no need for convincing so by mentioning The success of people who never completed
or attended college makes us question whether what we need to learn is taught in
school suggests reference is being made to non converts. Again We can be productive
members of society without submitting to academic or corporate institutions is a
directive at the masses once again because he has already proven that he is productive
without the degree so why cant the rest of the world be as well.