Category: College

Intro

College is a place where students go to learn. However, for years many other things that are rarely publicized have come along with this experience. College is as much a place for big parties, binge drinking and sexual assault as it is for learning. Approximately 1 in 4 college women are sexually assaulted before they graduate, which is 7% higher than the national average for women in general (Hecht Schafran and Weinberger, 195). The statistic is even worse when limited to college-aged women. “Women in the traditional age range for college students—from eighteen to twenty-one—are four times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women in any other age group, and college-bound women are at greater risk than their non-college-bound peers”(American Association of University Professors,93). In addition, victims often don’t get justice because they are too scared to report the assault because they fear how they will be treated. While rape is only one kind of sexual assault and approximately 18% of US women have been raped, only 16% of victims reported their rape to police.(Hecht Schafran and Weinberger, 195). When they do report the assault, the perpetrator often doesn’t get a just punishment, if they get one at all.

The system of how colleges should respond to sexual assault on campus is a much debated issue and has undergone many changes over the last 40 years. Prior to 1980 there were no national guidelines for how colleges should deal with campus assault. A first step for making colleges act on sexual assault reports was taken in 1980, when Title IX was officially applied to deal with sexual assault cases. It states that no one should be discriminated against based on their sex in an education setting that receives federal funding. It would, however, take 12 more years before the Supreme Court made this ruling official. The next significant change came in 1990, when the Cergy Act was passed. This act mandates that colleges have to publicly report the crimes, although in very broad categories. During Obama’s time in office, he also made strides in the issue by releasing the Dear Colleague Letter in 2011. The letter put in place a guideline of how schools should be handling sexual assault cases. This was considered a major step forward for the rights of victims. However, most recently the secretary of education, Betsy Devos has changed the policies and almost completely reverted the system to how it was before Obama’s letter.

Sexual assault is a serious crime and yet colleges almost always handle the cases reported to them without involving the police. Even though the government has tried to improve the system of how colleges handle the cases, there are still many problems. The current rules of how colleges must handle sexual assault are unclear and inefficient, and one ambiguous aspect is finding the right balance between due process and the general rights of the victims and the accused. Another large problem is that colleges are not unbiased judges, because they can be greatly affected by the outcome of the cases. These cases can cost the college a lot of money and not just because they have to hire specific officers to handle the cases but also in the case that the victim or the accused sues them, or if they are found guilty of not following title IX guidelines and lose their federal funding. On top of this, their reputation can also be affected by the outcomes of the cases. Colleges are in place to punish the student as they see fit and to just try to make their campus as safe as possible however this punishment only applies to the college setting. It is not enough to take the place of the punishment under the law. The two systems serve different purposes and should not be seen as substitutes. Instead, for true justice to occur, both the colleges and the courts need to be involved in adjudicating the cases.

Many have argued that mandatory reporting to the police will limit the number of victims that will come forward because many victims are scared of being mistreated by the police. However, over time, as police improve the way they handle the cases, involving the police in the cases will lead to fuller investigation and justice. Although many feel that colleges should take sole responsibility for dealing with sexual assault on campus, this system has failed the victims of assault. Colleges should be mandated to report all cases to police for adjudication, because colleges are not equipped to properly investigate crimes by themselves, although they should maintain the right to impose their own disciplinary actions in addition to the outcome the legal case.

The history of the policies

Sexual assault on campus has been a prevalent issue for decades. The statistic of 1 in 4 is dropped frequently, however, it is unclear what has really been done to try and lower that number. The first major stride made to try to reduce sexual assault on campus was Title IX. Originally passed in 1972 it states ‘No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”(“Title IX Frequently Asked Questions.” ). In 1980, the National Advisory Council on Women’s Education Programs reviewed Title IX, issued a statement that Title IX should be interpreted to prohibit sexual harassment, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights issued administrative guidance to colleges that prohibited school employees from sexually harassing students. (Sarkozi,128). Twelve years later it was made official when the Supreme Court recognized that sexual harassment could fall under Title IX gender discrimination (Sarkozi,128) . This required schools to act if they knew or should have known of harassment by students. Failing to effectively do so would result in Title IX violations (Sarkozi,129).

In 1990 other steps were being taken, the Clery act was enacted by congress stating that colleges have a legal duty to publicly disclose these crimes that are reported to their campus police or department (Von Spakovsky, 4). It requires the colleges to file annual reports with the federal government on campus crime, however the purpose of this was to generate a statistic, not to further investigate the cases. However, it did encourage colleges to try to limit the amount of assaults in order to not to damage their reputation and enrollment. Amendments were passed in 1992, 1998, and 2008 requiring campuses to develop and spread prevention policies, make specific assurances to victims, and report an expanded set of crime categories, including hate crimes. (American Association of University Professors,95).

When Obama came into office he made some big changes. In 2011 Obama Administration released the dear Colleague letter that outlines the procedures that colleges must follow when sexual assault is reported if they want to keep their federal funding. The Letter required that all, “Public and state-supported schools must provide due process to the alleged perpetrator. However, schools should ensure that steps taken to accord due process rights to the alleged perpetrator do not restrict or unnecessarily delay the Title IX protections for the complainant”(Sarkozi,132). The guidelines were viewed as a major victory for victims of crime, however, tension remains between the requirements of Title IX, constitutionally and contractually mandated due process, and the rules of confidentiality and disclosure under FERPA (Triplett,510). Colleges have had to open Title IX offices and hire special counselors in order to be in line with the guidelines, since the letter was released in 2011 colleges have spent more than $100 million “to meet their Title IX obligations regarding sexual assault”(Wilson, 4).

Most recently under the Trump administration the Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has released new rules regarding how campuses should handle sexual assault. They released a statement that declared that the Obama administration rules and procedures had failed and undid them. On top of reverting back, Devos also released new rules, one of them significantly changed the definition of sexual misconduct on campus, to the Supreme Court’s definition of sexual harassment: “unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it denies a person access to the school’s education program or activity.”

College adjudication alone is insufficient

Colleges’ main job is to educate so it’s no surprise that their adjudication system is messy and disorganized. Since the policies have changed so much it’s unclear exactly how colleges should set up their courts. The lack of clarity has created an environment in which colleges are uncertain on how to adjudicate cases and “Without affirmative guidance on how to balance these competing obligations, the OCR’s views on Title IX will remain ineffectual, thereby endangering victims, increasing the probability of liability on the part of the institution for denial of due process, and jeopardizing the accused student’s due-process”(Triplett,511). Colleges want to take the path of least resistance and in this case it means handling the cases in a way that they will receive the least backlash, meaning handling the case in a way that could never be accused of not following the federal guideline . The Dear Colleague letter fails to address the correct amount of due process that should be given in order to not come in the way of proper victim protection (Triplett,490) and this leads to colleges being oversafe with protecting the victim and denying the accused rights.

Colleges are not well suited to conduct full investigation because it creates a possibility

for liability. Colleges have been sued due to how they handle sexual assault cases and “failing to provide sufficient investigative and judicial proceedings when responding” (Triplett, 488) by both the victims and the accused. “Public university systems with schools in the nation’s five major athletic conferences paid out more than $10.5 million in settlements related to sexual-harassment claims in 2016 and ’17, according to a Wall Street Journal review of recent settlements, gathered mainly through public-records requests”(Korn,1). The money spent to set up the offices to follow the title IX guidelines and to settle with students who aren’t happy with how the case was handled adds up to over a hundred of million dollars. When colleges handle the cases “rather than an unbiased jury deciding guilt, biased school administrators who have strong financial incentives decide responsibility in these cases” (Sarkozi,142). Not only do the colleges have to think about the possibility of a million dollar lawsuit but also the possibility of losing all federal funding. Because of this “College campuses have enormous financial incentives in sexual assault cases because acquitting an accused student carries the threat that OCR could exercise its enforcement authority.152 If found guilty in such an investigation, a college could face losing over half a billion dollars in federal funding.153”(Sarkozi,142)

Colleges position causes them to be biased because of how the outcome can effect them greatly in ways other than just financial. Colleges can receive a lot of public backlash if they mishandle these cases. Campus authorities are often reluctant to refer incidents to the criminal justice system and give up control of the proceedings, because they are afraid that doing so would open them up to public as well as media scrutiny.(American Association of University Professors,95).The negative attention from the media can affect colleges donations and a loss of donations to often very profitable sports programs.(American Association of University Professors,95) and can give them the label of a “rape campus”. To avoid this schools often force students who report to school disciplinary panels to sign confidentiality agreements, barring them from pursuing the case in the criminal or civil courts(Fisher et al, 2000; Lombardi, 2009). This bars victims from being able to take legal action against their attackers and getting proper justice.

What police have that colleges don’t

Sexual assault is crime punishable under the court of law and because of the seriousness of the crime, colleges need to report it to the police so a proper investigation and trial can be done. Colleges don’t have access to the same tools to fully investigate like police and try the case like the criminal justice can. In terms of investigating there are certain things that colleges can’t do that are standard in police investigations such as “issue search warrants, compel students to submit evidence, or subpoena witnesses”(Wilson, 5). Without such tools it’s hard for the college to gather all the evidence needed to perform a full investigation. The college trial process is also inferior to that of the criminal justice system in that “ No one is under oath to give information truthfully. And unlike court proceedings, the campus judicial process wasn’t designed to be an open forum, where an impartial judge or jury hears and decides a case before the public. Instead, campus hearings are closed. Federal privacy rules that protect students mean colleges typically can’t disclose, confirm, or correct the details of a case or its outcome.” (Wilson, 5) . The police and judicial system have been designed to be the most effective and unbiased as possible and part of that means having “separate entities performing various aspects of the case”(Sarkozi,144). However “a university performs the “functions of investigation, prosecution, fact-finding, and appellate review in one office, and . . . that office is itself a Title IX compliance office rather than an entity that could be considered structurally impartial.” 170”(Sarkozi,144). Having one office performing every aspect of the case impartiality is going to be very hard to achieve.

The biggest difference between the criminal justice system handling the case versus the University is punishment. Some argue that since “The Dear Colleague Letter mandates that college campuses use a preponderance of the evidence standard,119 unlike the criminal system which utilizes a beyond a reasonable doubt standard.120”(Sarkozi,137) the school being able to expel a student is too much punishment with that amount of proof. However, another argument against the college being able to administer a punishment without involving the police is that the maximum penalty that can be issued by colleges is expulsion from school, which is insufficient for crimes such as rape. Rape can be punishable by real jail time and having to register as a sex offender, so allowing it to be handled by a system in which the highest punishment colleges can give is expulsion is insufficient. In addition “If the accused is expelled, with no criminal punishment, the accuser lives with the knowledge that the accused could rape other women. Rapists are criminals, not just college students who violate a school’s honor code. They deserve to be prosecuted in criminal court, and if found guilty, punished accordingly, including having to register as convicted sex offenders.” (Von Spakovsky,12).

Why involving the police might lead to less justice

Mandatory Reporting to police has problems and may actually limit victims from reporting crimes on campus. Many students have cited that their reason for not reporting sexual assault to the school is that they don’t want the police involved because they’re scared of being mistreated and lose confidentiality. (Holland and Cortina, 51).

Diversity in college is very important because our society is drastically changing, and our higher education organizations need to expand and reflect this diversity. According to Cambridge Dictionary, “Diversity is the mixture of races and religions that make up a group of people.” Moreover, we can infer that where we come from says a lot about ourselves and how we live day by day. Different cultures make us understand and learn about information we may not be aware off and think outside of our circle. Challenges that enforce diversity should be promoted to maintain in colleges because it enhances social development, encourages creative thinking, and increases self-awareness.

Social Development is considered how people grow social and emotional abilities “across the lifespan, with particular attention to childhood and adolescence.” According to “Alleydog.com’s online glossary.” Social Development permits us humans to unite in a positive and accommodating way with our relatives, friends, professors, and other people that come across in our lives. Sometimes individuals don’t feel comfortable to be able to speak with someone because they are scared to be judged, and that is why social development should be incorporated from a young age. Diversity enforces social development in ways such as communicating with people from different cultures and experiencing their way of living, therefore, helps your social life by getting to know and learn beyond the differences there might be. Associating and developing a relationship with students who are diverse leads to a wider understanding of why people may act the way they do. In Michael’s reading “Practicing Complexity,” we can compare Joel’s emotions to diversity. For instance, “One of the greatest assets of a farm is the sheer ecstasy of life.”(page 225) We can analyze how from Tuesday morning to the end of the reading, Joel changed. Throughout the story we see various actions by which Joel had to find himself to be able to feel like himself and that is why social development plays a big role in diversity. Social development allows you to be confident with who you are and where you are from.

Diversity supports creative thinking and increases the capability of seeing problems from a different point of views. Creative thinking is the way of looking at something in a new way that makes you think outside of the box. Creativity comes with exploring new things and time. Furthermore, it helps society understand and learn how different individuals interact with each other in their own way. When discussing new scenarios and different situations, we start to view the world in someone else’s shoes. Comprehending unlikely contexts expands our way of thinking and viewing problems with different solutions. For example, understanding different cultures and their way of thinking will work to your advantage and open your mind when upcoming circumstances appear. In the article “Why Diversity is the Mother of Creativity,” Jeffrey Baumgartner persuasively explains how one of the most important ingredients for creative thinking is “diversity”. “Diversity is the key to creativity. Not just diversity in your workforce, but in your personal life, the teams you form and the managers whom you hire and promote.” Diversifying our thinking enforces our reasoning to observe details and information related with other ideas, rather than what we our generally accustom to.

Lastly, diversity is promoted by self-awareness. Self-awareness is being aware of one’s own comprehension, emotions, and goals. It increases society to be more open-minded and understanding about our personal conflicts and differences. Learning from other individuals past experiences and surroundings that differ from our own; develops self-knowledge. Self-knowledge is understanding your own self. For instance, in the article “Understanding Diversity and Inclusion,” Purdue University states that “the knowledge of self-awareness relating to diversity is, at the minimum, understanding your own identity, rules, and biases.” When self-awareness is elaborated through diversity, we can conclude the understanding of our own identity. As well as being comfortable and interested with someone else’s diverse perspectives. Having a diverse college allows you to compare and contrast your background and past events that have marked something in your life. Not only learning about other life experiences, but also being able to incorporate new ways that may lead to success. Students in college can benefit from self-awareness and make good decisions that can help in there personal life, academic experience, and professional career.

In conclusion, colleges should promote diversity because it enhances social development that helps students unite with each other and be more social with their families and friends. It encourages creative thinking, as well as making it easier for students to think outside of the box and come out of their comfort zone. College diversity also promotes self-awareness in the community by increasing students opinions about their backgrounds and past experiences creating self-knowledge. I believe diversity in college should be a must and people should never feel ashamed to express their different cultures. As Anthony Rapp once said, “There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself.”

All across the United States every year, parents prepare their kids for taking that big milestone to get into a college institution. They have to apply for financial aid, get their dorm room, and necessities, and make sure their kid is in a good environment. That’s beside the point, however, college/universities cost a lot of money; it could be 4-year college, private, or liberal arts school. Almost 370,000 students wanting to attend HBCUs are eligible for new plus loans. Common lessons at public 4-year faculties became $7,600 inside the 2010 instructional year, up from $200 in 1980, even as common lessons at non-public four-year colleges almost tripled in a generation, growing from $9,500 inside the 1980 educational 12 months to $27,300 in 2010. Although not the largest source of money for college, parent savings are still an important component. It’s also one many people find confusing. “In general, what we find is that parents have some studying to do themselves”, says Keith Bernhardt, vice president of retirement and college products for Fidelity. In particular, they may overestimate how much their savings factor into the financial aid formula. Bernhardt notes a family with $10,000 in savings may only be expected to contribute $600 of that toward college in the first year. However, he’s found many people think they will be required to use most or all of that money for college. However, very few institutions have increased tuition over the past two decades, Internet lessons, that is training much less all scholarships and offers received by college students, have really declined in greenbacks over this era of time at public 12 months institutions and handiest expanded 15% at private establishments. Public and private colleges and universities were falling brief of their enrollment desires over the past several years further reducing the overall internet tuition revenue that many colleges are receiving. In considering college fees for 2017, most colleges are planning to elevate lessons, even though extra than half of the schools are also giving attention to holding tuition at the 2016 price. Given these steep costs, parents are stepping in to help foot the bill. As of the end of 2017, about 3.5 million parents have borrowed a collective $83.9 billion in Parent PLUS Loans from the federal government, according to the Office of Federal Student Aid. About a third of the colleges are considering offering a tuition assurance, whilst 1/4 are considering a guarantee of online lessons, and the best 14% are thinking about lowering their tuition. Amongst the schools that have reduced their rate over the past several years, most have skilled a growth in enrollment accompanied with the aid of income growth, which they have got carried out through decreasing the quantity of scholarship useful resources that they offer combined with enrollment will increase. Many of the colleges that have reduced their training embraced the decreased fee and marketed it to reveal how aggressive they now have been with four-year public establishments, finding that this multiplied their applicant pool.

Even while parents do pick to ship their youngsters to college, some specialists say the students are much more likely to be successful if their parents don’t foot the invoice for it. Monetary experts expect for college students should discipline their selves to pay for college, but families need to be aware that their kids don’t graduate saddled with an unreasonable amount of debt that they have to pay back. While there may be a whole debate on whether parents should purchase college fees, the truth is their profits and savings cover simplest a portion of the full fee. In my honest opinion, I personally don’t believe parents should pay their children tuition for college. Why should they? Taking out loans is common. The 2017 scholar mortgage debt facts show there are around 44 million student loan debtors. Drastically student loans may be costly and annoying, and cause debtors to postpone vital lifestyle dreams, inclusive of buying a house or having an infant. While determining a way to pay for university lessons, start by means of estimating the total cost of living. That ought to consist of tuition, meals, room and board, and hidden university prices along with magnificence substances, lab prices, and late-night time pizza runs. Borrow best the naked minimal to cover critical charges, even if more is allowed than required. Parents should always have enough money to cover the money that their son/daughter is responsible for. In 2011, the ruling affected 400,000 college students not including historically black institutions, however, HBCUs lost $150 million in financial aid. In the 1990’s the United States had the #1 proportion of college students getting their aid covered. Over the years, numbers have drastically fallen to where in today’s society we are in now #12 in the nation. President of Miles College, George T. French started the Parent Plus Loan program that reduces borrowers’ credit history from 5 years to the last 2 years and combines an adverse debt threshold of $2,085. President French stated if you cut off social mobility intentionally hurting over our economy and our nation.

There are big benefits to both supporting pay for a student’s training and letting college students fend for themselves. Perhaps, the better answer is to meet somewhere in the center. This decision doesn’t need to be ‘both/or’. It can be ‘and’ – which means that a student may assist pay for some university (maybe a hard and fast quantity. But with the aid of teaching kids about money management at a young age, mothers and fathers can prepare their youngsters to make clever decisions – like handiest eliminating scholar loans for schooling in place of financing their lifestyle. And parents can nevertheless pitch in to cover the fee of schooling and depart a smaller element for their university-aged youngsters to pay every 12 months, and the student will pay the rest. There’s nobody length fits all right here. Moreover, I’ve seen so many family members change majors 3 or four one-of-a-kind times, take a minimal quantity of guides each semester, and act so self-entitled when their parents pay for their schooling. In these cases, some experts believe parents should say no to paying for college. These experts say that taking responsibility for funding their own education helps young adults learn how to be smart consumers. For example, when faced with the reality of the price of college, students can learn how to think creatively in order to afford their education. Deciding to pursue part of their program at a less-expensive community college, working part-time while taking classes at night, or choosing a more practical major can help. Plus, while a student can borrow money for school, his or her parent cannot borrow money for retirement. State laws regulate that the duty to financially support kids ends when the child turns 18. This means parents have no felony responsibility to pay for their infant’s university education, with one exception. If the parents are divorced and the divorce agreement consists of paying university expenses, one or each parent is legally obligated to pay for their tuition. Many economic professionals recommend that students ought to have a little ‘skin’ in the game and no longer depend on their mother and father to foot the entire bill. Making college students financially liable for some or most of their university expenses may increase their attention on reading and help them to graduate on time. For example, mother and father might cowl the value of training, housing, and meal plans, and permit their kids to tackle any extras like books and transportation costs. Some dads and moms would possibly choose to cover the prices of an in-kingdom university, but make their kids pay the difference for an out-of-kingdom organization. Nearly 60 percent of students who drop out of college had no financial help from their families. The strain of working one or more jobs, while trying to maintain satisfactory grades in college, was often too much, or they simply couldn’t cover the rising costs of college.

Georgia students can get unfastened university training if they join one of these 12 fields. Georgia college students who remain in for fields can get up to $500 toward university tuition under a newly elevated and renamed college scholarship program. Under the plan, known as the Excelsior Scholarship, the state will supplement aid for in-state residents whose families earn $125,000 or less, providing tuition-free education at all state public two- and four-year colleges. Better schooling equals better salaries and more opportunities. The hassle is that the common value of higher education is $87,000 to $115,000 for 4 years at a state college. If the government pays for schooling, the authorities also can institute testing to decide what a college’s high-quality options are and from there, assign jobs. Even as that is speculative exceptional, turning over a person’s destiny for university lessons take a look at isn’t always the plan that supports freedom of desire applications will increase the price and those figures. The United States government already offers to pay for college for students who enlist in the military and serve their country. Military service and the G.I. Bill ensure that those who risk giving up their lives to protect their country are amply rewarded. In many other countries, government service also provides a government paycheck and subsidization of education and more. Government-funded grant and loan programs also pay the way for many college students. Unlike student loans, college grants do not require repayment. University presents are similar to scholarships with 1 exception: Scholarships can be need-primarily based or advantage based totally, whereas most grants are commonly need-based. College students ought to fill out a FAFSA to test their eligibility for federal grant applications.

There are so many ways to pay for a student’s college education, whether it’s through savings at work, saving their parents’ money over time, state government aid, or having the federal government pay the whole amount. Both state and federal governments can pay for a student’s college education only if some type of scholarship or scholarship is awarded to them through a government or other higher-ranking entity, such as military loans.

From the moment young children attend preschool, everything they do in school is centered on one final destination, college. It has been ingrained and carved into their malleable minds that they need college to be successful. Without it, the American dream is deemed unachievable. However, what schools fail to tell these students is that college doesn’t determine their futures, they do. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and David Geffen, all have something in common besides being wealthy. They never went to college. Most may wonder how this is possible. The answer is simple: not going to college teaches you more about the real world than any book or lecture ever could. Paving their own path allowed these influencers to not deal with the college debts, constrictions, and any setbacks that come with not starting their careers early.

To begin with, college is known for emptying the pockets of students and families. The cost of tuition, books, and other ‘necessities’ creates large amounts of debt, which is said to be covered by financial aid and returns from degrees. However, according to the EPI’s survey, wages for college graduates have been decreasing over the years. It has been estimated that hourly wages for college-educated men in 2000 were $22.75, but that dropped by almost a full dollar to $21.77. For young college-educated women, hourly wages fell from $19.38 to $18.43 over the same period. It is unfair that these graduates crossed every financial obstacle only to find out that their degree is unable to get them a wage high enough to cover their student loans. With wages not saving students from debt, you would think that financial aid and scholarships would. However, even with scholarship opportunities and financial aid, the average student will still have $100,000 worth of debt. You don’t have to be a math professor to realize that this scam doesn’t add up. What students don’t realize is that by not going to college, they’re saving money. They would be investing in their futures instead of investing all of their savings into an institution that doesn’t even guarantee them a financially stable future.

Although college allows students to learn a surplus of things, it only produces robotic knowledge workers that are restricted from being innovative because they’re used to being confined to traditions and rules. Schools, in general, dictate how and why students must learn something. They go out of their way to restrict creative learning by punishing those who break the rules or those who want to follow another career path that isn’t education based. It’s as if their ultimate goal is to “round up every warm body and send it to the cubicle” (Crawford, NY Times). Students are conditioned to believe being sent to the cubicle is the only way to succeed in life. By not going to college, students are set free from this toxic mentality and can explore ‘risky’ career choices that they would’ve not picked because of societal pressure. They can build things, pursue the arts, become cosmetologists, and follow the dreams that have been shunned by society.

Moreover, those who start their careers without going to college get a head start on their futures. Going to college can be a waste of time, energy, and potential for people with certain career ambitions. People like entrepreneurs or businessmen/women don’t need to go to college because their job requires them to start at a young age. By not going to college, they could gain more experience, opportunities, and connections. They could also “develop their ideas more quickly than they would at a traditional university” (Ben, Thiel Fellowship). College isn’t for everyone because it doesn’t cater to everyone’s needs. People with alternative careers would be better off developing their futures themselves.

At the end of the day, we need to ask ourselves, why are we going to college? Is it for the bragging rights, the American dream, or because of the pressure society puts on us? College or not, we’re all going to end up in the same place where a job employer will ask us, ‘What makes you special?’. Those that had a traditional education will probably not have much to say because years of conforming to rules will have made them lose who they truly are. Those that didn’t, will have spent so much time developing themselves that they would know just how to answer this question. When employers make their decision on whom to promote or select for their company, they look for innovation and character, not a student’s choice of an undergraduate major.

What makes the idea of transitioning to college so intense? For starters, a transition is defined as “an event or non-event that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles”. The transition from high school to college is undoubtedly a very changing time for the lives of many young individuals. This is a huge step into the real world for most people. It is the beginning of newfound freedom that none of them ever experienced. My transition into college has been different and somewhat intense, but not unbearable.

Coming into college I wasn’t exactly embracing it with open arms, but I was ready to start this new chapter in my life. I’ve always had my mind set on going to college after high school, so it wasn’t something I was forced into. However, ever since I decided to pick Northern Arizona University as my forever home for the next four years, I became apprehensive. I began to question and still being to question to this day if I made the right choice in schools, and question if I will stick to NAU all four years. On top of my questioning myself, I have gained a lot of stress from this transition. Being in a new environment, I have new responsibilities and experiences I must go through. For instance, having more independence means I have to keep myself on track with schoolwork and personal chores, which has been tricky at times.

Having social support has been an asset to my situation. I have had my parents to talk to on the phone when I have had my homesickness and school mental breakdowns. They have been able to talk me down and get back to a level-headed mindset. Then, I have made groups of friends that range from people from back home and people I just meet. Having these friends have allowed me to feel more comfortable in this new living situation. They have gotten me to get out of my room to go on adventures or just go out to dinner at the DüB.

Fortunately, I have gone through some life transitions similar to this one. For instance, early in my teen years, I went from a school I had attended for seven years where I had the same friends and the same rules, then I went to a new school filled with new people and new rules. At that time, the transition was much harder than it is now because I became very reserved and standoffish among my peers and teachers. However, from that past experience of transferring schools, I have been able to use it to my advantage. When coming to NAU, I made sure I did the opposite of what I did back in eighth grade, and this time made sure I opened myself up to meet new people and experience new things.

A lot of my assets and liabilities lie within my personal and demographic characteristics. Living where I live and being who I give me an advantage over how I live here in college. Being that I live in Reilly Hall as an incoming freshman, I have the ability to meet and get to know people closer to my age and stage of life. However, it does set some liabilities for me. For instance, living in a place with people that have similar interests and energy can get you sidetracked from the things you need to get done at times. That’s where a college is a balancing act. The transition is the time you can find your strengths and weaknesses.

The question of whether everyone should go to college is a contentious and multifaceted issue that touches upon various aspects of education, career prospects, and personal fulfillment. While a college education can provide numerous benefits, it’s essential to recognize that it might not be the right path for everyone. The argument for or against universal college attendance hinges on factors such as individual aspirations, the evolving job market, and the value of vocational skills.

Proponents of the idea that everyone should attend college often point to the potential economic advantages. Historically, a college degree has been associated with higher earning potential and increased job opportunities. Many high-paying careers, particularly in fields like medicine, law, and engineering, require a college education as a minimum qualification. Advocates argue that by making college education universally accessible, we can bridge socioeconomic gaps and promote social mobility.

However, critics of the “everyone goes to college” notion emphasize the importance of vocational skills and alternative paths to success. The world of work is evolving, and the job market increasingly demands a diverse skill set. Not all professions necessitate a traditional four-year degree, and overemphasizing college education could lead to an oversaturation of certain fields while neglecting the demand for skilled trade workers, artisans, and other vocational roles.

Another consideration is the financial burden associated with a college education. Rising tuition costs and the burden of student loan debt have put higher education out of reach for many. Forcing everyone into the college route might exacerbate these financial challenges and contribute to a cycle of debt for individuals who might find success through other avenues. Additionally, the focus on college education as the sole path to success could undermine the importance of pursuing passions and talents that don’t necessarily require a college degree.

Moreover, the value of a college education isn’t solely measured in economic terms. College can offer a rich and transformative experience, exposing students to diverse perspectives, critical thinking, and personal growth. However, it’s crucial to recognize that alternative paths, such as vocational training, apprenticeships, or entrepreneurship, can also foster similar growth and development. Forcing everyone into the college mold might undermine the uniqueness of individual talents and aspirations.

In essence, the answer to whether everyone should go to college lies in acknowledging the complexity of individual circumstances. While college education can undoubtedly provide numerous benefits, it’s not the only path to success and personal fulfillment. A more inclusive perspective would be to value a range of educational and career trajectories, recognizing that vocational skills and hands-on experience can be equally valuable.

The future of education and work is likely to be marked by a blend of approaches, including traditional higher education, vocational training, and personalized skill development. Encouraging young people to explore their passions, interests, and aptitudes can lead to a diverse and enriched society, where people contribute in various ways based on their unique strengths. Ultimately, the question should shift from whether everyone should go to college to how we can create an educational landscape that supports a wide array of paths to success and fulfillment.

Do I really want to go to college? Would I even make it? If I do go what would I study? These are all questions that cross my mind every time a teacher or a family member asks me about my plan after high school. I’m not special. My parents, my older brother, my aunts, my uncles, and most of my older cousins have gone to college. This means college in my family is a must, and I think because of that I started doubting myself, last year I stopped trying in school because there was no point in me getting good grades. College stopped meaning something it was just another mandatory requirement to make my family happy. I wanted to be a little rebel and not be like everyone else, Which now that I think back I have no idea what I was thinking being like everyone else in my family wouldn’t be so bad they all have good jobs and stable happy life. Well “happy”.

However, most of them studied something their parents wanted them to study. Some didn’t get the choice. My mom, she wants me to be a doctor but the truth is I don’t want to be a doctor. I just don’t see myself being a doctor, that’s not something I want. So I’ve decided to make college about me, and about what I want. I want to go to college and find out what I’m really interested in. I know for sure I want something like a cop or a detective maybe criminology maybe even a lawyer. I‘ve always done everything in my power to keep my family happy and did everything they’ve told me to do, I want college to be about me and my decisions. I‘m confident that college will impact my life in a good way.

One day I want to be able to tell my “success” story. I want to be able to inspire others who don’t really know if they can overcome where they come from and grow up in all the possible ways. I want to leave a part of me behind I think college is the way to do it I need to prepare myself so that it can change me and I can make a change people say that college is not for everyone and sometimes I think that too. Especially for me, a little Mexican girl who is still learning how to do her math and how to read and comprehend what she’s reading. However, I do believe I can do it, but it’s gonna take double the effort. Honestly, College is supposed to help us mature and prepare us for our career paths.

In conclusion, you can’t have a better tomorrow if you’re still thinking about yesterday. I want to move forward and maybe one day tell my story to others how a kid that didn’t exactly know what she wanted to do but still made a change. I want to go to college. But I want it to be my choice what I’m going to do and study I do know that there is no elevator to success, you’ll always have to take the stairs. I believe College will give me the strength, knowledge, values, and skills to be able to walk those stairs and not only make my family happy but to make a better person out of myself. No matter how many times I’ve failed and lost my motivation but about the times I’ve chosen to pick myself up and tried to do something to better myself and that’s how I think college will impact my life.

Free speech on college campuses has been a problem that varies around the United States. The problem with the excluding of free speech on campus has resulted in protests, students having to transfer to different colleges, teachers losing their job, and censorship of T-shirts and newspapers. America’s premier editorial cartoonist, Michael Ramirez, effectively uses pathos and ethos to discuss the challenges of free speech on college campuses.

Additionally, Michael Ramirez appeals to pathos in his cartoon by graphically showing a man bleeding from his head laying on the ground with a jacket with the words ‘free speech’ on the back. There is also another man standing over the man with a shirt that says ‘college’ on it and holding a blood stain sign over his head that says ‘tolerance’ on it. Seeing that the cartoon is essentially saying that college tolerance of free speech is scarce and highly unwanted on their campuses, causing students to be silenced of their opinions.

Again, Ramirez appeals to pathos by using his style of cartoon to gain his reader’s attention. “’An editorial cartoon is not just a funny picture’, says internationally known editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez. ‘It is a powerful instrument of journalism, sometimes sharp and refined, its message cutting quickly to the point, and other times, blunt and overpowering, seizing the readers’ attention with its dark imagery’” (MichaelpRamirez.com). Readers can feel the emotion and meaning behind the cartoon.

Also, Ramirez appeals to ethos as he is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner in 1994 and 2008. Ramirez has almost won every major journalism award in America, including the 2005 National Journalism Award, the 2020 and 2018 National Headliners Award, and many more awards in his life. His work has been featured on the news such as CNN, Fox News, etc., and in prestigious publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc. Being a widely known journalist and having as many remarkable awards leaves his credibility exceedingly high.

Using ethos and pathos in his vivid cartoon, editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez has shown that free speech on college campuses is a problem that needs to be fixed. From the sign bloodied with the word ‘tolerance’ on it, with the man lying in his own blood with the jacket that says ‘freedom of speech’. Ramirez is showing that free speech is dead on campuses and needs to be improved. Students should be able to speak their minds without any consequences.

College education has become very important in modern life. Over time, education actually becomes a key factor in the growth of the economy of any country. As the world is dominated by information, technology, and further education, young people need access to college education, free or not. Higher education is indeed the ticket to individual job security and higher income for people exclusively in the knowledge age. But what if such an education is unaffordable, how then can young people get it in order to participate more widely as citizens and specifically in solving the problems of each generation? Will free college education solve the problem?

While most support the idea that college education should be free in order to create a strong and capable workforce that can contribute to economic growth and reduce unemployment-related crime and violence, I hold the opposite view. From my point of view, college education should not be made free, first of all, because the government will have to spend a lot of money and at the same take risks by paying for students who might not even graduate. Moreover, the large sums of money spent on free college education will drain the economy of the country. The government will be responsible for paying for maintenance, equipment, student needs, such as food, as well as staff wages. With all these burdens upon the government, the country will have to fork out large amounts of money to cover all those costs. And of course, if college education is made free, obviously the government will have to finance the tuition fees, which will lead to the government having to limit the number of colleges and universities since its budget is not limitless and it will produce many problems such as unemployment for staffs at the colleges and universities that may shut down. As Tuyeimo H. (2016) aptly noted on this issue, “Government does not have unlimited resources, we should not just say government should do this every time. We as citizens should have a responsibility”.

In conclusion, this issue has in fact two sides: the positive side, such as providing all students who cannot and can afford an equal opportunity, as well as the negative side, such as the government having to provide for all college education learning expenses. It’s important to make students understand they have responsibilities to care for and it’s wrong to place the burdens of others onto the general population. The best idea one would suggest is to make colleges free for those who are economically backward, but why forget about our government loans offered to everyone who cannot afford tuition fees? It is, therefore, crystal clear that colleges should not be free.

References

1. Essays, UK. (2018 November). Should Higher Education Be Free for Everyone? Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/economics/should-higher-education-be-free-to-students-economics-essay.php?vref=1
2. Sakues I. (2018 May 22). Guarantee Free Tertiary Education Student Union. The Namibian. P.3. Retrieved from https://www.namibian.com.na/177604/archive-read/guarantee-free-tertiary-education-%E2%80%93-students-union
3. Tuyeimo H. (2016 January 28). Tertiary Education Won’t Be Free. The Namibian. P.01 Retrieved from https://www.namibian.com.na/index.php?page=archive-read&id=146721

Transitioning from excessive college to college, while pleasing and exciting, can additionally be very challenging. It is an enormous milestone in one’s existence due to the fact a scholar will either adjust to or struggle. There are many differences yet positive similarities as well, which will no longer sense as if the university is a new environment. The extra organized a pupil is to face any obstacles, the more successful they are in the long run, as they are exclusive from college and excessive school.

High college and university are faculty grounds for students to develop and enrich their lives with information from professors. Both environments supply college students with experiences and are stuffed with several memories. Individuals graduate from High School and College with a degree and are government-run ran. Both play an essential role in reworking a man or woman into an accrued member of society. Students earn a degree from High School and College after graduating, and each is authority-run. Both play a fundamental position in making a person into an accumulated character and a member of society.

Students in high faculty assume that there are distinctions between college and high school, but now and then what they assume is not how it is. High School presides as a continuation of the elementary and center school where one learns algebra, Biology, World History, and different typical subjects. High school college students have to attend high college via law, and to some extent, are forced to due to the fact there are guidelines and rules college students and parents should obey; otherwise, there are punishments for one’s actions. There is a set schedule that one has to follow. There is a social shape inside the context of law and order, which one must uphold and uptake

Students gain from high school due to the fact they are taught the simple policies of work and life, for example, no longer being late and not procrastinating. Nonetheless, the important focal point for nearly all high faculty students is the acceptance of their friends and now not their scholarly duties. It is the length of existence of the place a student wishes to apprehend what they are and what they will become, and there is continually any individual who needs to be higher than the other students. Students go through an abundance of drama as a result of these issues, which frequently swallows a pupil like a bottomless pit from which they can’t get out. Throughout the year, students wait for the school dances such as the Winter Formal Dance, Senior Dinner Dance, and most importantly, Prom. Some students suffer in High School simply due to the fact of these dances, and most importantly, commencement is the place they leave the entirety behind and do not have to be involved with High School.

Attending university is an option whether or not one wishes to attend or not. An individual has to pay to get an education; otherwise, there are other choices to qualify for such an education. If a student does not live up to the expectations of college, they know they wasted their well-deserved money, parents’ and government assistance. Considering, that college students have to pay their way to college, they prepare and work tougher than they did in excessive school. College students do not have a set schedule. Personal freedom is an exceedingly quintessential part of lifestyles people like to have. Everyone likes to be capable of doing whatever he or she ambitions every time they wants. It prepares an individual to grow and grasp to get a job in a particular career. Therefore, they find out about the required guides end their education with a degree, and start a career. Some students graduate from High School; he or she may additionally be mature and responsible. They recognize that the entirety of excessive college is materialistic, and the university is practical. College is quite exclusive from excessive college just for private freedoms, the classroom, and social life. In college, no one is involved in the imperative day-to-day black holes that would inundate him or her in High School. In college, one continues to discover who they are, and through the time they graduate, some have found themselves and are cozy in their skin. College prepares college students to face the actual world and research how to take care of it.

Honestly, I would desire to return to excessive school. I do not pass over the melodrama, but I would obey the mandatory attendance. I love all the freedom that college offers. I am learning to be a knowledgeable individual and to think extra critically. Whereas excessive school and college are most diverse, in the end, the sizeable difference is the student’s level of maturation. A character needs to attend excessive school. The scholar must attend college through ambition and challenging work. There are no dances in college that would encourage one to come. There are no stressful interactions with irresponsible people. No instructors are here to pamper one’s needs. We do not even have instructors here, and we have professors. High school is only the first step, and if you want an excessive college it is a given.