Justin Gonzalez
The general argument made in “The Case Against College” Dale Stevens states that college is a hindrance on one’s creative side. He also think that college puts many people into debt because of the outrageous price. Dale’s belief is that college rewards students for getting a single right answer. In Steven’s opinion this form of intelligence kills students’ creative sides because they are forced to think in a single minded way. In addition to this, in his article Dale says instead of going to college and being forced to think and solve problems one way, students’ should learn through technology such as going on the Internet or even watching TV. Learning through technology will not only help students be more creative, but also save them a great amount of money. More specifically in his article he states ,”There are a little over 19 million college students in the United States, each of whom are graduating with an average of $24,000 in debt, according to the nonprofit Institute for College Access & Success.” Dale Stevens also argues that not only will students be in this great amount of debt, but they also will be forced to look for jobs. Dale claims being forced to look for jobs will inhibit ones aspirations for being what they want to be. In reading his work, I maintain that in order to be successful and well of one must be motivated and attend a university and receive a diploma. Therefore, I conclude, that college does not kill creativity and that one must be motivated and work through their financial problems and attend a university and receive a good education.
In reflecting on this article, I truly believe that Dale is wrong. I think that you do need to go to college in order to be something successful in life. More specifically, I feel that everyone should attend a university in order to become more educated to get hired to a well-paying job in the future. For example, on many job applications they ask the potential employee what their level of education consists of , which plays a huge factor on whether or not the company choses to hire the applicant. Although Dale might object to my opinion and argue that you can learn through technological means; I maintain the view that in order to be successful and well of one must be motivated and attend a university and receive a diploma. College fosters creativity; professors are contently teaching students through new technology. For example, instead of using chalk boards, professors now use PowerPoint’s, and homework is now submitted online instead of in class. Another example of this great technological era that we have is the use of the data bases online. Surfing through the data base to find credible info is a lot easier than looking on internet explorer. With this data base you are allowed to narrow your ideas to get the best search possible which encourages one to want to learn more about it and keep searching for more information. With these amazing databases it is easy to learn new info on what interest you. Also technology helps students be more creative with their presentation. Instead of writing a 10 page paper about a certain topic, they can now use the wonders of PowerPoint and IMovie which makes their presentations more creative. With the touch of a button students are allowed to add in cool affects which adds to their presentations. Especially with IMovie, you are allowed to add videos and songs which really exhilarates ones presentation and forces them to work hard and go outside the box. Personally for me, I love learning through PowerPoint or IMovie simply because it enhances the learning atmosphere and makes you really want to learn. The reason why most kids hate going to school and learning is because of the boring old presentation teachers give by just talking the entire time, but with PowerPoint you can make it more interesting by adding pictures and movie clips. Therefore, I conclude that college does not kill creativity rather it encourages it through new teaching techniques.
Learning through technology such as watching TV or looking up information on a computer are ways that Dale encourages. In the article he states “Education is undergoing a transformation, thanks to the explosion of available data online.” To rephrase this quote, he is saying students can learn the same amount of stuff that they learn in a classroom on the Internet. I partially agree with this, we now have the world at our fingertips. However, many students do not possess the motivation to teach themselves information from the internet without an authoritative figure guiding them. A lot of students instead of going online and trying to learn new things would instead just go on online for Facebook or even go out and see their friends. A problem today is that many teenagers are more worried about going out than they are with school. This shows that many kids are unmotivated and should be strongly encouraged to attend a college so that they can make something of their lives. Many of the people that I talked to who attended college said it was the greatest 4 years of their life ;not only did they grow mentally, but also socially. Many college alumni have made life long connections, which has helped them out in the future. A friend from home who I talked to about college said , “I did not go to college simply because it’s another four years of schooling.” To his surprise, he is now grateful for his education due to the fact he is now CEO of his company.
Although there are many negatives to not go to college there are some positives; through means of technology many of the famous rappers and singers were able to display their creative side through the arts. For example, Mac computers contin prorams such as Imovie or Iband; these programs let people record their own music and create videos. These people followed their dreams and aspirations to be a singer. If it wasn’t for the current technology that we have now, they might have been forced to be something they were not. For Example an interview that I found on YouTube was of lil Wayne who started out by posting his songs on YouTube. People would go on and listen to his music then eventually he became known as one of the greatest rappers alive simply because of the technology that is available to us. Even though there are few success stories with out an education, I still feel that college is very necessary for the majority of people if they want to live a decent lifestyle.
The quote “It is not about what you know, but who you know” is well known today. In his article Steven’s iterates that people who are not education can still manage to find good jobs. In an interview he states,” Innovation in hiring is happening for both the creative and technical professions. This is not because these are subjects easily learned outside of college, rather it’s because the product of one’s labor is tangible and easy to evaluate.” To me this quote means that companies are not necessarily looking for intelligent works, but instead hard workers. Many companies today look at years and experience at the job, but it also makes your chances better when you went to school and received a degree pertaining to that field of work. In today’s world if two people are interviewing for the same position, one with a college degree the other without, the one with the degree will almost always be chosen. This is true because spending four or more years specializing in a certain area gives you more knowledge and experience than someone who did not. I do not believe Dales view that people who are smart are not necessarily hard working; spending countless hours earning a college degree shows that one is more hardworking than someone who does not put that effort. This shows that the college educated man is a harder worker than the person who has experience and learned how to do things through other people and technology. In this same interview Stephens also states, “Résumés show where you worked, and where you went to school, but not what you can actually do.” This statement is true, but college is the root of everything. If you go to college you are basically destined to get a good job somewhere simply because your educated. All in all, college is what determines ones future salary.
With today’s economy, an education may be hard to afford, but it is not impossible. In another interview with Dale Stephens he states “there are a little over 19 million college students in the United States, each of whom are graduating with an average of $24,000 in debt, according to the nonprofit Institute for College Access & Success Dales point about college being expensive is true, however there are many different way to make it affordable. Today, there are multiple solutions for students; for example there are college loans. Students can take out loans and pay them off over a long period of time to keep it affordable. One way is to take out a student loan and pay as you go along through college. Another option for students is to get a part time job; I personally know this is an effective option since many of my friend’s currently are working while going to school. Three guys from my dorm are working a few hours a week in the dining hall, this is really helping them pay for their tuition. Another option is applying for scholarships; today there is a scholarship for pretty much everything. A friend of mine who is attending the university of Illinois received a scholarship simply for the fact that he is of Mexican descent. To say the least, there are endless different ways to pay off your tuition. The only potential problem I see with these solutions is that they are self-motivated. If a student is not willing to take the time to apply for a loan or find a scholarship that works for them, they’re the one who is accountable For people who want a good career and a bright future you will do the necessary things in order to succeed ;hard work now will pay off in the future.
Although I have disagreed with many of the things that Dale said in his article, the one and only thing that I agree with is that college is expensive. For me this is true due to the fact that I do not come from a wealthy background; I come from a family with no college education I have grown up watching my parents’ daily struggles, and I use this as my motivation to get a degree no matter what it takes. In order for me to attend Buffalo, I had to obtain a scholarship, which I received for athletics. This has helped me substantially and it is making my life a lot easier at college because I really do not have to do other things in order to pay off my education. I knew from the start my door to an education was through a scholarship; and because of that I worked hard every day. Due to my background and what I have gone through to be at this university right now, I know it is possible for anyone to find a way to make a college degree possible. I am under no delusion, college is very hard to pay off however, when someone wants a better life , they will do what it takes.
College is an institution that improves one’s life in the long-run. Dale Steven throughout his article made many valid points on why kids shouldn’t go to college such as: it kills creativity and it cost way to much for the average American, but fails to recognize the many different things one can do in order to make college affordable. One can make college affordable through the many different scholarships that are available to us, but the ones who are going to receive the scholarships are the ones who are self- motivated and are willing to go and look online for them. But to an extent I agree with Dale on the Technology aspect. I agree with him that students should learn through technology but they should still go to college. College technology does not kills ones creative side but enhances it. Through the wonders of PowerPoint and IMovie ones presentation can be more interesting and entertaining which encourages students to want to learn more. I maintain that in order to be successful and well of on must be motivated and attend a university and receive a diploma. Therefore, I conclude, that college does not kill creativity and that one must be motivated and work through their financial problems and attend a university and receive a good education.
