Sameer Aery Miss.

Eaker English 1102 3 October 2012 As a freshman starting a new phase of life numerous questions arise in my mind regarding the fast pace of change in the world economy today and the relevance of the norms that were considered standard ten years ago. Is college education worth the price

we pay to earn a degree? Has the success rate for a graduate to be employed in their field of study, depreciated? Do four years of college effectively instill confidence in us? Does the cost of a college education outweigh the benefits provided after graduation? As a college student and due to the speed with which the world is revolutionizing over the past couple years it raises the question- are social norms that were standard 10 years ago, still typical today? When looking at this question, the topic that is most prevalent to me is if a college education is truly worth what we perceive it as. Some other questions that enter my mind when thinking about this topic are has the success rates for those with a degree when looking at obtaining a job depreciated substantially over the past couple of years? Furthermore, does graduating from a college just give you confidence which is essential when wanting to reach for success or is it the actual degree? Do the benefits outweigh the cost is a question that is asked often in todays society for a multitude of different reasons which I will present throughout this paper. First, the cost of obtaining a college education has appreciated. This is confusing solely because when getting a degree guaranteed more success, the price was lower; however, now the price is higher the guaranteed success is not as large as it has been in the past. It is quite clear that this question is relevant to todays society due to the fact that throughout the last decade the most important thing to achieve for a teenager was to get admitted into a college. Not only that but when looking at the position we are in today with

2 Sameer Aery Miss. Eaker English 1102 3 October 2012 the economy and presidents debating upon student loans and the government continuing or discounting financial aid creates it to be very existent and important. This topic mostly involved teenagers coming out of high school but not limited to adults who want to go back to school to receive a degree. In essence, this topic is relevant to everyone solely because it benefits or hurts the country as a whole through economic reasons. One day my mother approached me with the Charlotte Observer in her hand and she wanted me to read an article that related to this issue. The article was talking about the cost of a college education but just specifically how the success for those with a degree has depreciated over the years. I am coming into this project knowing that there is a large amount of debt many students face coming right out of college and how they can get a $30,000 job salary and work for four years as oppose to spending around $100,000+ just to get a degree to prove that you graduated from college. I also am quite sure that more and more people are becoming more unemployed with a degree. Even after reading this article and conducting some research on my own I dont have any preconceived opinion on this issue; however, I do have an idea of the statistics and arguments on both sides. Seeing as though I am in college myself I clearly have an unbiased opinion favoring college. My reason for attending college revolves around my upbringing. Being brought up in an area full of amazing schools and successful people created the preconceived opinion that college equals a step closer to success. An issue that I might run into is being biased about one side of this topic solely because I am a college student. I need to gain a better understanding of the career options or just options in general that are available to those who decide to not go to college. As I

3 Sameer Aery Miss. Eaker English 1102 3 October 2012 continue my research, I intended on finding more information on the career pathways of those who dont attend college and analyze their situations as oppose to just blinding assuming. When looking at the research I have overcome, I have found an abundance of different information that posses both the pro and con side of this issue. One that I found extremely interesting was James Cotes study where he creates a study on finding the return on investment. He was able to obtain these finding through the use of looking at university attendance, net of other factors currently known to influence participation. The other sources I have skimmed look towards the earnings of a college graduate and how much they are in debt after their first year, varying to a study using the negative selection hypothesis theory and making it applicable when looking at a college education. When looking at effectiveness of research I find it essential to look at studies, statistics, and empirical evidence. The most up to date, relevant information comes from studies conducted by professors of colleges or statistics published in world known newspapers. For locating studies about this topic I intend on using the databases provided by the schools library website. When looking for statistics I plan on looking at newspapers such as the New York Times and USA Today; moreover, use Google advance search when looking for specifics. Sadly, I havent been extremely successful with my research. Some issues that I have been running into are finding up to date studies. So far, I have overcome some from 1999 and some from 2008 but I have yet to find anything recent. As I conclude this proposal I find this paper to be relevant to current issues that have entered our society today. I intended on using an abundance of information but also including inputs of professors from different colleges, not just studies. The cost of a college

Sameer Aery Miss. Eaker English 1102 3 October 2012 education can cost a substantial amount of money; however, if your chances to reach success in land of opportunity increases, is it still worth it?

Sameer Aery Miss. Eaker English 1102 3 October 2012 Works Cited

Brand, Jennie E. "Who Benefits Most from College? Evidence for Negative Selection in Heterogeneous Economic Returns to Higher Education." American Sociological Review, Apr. 201. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. Brand, Jennie E. "Who Benefits Most from College? Evidence for Negative Selection in Heterogeneous Economic Returns to Higher Education." American Sociological Review, Apr. 2010. Web. Cote, James. "Do Perceptions of Costs and Benefits of Post-Secondary Education Influence Participation?" N.p., 2008. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. "Fast Facts." Fast Facts. U.S. Department of Education, 2011. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76>. Holtom, Brooks C. "College Is Worth the Cost." Businessweek.com. N.p., Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. "Reaping the Benefits: Defining the Public and Private Value of Going to College. The New Millennium Project on Higher Education Costs, Pricing, and Productivity." Institute for Higher Education Policy, 1998. Web. 19 Sept. 2012. Rouse, Cecilia Elena. "A Degree Is Well Worth the Time, Cost, and Effort." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. Trostel, Phillp A. "The Fiscal Impacts of College Attainment." Research in Higher Education, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2012 Miller, Harold D. "Regional Insights: Do Benefits Outweigh Cost of College?"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. N.p., 3 June 2012. Web. 27 Sept. 2012.

Sameer Aery Miss. Eaker English 1102 3 October 2012