In Ann Hulbert’s article “ How to escape the community college trap” the author uses Daquan McGee as a representation as to why going to a community college may not be as beneficial as many people facing hardships may think. Daquan McGee was a community college student attending the Borough of Manhattan Community College due to financial and personal hardships. Many students who enroll into a community college often share this similarity in being a person of either lower social standing or a person of hardship. These hardships may include having a child at an early age, being imprisoned, death of a family member, financial hardship, weak support system or poor prior schooling. My mother being a person of hardship who had to quit attending community college faced having a child, financial hardship due to medical expenses as well as poor grades while attending high school. …show more content…
Ideal options for upcoming students of these colleges are that they will be able to complete their associate's degree within two years, then be able to transfer into a four year university with all of their credits and complete the rest of their schooling between two to three more years however this is not the case at all. In a 2014 article by The New York Times states that “five percent of full time students earned an associate's degree within two years and 15.9 will only earn a one to two year certificate on time”(Tamar Lewin) this goes to show that the idea of completing an associate's degree within two years is not highly accomplished within community colleges. And while five percent isn't an impossible task, the five percent of these students are more than likely students who are financially stable or being supported by their
In today’s society, it has been found out that college graduates have a hard time seeking a job and end up with a sky-high student debt. This reality then poses a question, is going to college worth the time and money? An essay in the New York Times published in May 2014 entitled, “Is College Worth It? Clearly New Data Say,” by David Leonhardt states, “For all the struggles that many young college graduates face, a four-year degree has probably never been more valuable” (33). In his essay, Leonhardt sets the stage by describing the struggles a college graduate might have such as student debt, no work after graduating, and accepting jobs they feel overqualified.
In the article, “The Truth about ‘holistic College Admissions”, Sara Harberson expresses how universities that are not allowed to use racial preferences on college admissions, are still devising strategies to work around the laws to produce the same result. Harberson states how the institutions are using what is called “holistic admissions”, which allows a college to factor in a student's background, race and income. By filtering out the minority groups, they are creating a less-diverse community, preventing students of certain backgrounds from a proper education, and taking away opportunities from students based on their ethnicity. Colleges are using racial segregation in the admission process so that they can have a white-favoring campus
For many people college is a time where they find themselves and become independent. That wasn’t really the case for my aunt, Lisa Dennis. She explained to me how her college experience was different than others because of the fact she didn’t go right out of highschool, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. She had to find her independence in other ways than going to college. Here’s a woman who couldn’t afford to go to college right out of high school, but was determined to work hard at her job and take classes part time.
In her article, “Two Years Are Better Than Four,” Liz Addison argues that community colleges are important because they offer the opportunity for self-discovery that so many today long for. It is commonly argued that colleges don’t have any worth because they expect students to have already gained knowledge and experience before attending. In Addison’s opinion, while this may be true for some four-year universities, community colleges don’t have such unrealistic expectations. When talking about four-year universities Addison says, “prove yourself worldly, insightful, cultured, mature, before you get to college. Yet, down at X.Y.C.C.
As a graduating senior preparing for college is frightening. The ideas of “how am I going to pay for college?” and “where will I live?” are continuously brought upon myself, and my family. I have worked hard my entire high school career for the opportunity of attending the college I choose, as well as hopes that my work will pay off by receiving financial assistance for my education. Financially, my family has encountered many hardships including: having a single mother, four sisters, and medical adversities.
She attended two of them and has a major in biology from the Southern Maine Community College, which makes it easier for her to connect with her audience because she knows what the experience is like. She understands that some people may rule out going to college because of the price, so it’s important for her to inform them that there are cheaper alternatives with community colleges. “ ‘College is the key,’ a young African American student writes for the umpteenth torturous revision of his college essay, ‘as well as hope.’ Oh, I wanted desperately to say, please tell him about community college. Please tell him that help can begin with just one placement test,” she pleads (Addison, 213).
In the article “Two Years are Better than Four,” Liz Addison argues that community college is better than four year universities, such as the one Rick Perlstein attended. Where Perlstein reminisces about his days in college and claims that the greatness of American colleges is gone. Addison makes it apparent to the reader that she not only disagrees with Perlstein, but makes remarks suggesting that she believes that Perlstein’s college days were less for studying and more for partying and enjoying the fact that he went to a fancy private college. Addison continues by detailing some of the opportunities for people that attend community college such as being affordable, a place for the student to begin, and possibly a better match for students’ lives. She claims that this is the way college is intended to be and by no means is college as we knew it coming to an end.
Can Two Be Greater Than Four? Does college really matter? Has college lost its rite to passage appeal? Can one still go to college and be successful in the pursuit of self-discovery? These are the types of questions that Liz Addison challenges in her short essay “Two Years Are Better Than Four”. By taking into account my own experience as a current community college student and advocate, in this response to Addison’s essay I choose to elaborate on her views of community college being better than a four year university in the sense of offering a better college experience.
The Pursuit of Grades Over Happiness There are many accomplishments that we have achieved, yet many to achieve, and the race towards them never seems to stop. Well, this is the case for many students because the race towards achieving high grades never comes to an end. Grades are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, as they do not control the rest of your life, but yet are still overly looked upon and can affect a student’s life drastically. However, a poet once said, “Life is not a race, but a journey, to be savored each step of the way” (Nancye Sims).
However, it is still an issue for students to cough up that money. The idea of making community college free to any student in America has been a dream for low income students for a while. President Obama’s desire to make the tuition of community college to everyone in the nation would only make it difficult for students to get a free education, limit them to essential resources, and discourage students from applying to four year universities. Granting free community college tuition to incoming freshmen will draw “more students to already crowded community colleges”. Along with the overcrowded campuses, a very long waiting list will soon form making it just as competitive to get into a four year university.
There is many people that go to college, but because of the cost they don't get through college. The elevated costs of college cause not only students to struggle paying for college, but also to struggle financially paying for college when they are done. In many cases, after graduating, young adults who don’t find a job will become poorer, increasing the gap between the rich and the
In the essay “Two Years Are Better than Four” written by Liz Addison, the main purpose of the essay is to get the point across to the readers that community colleges are very sensible and useful for the public. Addison argues that community colleges are a great way for anyone to begin somewhere and to give anyone a starting point. Community colleges will take anyone who has graduated from high school and is wanting to advance in there schooling, but not sure in what field. Community colleges allow students to have more financial freedom and still offer a quality higher education. Addison explains her reasoning to why she believes in the importance of community colleges because of her personal experiences with two different community colleges
How to Escape the Community College Trap In the article “How to Escape the Community College Trap” written by Ann Hulbert. She explains her thoughts and opinions on community college. Her primary topic of discussion is about a program through a community college in New York called asap. Asap is a program that gives opportunities to lower income students. She explores how it compares to regular community colleges and ivy schools such as Harvard.
Liz Addison, who graduated from Piedmont Virginia Community College and Southern Maine Community College agreed that community college was better than a university. Addison believed that a four-year college was for the “privileged class”. Addison viewed universities as the “privileged class” due to students applying at their curriculum vitae. In addition, Liz Addison tells the importance of community college. Addison then goes on to tell how high school graduates have a hard time getting into universities; the odds of entering would be low.
In the United States a community college is defined as a nonresidential junior college offering courses to people living in a particular area. They are post secondary schools and are also referred to as junior colleges, vocational or technical schools because generally the course of study is for two years. The student can earn an associates degree or certification and/or continue their education by transfering to a four year college to complete their educational pursuits and earn a Bachelor 's degree. Community colleges started in the late 1800’s and have grown and evolved over the years. Today many four year colleges and universities have become so expensive to attend that many prospective students are opting for the more affordable alternative of a community college for their first two years of study where they can save money by living at home and taking classes that will transfer to a four year institution, however, there are students that cannot afford the lower cost of community colleges.