Is It Worthwhile to Go to Colleges?

Hangli Shi
ENG 2010
Emily Whitby
2015/3/27
                    Is it worthwhile to go to colleges?
    In the essay “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?” Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus explain that it is not worthwhile to go to colleges as we usually imagine due to the high investment in tuition, the decrease in teaching quality and the old college institutions. Although I agree that the high tuition fees has been the burden for a number of college students in today’s society, both public and private colleges, and the teaching quality is decreasing at the same time, I disagree that going to colleges is totally a waste of time and money.
    As Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus cited, higher education is in need of reform in patterns and institutions as colleges are taking on too many fussy roles, and it has been “a $420-billion industry” based on the high charge. The high tuition fees has been a common phenomenon in pursuing high education. Common sense seems to dictate that the high tuition fee is not only the loan burden for students, but also a risky investment without the certain reward. Meanwhile, many people assume that quality of high education needs to be improved and the high-quality teaching is required in the education field.
    The measures pointed out by Hacker and Dreifus in reform cover the several areas. First is the charge of colleges. It is said that “graduating with six figures’ worth of debt is becoming increasingly common”. The charge of tuition fee needs to be proper under the consideration of family burden. “a large and growing number of graduates of for-profit colleges are having trouble playing those loans back”. Second is the relationship between faculty and students. Since there are large numbers of students in college, it is hard for the professors to “make an effort to reach their students,” which requires them to improve the teaching skills and coordinate the relationships with students. Third the useful majors and...