College: Appropriate Path to Success
The general argument made by Dale Stephens in his work, “The Case Against College,” is that college is not the only path to success, and should be replaced by self-directed learning. More specifically, Stephens argues that self-directed learning is not solitary learning; instead it allows you to create a learning community in the real world. Additionally, he argues that college kills creativity, over nineteen million college students graduate in debt, and people can still get a good job without an actual college degree. He writes, “Our education system cultivates a mind-set where students are rewarded for following directions.” In this passage, Stephens is suggesting that the education system is standard and consistent, thus deprives students of creativity. In conclusion, Stephens’ belief is that people can still gain success without the college experience.
In my view, Dale Stephens’ ideas are valid because college is certainly not for everyone. More specifically, I believe that college is expensive and most of the students graduate with a huge debt and end up working multiple shifts during their schooling career, and even after they graduate from college. However, I believe that it is worthwhile in the end because your degree can get you a well paid job in your desired profession, thus being able to pay all the expenses from college. Although, Stephens may object that college kills creativity, I maintain that the schooling system before college deprived students of creativity before even attending college. Therefore, I conclude that college is not the problem, instead it expands the use of creativity each day, thus people should attend college in order to be well prepared for the professional work force and become successful.
Stephens states that, “creativity is innate—the problem is that schools kill creativity.” I agree that creativity is innate, however I disagree that the problem is with college. I believe that the problem for the loss of creativity started in the previous years of schooling before college. This problem is due to the fact that the education system, such as New York State, is based on standardized testing. As Clinton stated in 2007 on the topic on the “No Child Left behind System,” the tests are becoming the curriculum, which should be the other way around. This is due because more time is spent on preparations for the final state exams, such as the regents examinations. Obviously, preparation is time-consuming, thus reducing time for field trips, or subjects pertaining to arts, music, or dance. The field trips are essential because that’s when students get the chance to use their creativity and view the world in different perspectives. This is why Dale Stephens believe that people should go into the real world and seek better knowledge instead of going to college.
Sir Ken Robinson states in his “Changing Education Paradigms,” how the arts are being lost in education and are just as important as science and math. I most certainly agree with this and did not realize this idea until actually taking the course Art History. Believe it or not, art is associated with everything and is everywhere we go. Take for example, the art works during the Classical Greek period. One sculptor of that time,Polykleitos, wrote that the head of the human figure should be one-seventh of the body, this known as canon of proportions. Isn’t proportions taught in math? Then you might ask, what about science? Well, in science we learn about the winter and summer solstices. Did you ever think you could learn this through art? Stonehenge, the most basic form of architecture, is oriented toward sunrise on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice. This artwork can also be used to predict eclipses. Therefore, I propose that by including more time on arts and field trips in our education, we enhance our knowledge in a way that we may learn something new that was not taught in class due too much time taken on for preparations.
Stephens states that, “although Facebook and Microsoft may have started at universities, the innovation took place outside the classroom.” This idea may validate to be true; however I disagree with Stephens’ idea that the STEM subjects are taught well outside of the classroom. Again, this problem goes back to the situation with the previous schooling system before college. For example, in New York State, thousands of hours are spent throughout the school years preparing for and taking examinations, such as preparation for the SAT. This is bad because a student’s score on one test practically determines their future. For example, parents and schools spend lots of money on tutors or practice booklets just to prepare their students for the SAT. Some students may be better test-takers than those who do better on performance-based testing. So the student with the higher SAT score gets into a good college, and the other student may end up dropping out because he/she may feel ignorant because of their score. Overall, the tests give little indication as to what the students can do in real world situations. Thus, performance-based testing should replace the standard testing.
Stephens suggests that the STEM subjects are taught outside of the classroom; however the question considered here, is whether they are taught well outside of the classroom. Innovations in technology in today’s society are increasing. For example, many institutions are now using iTunes University, including University at Buffalo. This is a component of the music store that allows Universities and Institutions to create unique portals to deliver content Podcasts. iTunes University is good for lectures in any subject including science or math. The main purpose of this tool is to have an alternate for getting class notes if you missed class. Unfortunately, this becomes an excuse to miss class. Then, it leads up to the question of whether the students are using the Podcasts to complete their notes from lecture or just creating notes from the Podcasts. iTunes U is beneficial, however, can be a distraction. This tool can be used either from a mobile device or a computer; thus leading to distractions such as facebook, or music. Recent study showed that students who took additional notes in a Podcast session generally scored higher than those who did not. Since this tool is mainly a visual and auditory learning technique, kinesthetic learning, which is by far the best learning technique for the STEM subjects, is left out in this tool. Therefore, I conclude that the STEM subjects are not taught well outside of the classroom.
Along with this idea of technology changing education in today’s society, Stephens states that the best networks are built on personal relationships, not a distant common experience. He suggests that the internet makes it easier to know someone. I agree with him that you build better networks with people that know you because it gives them an incentive to help you. Although, the internet is useful in meeting people, it is not the best in building efficient networks. When you meet someone online, either through facebook or twitter, how do you know that the person you meet is really what they say or describe about themselves? You would not want to share your information with just anyone. On the contrary, college makes it easy to build resourceful networks. You can start off simply through your new friends or classmates with different backgrounds. Or you can get to know your professor and let him/her know you by attending office hours, which is greatly beneficial in that you can turn to that professor for letter of recommendations. Obviously, building a network through professors is much more convenient than through someone online. Therefore, I conclude that college allows students to build effective networks daily, which is necessary for success in life.
In Stephens’ Manifesto, he states that going to college is not the only way to get a job, but I believe a college degree increases your chances of getting a well-paid job after graduation. He believes that the uncollege experience is not fit for everyone, but it is just as valuable as a college degree. I agree with him that college is not for everyone and it is becoming more difficult to evaluate potential employees because resumes don’t really prove what someone can do. It is easy to make yourself stand out as a well qualified candidate for the job you are seeking. However I disagree with Stephens on his belief that the uncollege experience is just as valuable as a college degree. Sure the uncollege experience may allow you to gain knowledge through the use of creativity, but it lacks the full-package of the college experience. According to Fred Zuker, Dean of Undergraduate admissions at the University of Dallas, College is an incredible time of discovery, adventure, and learning. You cannot get this full package anyway else other than college. Many colleges have courses and activities that will offer an educational experience that will open doors to careers and the benefits of life as an educated person. Now say if you wanted to become a doctor or lawyer. Could you easily get into that profession with the uncollege experience? This answer is simple. Obviously, you cannot become a doctor without going to medical school. Is one with the uncollege experience able to attend medical school easily? Of course not! Prerequisites and certain GPA’s and lots of other requirements are necessary to get into Medical School, for example at UB. And when employers seek potential employees, resumes are not the only thing that will get you hired, instead how well you demonstrate your abilities is what can get you hired in the professional work fields; thus college is the best way to get the full benefits.
Stephens 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.” I agree with Stephens’ idea, in fact I’m sure many people can agree to this idea. However, although Stephens may object that college is expensive, and is a key factor when deciding on attending college, people should focus more attention on the outcome of a college career.
College is in high use of creativity, in which it allows students to be independent from the standard rules followed throughout their previous years of schooling. In high school, teachers stick to the curriculum and the exams test on how well students understood the material covered in the textbooks. Unfortunately, the exams do not test how well the students can deal with real world situations in life. However, in college, the subjects you are taking are preparing you for your desired profession. Such as history prepares you for law school, or biology prepares you for medical school. In addition, art history prepares you for a major in Culture or History. In general, many subjects in college go beyond what is covered in textbooks and relate to real-world applications. College does not mean memorizing facts and figures, but rather building the skills and qualities you need to learn, think, and create on your own. In other words, college’s main goal is to prepare students for career success. College takes us on journeys to freedom and independence, allowing each individual to take their desired path of success to reach their destination, or preferred work field. Each day in college, students are building new skills that they may not be aware of until later on in life when it becomes necessary out in the real world. Such skills include interacting, networking, communicating, creativity, and even globalization. Moreover, college is definitely worthwhile for our future success in life.
ubeng101asha 
