Ian Smith
Dr. Watkins
College Comp and Research
January 26, 2016
Is college actually worth the price of what they are charging? When it comes to the topic of college, most of us will readily agree that it is necessary. Where this agreement ends, however, is on the question of is it worth the price? Whereas some are convinced that it is, others maintain that it is not. Well in the article, Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission? by Andrew Hacker and Clausdia Dreifus, they discuss their opinion on this topic at hand. They think that many people assume that college is worth the price because most people attend it. Their overall opinion is that some colleges are worth the price, but as a whole most of them are not. They do believe that they could be though. They think that even though some colleges are making good changes, most of them today are too centered around making more money for the university and not focused on the undergraduate students or finding professors to teach the subjects well.
There are some colleges that they believe are doing things right, and are moving along the right path. One of these colleges for example is The University of Mississippi.They claim that “ Today Ole Miss is a university where reconciliation and civility are at the heart of the educational mission” (183). Hacker and Dreifus believe that these traits are great ones for a university to possess. They also go on to say “ It’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College offers as fine an education as one might find at Carleton or Kenyon colleges” (184). This shows that they believe this college has good traits and also offers a good education. This would be an example of a college they would believe would be worth the price.
Hacker and Dreifus believe that higher education has become a huge industry. In fact, they write “ Higher education has become a colossus-a $420-billion industry-immune from scrutiny and reform” (180). They believe that most of these universities are getting tons of money, but they are not using it on the right things. They also believe that the donations need to be spread around to other colleges. They show this by saying “Too many benefactors donate to institutions that are already well provided for. Even in economic downturns, gifts to the wealthiest colleges keep coming in. Pick another college and send your check where it will truly do some good” (183). They believe that all colleges even the little ones should have a chance to be donated too. They think that some of the smaller, not heard of colleges, are doing a better job than some of the bigger colleges that are raking in the donations.
The authors believe that the universities should show more attention to their undergraduate students and giving them good professors to teach them. They believe that universities should take away tenure. They claim that, “Tenure takes a huge toll at every academic level. Professors who possess it have no reason to improve their teaching, take on introductory courses, or, in fact, accept any tasks not to their liking” (180). The believe that it should be replaced with multiyear contracts that way professors actually have to work hard to maintain their position. They also think that if the universities are not able to find good professors that are willing to interact with the undergraduate students, that they should try online teaching. They write that, “A gripping performance on a screen may be preferable to a live teacher with doubtful competence. Software can pose interactive questions, review answers, and tell students to try again” (182). So if the current professor is not getting the job done, online teaching would be a great and easy way for the students to learn. Hacker and Dreifus do believe that a good professor that is willing to teach would be better but they state, “Until we improve classroom instruction, new teaching methods should not be dismissed out of hand” (183). So they think that unless the universities make changes with the professors, other options should be made readily available.
All in all, Hacker and Dreifus believe that as a whole most colleges are not truly worth what they are charging even though some colleges are doing things right. They believe this because most colleges are not focused on their students as much as they are making more money for their university. They believe that most colleges have several changes to be made. In other words, Hacker and Dreifus believes that overall most colleges do not believe colleges are worth the price of admission.
Dr. Watkins
College Comp and Research
January 26, 2016
Is college actually worth the price of what they are charging? When it comes to the topic of college, most of us will readily agree that it is necessary. Where this agreement ends, however, is on the question of is it worth the price? Whereas some are convinced that it is, others maintain that it is not. Well in the article, Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission? by Andrew Hacker and Clausdia Dreifus, they discuss their opinion on this topic at hand. They think that many people assume that college is worth the price because most people attend it. Their overall opinion is that some colleges are worth the price, but as a whole most of them are not. They do believe that they could be though. They think that even though some colleges are making good changes, most of them today are too centered around making more money for the university and not focused on the undergraduate students or finding professors to teach the subjects well.
There are some colleges that they believe are doing things right, and are moving along the right path. One of these colleges for example is The University of Mississippi.They claim that “ Today Ole Miss is a university where reconciliation and civility are at the heart of the educational mission” (183). Hacker and Dreifus believe that these traits are great ones for a university to possess. They also go on to say “ It’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College offers as fine an education as one might find at Carleton or Kenyon colleges” (184). This shows that they believe this college has good traits and also offers a good education. This would be an example of a college they would believe would be worth the price.
Hacker and Dreifus believe that higher education has become a huge industry. In fact, they write “ Higher education has become a colossus-a $420-billion industry-immune from scrutiny and reform” (180). They believe that most of these universities are getting tons of money, but they are not using it on the right things. They also believe that the donations need to be spread around to other colleges. They show this by saying “Too many benefactors donate to institutions that are already well provided for. Even in economic downturns, gifts to the wealthiest colleges keep coming in. Pick another college and send your check where it will truly do some good” (183). They believe that all colleges even the little ones should have a chance to be donated too. They think that some of the smaller, not heard of colleges, are doing a better job than some of the bigger colleges that are raking in the donations.
The authors believe that the universities should show more attention to their undergraduate students and giving them good professors to teach them. They believe that universities should take away tenure. They claim that, “Tenure takes a huge toll at every academic level. Professors who possess it have no reason to improve their teaching, take on introductory courses, or, in fact, accept any tasks not to their liking” (180). The believe that it should be replaced with multiyear contracts that way professors actually have to work hard to maintain their position. They also think that if the universities are not able to find good professors that are willing to interact with the undergraduate students, that they should try online teaching. They write that, “A gripping performance on a screen may be preferable to a live teacher with doubtful competence. Software can pose interactive questions, review answers, and tell students to try again” (182). So if the current professor is not getting the job done, online teaching would be a great and easy way for the students to learn. Hacker and Dreifus do believe that a good professor that is willing to teach would be better but they state, “Until we improve classroom instruction, new teaching methods should not be dismissed out of hand” (183). So they think that unless the universities make changes with the professors, other options should be made readily available.
All in all, Hacker and Dreifus believe that as a whole most colleges are not truly worth what they are charging even though some colleges are doing things right. They believe this because most colleges are not focused on their students as much as they are making more money for their university. They believe that most colleges have several changes to be made. In other words, Hacker and Dreifus believes that overall most colleges do not believe colleges are worth the price of admission.