Dale Stephens’ general argument in his work, “The Case Against College,” is that a college education is practically useless in modern day society and people should not go. More specifically, Stephens argues that college kills creativity and it creates a large amount of debt. He writes, “Our education system cultivates a mind-set where students are rewarded for following directions.” Through this, Stephens is insinuating that students are being told what to do and there is no space for their own thought. In conclusion, Stephens believes that college is now overrated because of the loss in value of a college degree, the cost of a college education, and the creativity that is killed in order to get there.
In my view, Stephens’ argument is valid in some points. I believe that in today’s society, the creativity of students is being undermined. Standardized testing and lessons being based on the tests, creativity of both the teachers and the students are diminishing slowly. However, I believe that college is a place for students, and teachers alike, to allow their creativity to blossom. It creates many opportunities for their creativity to flourish. Therefore, I conclude that college is an important, innovative, and major part of life that should not be prevented, no matter the cost.
Many would argue that the college degree has lost much of its worth but I believe that if a person with a degree in the specialty that they are best in, and enjoy, that they will pay off the debt sooner than everyone else thought. In the above video, many people explain their stories and how their enthusiasm for a college education has been slashed due to the rise in college tuition. They don’t believe a college degree is worth the price. In today’s society, there are many jobs that don’t require a degree, such as a web designer or a repairman. Basically, if you are going to school to get a degree for a career that is going to easily pay back the money you lost from tuition, such as a doctor or a lawyer, it is worth it, especially if the chances of getting a job right out of college are high. But, if you are going to school for a degree that many people are going after as well, you will more likely be stuck in debt for a long time, as well as not getting that job right after graduation. Stephens says that after college, students are forced to find a job to pay off the debt instead of being allowed to “take time to start companies, projects, causes, or initiatives.” The average debt is closely proportional to the salary of the career from their degree. It is all about what you chose to do.
Both Stephens and I can agree that high schools have been killing creativity more and more but I believe there is a point where schooling helps expand a persons creative freedom. Creativity throughout mostly middle and high school has been thought of as less important. Schools have bunched all the students together in a group and started teaching them the ways of the past. They teach them history, math, English, and many other subjects. Students have been learning the same things for a very long time. The students don’t get much of a choice of what they learn. Even if they get to pick their classes, it’s a mostly limited amount of information that is given to them. Stephens understands this fact. His test of kindergartners only helps to prove the point. Stephens refers a study in which 1,500 kindergartners between 3 and 5 years old were given a divergent thinking test. Ninety-eight percent of kindergartners tested at the genius level. After five years of formal education, only 50 percent of children tested at the genius level. This study shows the damaging effects school can have on a child’s creativity. Killing creativity is like having no brain. Without the brain, the body would be lifeless, and without creativity in our lives, all of us would be the same. Leaving us without our own ideas or beliefs.
As a student leaves high school and embarks on the journey through college, they realize their creative freedom. Yes, they can make their classes just like they can in high school, but the classes are less restricting. The teachers teach at their own pace, and even if that isn’t the right pace for the student, there are many more resources for them to get the information or help that they need to succeed. For example, as “Bobby” gets to his sophomore or junior year, he declares his major. He is able to go wherever he wants in life. His creativity has flourished beyond anything he ever thought before. This has happened to many college students all over the world, such as Ben Gulag at MIT who invented a motorcycle like machine. By doing this, they are expanding the world’s imaginative and creative side. Think of all modern inventions, even ancient ones, that you use in your everyday life, from wheels to cell phones. If the creators of these technological developments hadn’t went to college and expanded their creativity and knowledge, where would we all be right now? The video below is a speech given by Bill Gates, who did not go to college, who is encouraging people to go to college. He explains the importance of a college education, even during an economic recession.
As a student leaves high school and embarks on the journey through college, they realize their creative freedom. Yes, they can make their classes just like they can in high school, but the classes are less restricting. The teachers teach at their own pace, and even if that isn’t the right pace for the student, there are many more resources for them to get the information or help that they need to succeed. For example, as “Bobby” gets to his sophomore or junior year, he declares his major. He is able to go wherever he wants in life. His creativity has flourished beyond anything he ever thought before. This has happened to many college students all over the world, such as Ben Gulag at MIT who invented a motorcycle like machine. By doing this, they are expanding the world’s imaginative and creative side. Think of all modern inventions, even ancient ones, that you use in your everyday life, from wheels to cell phones. If the creators of these technological developments hadn’t went to college and expanded their creativity and knowledge, where would we all be right now? The video below is a speech given by Bill Gates, who did not go to college, who is encouraging people to go to college. He explains the importance of a college education, even during an economic recession.
(Bill Gates on Investing in Education)
Though my college experience has just begun, I already have faced some creative freedom. I have expanded my knowledge of many new subjects I never even thought would be taught in a school. When I first spoke to my academic adviser, I told him to put me in whatever classes fit into my schedule and that were open. Because I have yet to declare a major, he put me in random general education classes that have already broadened my horizons. The classes that I have never really taken before, in high school, are the ones that interest me most. My nutrition and my "genres of music" classes have me hooked. In high school, everyone took English. Everyone took math. Everyone took history. I've never had classes like these. The new material and the fact that I know that there are other options, and I have yet to drop the classes, make me feel free. I like the fact that not everyone has to take the same classes and endure the same amount of work. The occurrence is almost shocking when it is first endured but when you are coming from a high school that doesn’t offer a lot of educational freedom, it is a liberating adventure. Your creative, imaginative, original, inventive identity is expressed and you will never want to be cooped up in your mind again.
My older brother, David, is 21. He is currently a junior at Buffalo State College. When David was in high school, he was always creative and very "artsy." He had a hard time with his grades all through high school, even middle school. The only classes he excelled in were his art classes. When the time came to apply to school, both him and my parents were so stressed. Unfortunately, he only got into two of the seven schools he applied to. As David went off to school, he was so excited to get out of high school and be free in college. His freshman year of college was spent getting all of his general education classes out of the way. Sophomore year, he took mostly art classes because he really didn't know what he wanted to do but he knew he enjoyed art. This year, his junior year, he had to declare his major, and he did. He declared himself as a Communications Design major. All throughout high school, David thought he had to get a job in the field of something he was learning in school, like history, or science. He went off to school, was exposed to the creative freedom, and now is going to do something he likes, and is good at.
My older brother, David, is 21. He is currently a junior at Buffalo State College. When David was in high school, he was always creative and very "artsy." He had a hard time with his grades all through high school, even middle school. The only classes he excelled in were his art classes. When the time came to apply to school, both him and my parents were so stressed. Unfortunately, he only got into two of the seven schools he applied to. As David went off to school, he was so excited to get out of high school and be free in college. His freshman year of college was spent getting all of his general education classes out of the way. Sophomore year, he took mostly art classes because he really didn't know what he wanted to do but he knew he enjoyed art. This year, his junior year, he had to declare his major, and he did. He declared himself as a Communications Design major. All throughout high school, David thought he had to get a job in the field of something he was learning in school, like history, or science. He went off to school, was exposed to the creative freedom, and now is going to do something he likes, and is good at.
Ultimately, I believe college to be worth the cost and the years of creative repression. Grade schools should stop the repression but the feeling of freedom, throughout college, is worth it. Unlike Stephens, I perceive college as a important part of life that will give creative flexibility that people of all ages need to experience. College creates opportunities that would never be accomplished without knowledge, creativity, or ambition. College formulates that same knowledge, creativity, and ambition. The argument Stephens makes is valid in some cases, but if you have the drive, the ambition, the determination, to succeed, you will. If you have all that, no debt can hold you back. College debt is just a “Jedi Mind Trick”, a “Force fear”. It is trying to force that creativity back into your brain. You shouldn’t let it. Helen Keller once said, “College isn’t the place to go for ideas.” She was right. College is the place to express yourself. A college education is your doorway to independence.
