With the use of the following sources, I was able to help form a cultural fabric for my book as a form of personal reflection. I had to really consider how other people, events, art, literature, and news on a daily basis connect with the message I'm trying to send to youth in terms of the truth about the college process and experience.
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecohen/2012/09/29/the-three-biggest-lies-in-college-admission/
- https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-in/applying-101/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-college-admission
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amandah-blackwell/the-truth-about-college-debt_b_5716085.html
- http://freakonomics.com/2012/07/30/freakonomics-goes-to-college-part-1-a-new-freakonomics-radio-podcast/
- http://freakonomics.com/2011/04/15/new-freakonomics-podcast-does-college-still-matter-and-other-freak-y-questions-answered/
How are they all part of the same ism?
All of these pieces of literature shine a light on to the college process. They ask the questions; Is it worth going to college? Does it guarantee anything? These articles show that college isn’t what we have been told it is. The five of these are from reputable companies that specialize in college admission or economics, and have done studies on the college process from an economic standpoint.
The Forbes article touches on, in the author’s opinion, the three biggest misconceptions about the college process. My story focuses on getting a job and being able to pay for college, and this article touches on being able to pay as well. The author, Steve Cohen, talks about colleges not actually looking at only applications but also looking at the applicant's financial situation. In my case, if a college were to look at my financial status, they would have seen that my father was unemployed and my mother didn’t make nearly enough money to pay full tuition. Colleges and Universities are not always following through with what they are promising.
The College Board released a list of five things they think applicants should know. Number three on the list connects the best with my ism. It states that you, as the applicant, are in charge of how the process goes. As I (Trevor) learn, when you put in the work it will pay off. I put months into applying for scholarships that would allow my to pay for my education. Students and families shouldn’t have to deal with this burden to receive an education but since they do, taking control of it is the best way to end up with the least amount of debt when you finally receive your diploma.
The author of “The Truth About Going to College and Getting Into Debt”, Amanda Blackwell, talks about the situation my father is put in. He went to college and has was left in debt, not as much as someone who went to college now but still a significant amount, and has lost his job as a coal miner. This proving that just because you have a college degree does not promise that you will get a high paying or secure job. In the article, Amanda talks about a coworker that received a degree in the Arts from Ohio State University, a reputable university, and was working at a real estate company; nothing to do with her degree. This raises the question; Is simply going to college enough to prove you have what it takes to have a job?
Freakonomics is a podcast system that talks about a broad range of different topics all revolving around economics. This episode is about the worth of a college degree. They interview a retired FBI agent that started and ran an investigation on counterfeit diplomas. In this investigation they found that about 1% of college degrees are counterfeits. Meaning about 1 out of every 100 co workers doesn’t have a legitimate degree. Proving that the education you get is actually worth less than the piece of paper you are handed at the end. They also interviewed a man whose family had a range of education levels. Some never finished High School, some only finished High School, and then some went to College. The family member that finished college is a glorified house cleaner.
The second Freakonomics episode is called “Does College Still Matter? And Other FREAK-y Questions Answered”, in this episode Dubner and his interviewee talk and answer questions that listeners have asked. One of those questions was, “Is college education no longer a factor or even a disadvantage in the modern academy?” The interviewee responds that he thinks a college education has never been more helpful. Dubner asked a followup question, “Are the people that go to college already more likely to succeed?” The answer is “maybe”. The only way to know that is to make correlations, and even then there is no certainty.
I told the story of a boy whose parents went to college, but their degree didn’t give them the advantage they were promised. I decided to make the most of my opportunities and work to hard to end up in the place I am today, WITH my degree in hand. I took the chance for a better future.
All of these pieces of literature shine a light on to the college process. They ask the questions; Is it worth going to college? Does it guarantee anything? These articles show that college isn’t what we have been told it is. The five of these are from reputable companies that specialize in college admission or economics, and have done studies on the college process from an economic standpoint.
The Forbes article touches on, in the author’s opinion, the three biggest misconceptions about the college process. My story focuses on getting a job and being able to pay for college, and this article touches on being able to pay as well. The author, Steve Cohen, talks about colleges not actually looking at only applications but also looking at the applicant's financial situation. In my case, if a college were to look at my financial status, they would have seen that my father was unemployed and my mother didn’t make nearly enough money to pay full tuition. Colleges and Universities are not always following through with what they are promising.
The College Board released a list of five things they think applicants should know. Number three on the list connects the best with my ism. It states that you, as the applicant, are in charge of how the process goes. As I (Trevor) learn, when you put in the work it will pay off. I put months into applying for scholarships that would allow my to pay for my education. Students and families shouldn’t have to deal with this burden to receive an education but since they do, taking control of it is the best way to end up with the least amount of debt when you finally receive your diploma.
The author of “The Truth About Going to College and Getting Into Debt”, Amanda Blackwell, talks about the situation my father is put in. He went to college and has was left in debt, not as much as someone who went to college now but still a significant amount, and has lost his job as a coal miner. This proving that just because you have a college degree does not promise that you will get a high paying or secure job. In the article, Amanda talks about a coworker that received a degree in the Arts from Ohio State University, a reputable university, and was working at a real estate company; nothing to do with her degree. This raises the question; Is simply going to college enough to prove you have what it takes to have a job?
Freakonomics is a podcast system that talks about a broad range of different topics all revolving around economics. This episode is about the worth of a college degree. They interview a retired FBI agent that started and ran an investigation on counterfeit diplomas. In this investigation they found that about 1% of college degrees are counterfeits. Meaning about 1 out of every 100 co workers doesn’t have a legitimate degree. Proving that the education you get is actually worth less than the piece of paper you are handed at the end. They also interviewed a man whose family had a range of education levels. Some never finished High School, some only finished High School, and then some went to College. The family member that finished college is a glorified house cleaner.
The second Freakonomics episode is called “Does College Still Matter? And Other FREAK-y Questions Answered”, in this episode Dubner and his interviewee talk and answer questions that listeners have asked. One of those questions was, “Is college education no longer a factor or even a disadvantage in the modern academy?” The interviewee responds that he thinks a college education has never been more helpful. Dubner asked a followup question, “Are the people that go to college already more likely to succeed?” The answer is “maybe”. The only way to know that is to make correlations, and even then there is no certainty.
I told the story of a boy whose parents went to college, but their degree didn’t give them the advantage they were promised. I decided to make the most of my opportunities and work to hard to end up in the place I am today, WITH my degree in hand. I took the chance for a better future.