Sladana Glogovac

12/09/2015
ENGL 101A
Commentary Portfolio Draft

Is college worth it?

In times where college tuition has skyrocketed and economy has become flaccid, it is no
wonder why so many people keep bringing worth of college education in question. It is not a
surprise why so many people keep worrying about student-loan debts and their economic future
if an average tuition for public four-year colleges and universities, according to Pew Research
Center, is $7,605 per year ( Is College Worth It?). However, what I do find surprising is that
some of them are actually thinking of not getting higher education only because of financial
reasons. Not having an immediate return after graduation makes them worry about their
economic situation. However, I believe a college education is a long term investment where
students gain both, intellectually and financially. Students develop critical thinking, and acquire
skills and knowledge that stays with them for a lifetime. Furthermore, they develop their social
life and get prepared for the outside world where graduates are more likely to get well paid jobs
which, among other things, help them pay their student-loan debt and become financially
independent.

Due to huge amounts of student-loan debt that keeps rising, a wave of questions about
whether a college education is still worth it, has been created. Opinions are divided among the
students at Montgomery College. Walking down the hallways of the Rockville campus, it is not
unusual for me to see students arguing whether getting a four-year degree will bring them any
economic benefit due to ever-rising tuition and creation of huge debts. Out of curiosity, I did a
personal interview asking my classmates from ENGL101A about their opinion on worth of
college. Eric Correira argues that college fees are too high and that nobody wants to be stuck
with the debt after the college. On the other hand, my other classmate, Beau Jacquette, claims
that knowledge is important and that all the money we invest into studies will pay off one day.
Even though opinions are divided among my classmates, most of the students agree that having
huge debts on their back can easily linger their path to financial independence, postpone their
moving out of their parents home etc. According to Pew Research Center, The average student
borrower who earned a bachelors degree in 2008 left school owing more than $23,000. This is
up from roughly $17,000 in 1996 (Is college worth it?). Seeing these numbers, which only
rose from 2008, it is reasonable for students to be appalled at high cost of colleges and be
preoccupied with finding well paid jobs which one day will pay off their debts. On the other side,
others think a college education will pay off in the long run. They believe that college degree
holders have better opportunities in finding better-paying jobs and are convinced that getting a
degree will help further their career and become financially independent.
One might argue about enormous tuition fees and college debts, but he or she should not
think about

getting a degree just because of financial burdens. Not having an immediate

economic return, doesnt mean you have wasted 4-6 years of your life for nothing. One should
look beyond economic profit to measure the benefits of a college education. As we all know,

knowledge is something you gain through college education and it stays with you for a lifetime.
Attending college broadens your knowledge and develops critical thinking skills, which not only
helps you grow intellectually, but professionally too. According to Brenda Hellyer, Chancellor of
San Jacinto College, and one of the higher-education leaders interviewed about the worth of
college in The Chronicle of Higher Education, says, It is about personal and intellectual growth,
about finding new dimensions of understanding, and about gaining knowledge. It is about
learning and exploring (qtd. in Carlson). In other words, Hellyer believes that a college
education gives you the opportunity to explore and broaden your interests, to refine your critical
thinking and gaining such will only benefit your intellectual and personal development.
However, pursuing higher education not only will benefit you intellectually, but also
professionally too. Hellyer also claims, College is for intellectual and personal development,
but it must also lead to jobs for the students who are working hard to make an investment in their
future lives (qtd. in Carlson). Yes, higher education is kind of an investment which does not
have any direct economic value, but it is the knowledge and skills you acquire in college that will
help you get a well-paying job and secure your economic situation later on. Holding a degree in
your hands will provide you the ability to get your foot in the door of many opportunities, among
which, a well-paying job is one. In the long run, this kind of a job will eventually help you pay
off student-loan debts and in this way help you economically benefit from having a college
education. According to the article Is College Worth It?, Adults who graduated from a fouryear college believe that, on average, they are earning $20,000 more a year as a result of having
gotten that degree...These matched estimates by the public are very close to the median gap in
annual earnings between a high school and college graduate as reported by the U.S. Census

Bureau in 2010: $19,550 (Is College Worth It?). This being said, it is not hard to realize that
having higher education increases your chances of earning a higher salary.
Growing intellectually and professionally is not the only aim colleges have for their
students. Higher education isnt just about getting a degree and expanding students knowledge.
Another side of attending colleges is enrichment of social life which positively impacts students
personal lives. In the words of Walter M. Kimbrough, President of Dillard University, College,
primarily providing an intellectual foundation for a chosen profession, is still a great place to
make lifelong friends, meet a spouse, develop professional networks, and discover mentors. It
facilitates intellectual, professional, and personal collisions, all of which have value (quoted in
Carlson). This being said, college experience gives students the opportunity to interact with
people from different backgrounds and reach out to those beyond their typical social circle.
College is the place where lifelong friendships are made, and social network is enlarged.
Even though the cost of a higher education never seems to stop rising, financial burden
should never be a reason for not attending a college. Students might not have an immediate
economic return on invested money, but one is sure, their personal and intellectual life will be
enriched; they will gain knowledge and make friends for a lifetime. However, in the long run,
students will actually benefit financially too.

Work Cited

Carlson, Scott. How to Assess the Real Payoff of a College Degree, The Chronicle of Higher
Education, The Chronicle of Higher Education Inc, April 2013. Web. 11. November 2015.

Is college worth it? Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, May 2011. Web. 11.
November 2015.

Correia, Eric. Personal interview. 9 December 2015.

Jacquette, Beau. Personal interview. 9 December 2015.