ENG 111 Exercise 1 - Identifying Assumptions In Stephens College Is A Waste

Of Time
Raymond Prescod
Professor - Dr. David R. DiSarro
ENG111 Critical Reading and Writing I

1. College rewards conformity rather than independence. We can assume that

college is rigid with its program partly because they are sticking to a curriculum of some
sort and not allowing wiggle room for variances. Additionally we can also say that
Stephen is a non conformist and therefore he is opposing the structure of the school
system.
2. College rewards competition rather collaboration. - At the end of the year there is a
valedictorian which is a coveted prize for many college goers. I can assume that the
grading system promotes competition because there is usually only one and this is
where the struggle begins. Alternately we can assume Stephen had some difficulty in
his year and found it difficult to solicit the help of others because of his personal
differences and chose to blame college.
3. College rewards regurgitation rather than learning. This could definitely be related
to the fact that college uses text books and lectures (you take notes) and are later
quizzed on what you remember from each and graded accordingly. This would suggest
that the professors are acting like robots and just following a set plan with no deviation.
Also in Stephens case, he may be a hands on person and finds it difficult to reproduce
in the world of academics or perhaps crumble under the stresses of examination.

4. College rewards theory rather than application. We are assuming once more that
Stephen is looking at the regurgitation aspect of college. The use of outdated text books
to promote learning does not aid of give the student enough practical knowledge to
function in a work environment. It could also be, having to complete many unrelated
studies (electives) in your area of study to make up credits that seem irrelevant and
useless.
5. College actually reduces creativity, innovation and curiosity. We can assume that
Stephen was anxious to explore his creativity or the ideas that he had but college was
not the avenue to get it all started. Perhaps he had such high expectations of college or
his ideas we so far out there that the normal process was too slow or would not allow
him to go overboard with his ideas.
6. Failure is punished instead of seen as a learning opportunity in college. Off the
bat, this could not be more explicit. If you fail your courses you get booted from the
program. Alternately, college does not provide enough bandwidth in their programs to
allow nurturing of all types struggling students. They follow a 3-step program and at
the end you either pass or you are out.
7. College is very expensive. I am thinking that the cost of an education today does
not have a direct correlation to the compensation received in the work force and
repaying loans could be difficult. Compare to 20 years ago, College fees are through the
roof and the level of education probably has not improved with cost. / Some kids may
have to pay their own way and it quickly becomes unaffordable when or if you do not
qualify for financial aid or the thought of owing so much money is overwhelming.

8. But there are productive alternatives to college, as one can see in the lives of
people who never completed or attended college. I can assume that he is referring
to the Zuckerbergs and of course himself where they are exhibiting remarkable
accomplishments with no college degree. It can also be assumed that he is expecting
that everyone who chooses an alternate route to college will become a success which
will not happen.
9. LinkedIn, Facebook, StackOverflow, Behance, and other sites together allow us to
document our accomplishments and get them socially validated, and evaluation of
accomplishments on such sites will take the place of college degrees for hiring
purposes. It is being assumed that everyone uses these electronic social media
applications or even knows what they are. If they did, the expectation is that their
expertise is sufficient to promote their accomplishments or skills on these devices. It is
also implied that companies will eventually transition to the use of these sites in lieu of
seeking college graduates through the current application process.