School Made Us, Or We Made School

David Leonhardt, an economics columnist for The Times and a staff writer for the magazine, points out that “whether the college makes the student or the student makes the college?” in the article “The College Caculation” on NewYorkTimes. It’s a great question for people, particularly for our college students, to be aware of it. Students attend college for many different reasons. For example, they want to expand their knowledge, social awareness, and enhanced interpersonal relationships. However, the most common reasons they go on college are due to the opportunity of obtaining more choices, gaining high salaries, and more opportunities for advancement in an increasingly competitive job market.

Before attending college, students have a limited opportunity to specialize. After obtaining a specific college degree a job applicant can be competitive for previously unavailable jobs. For instance, applicants with Computer Science degree would not only be qualified for jobs in high-tech companies, they would also be well prepared for any job with computer skills as prerequisite. With a large range of potential jobs to choose from, degree holders are more likely to find a job that suits their particular needs and interests.

Additionally, employers are willing to pay a premium for highly qualified applicants. For example, many companies desire employees who are competent in more than one language and offer higher salaries to attract them. Even if a job applicant without a college degree has high standardized test scores, employers may still place a higher value on an applicant with similar test scores who also possesses credentials from a well-known university. Because of the extent to which a college degree is accepted by employers as proof of competence in a given field, college graduates are not only more likely to receive more job offers, they can also command higher salaries than applicants who lack of college diplomas.

Finally, in addition to offering more choices and high salaries, a college degree offers access to jobs with a clear path towards professional advancement. A.B.S. in biology, for example, could allow a student to find a job in a lab after graduation, a first step on the road towards a career in scientific research. The same major could also be used to apply to a medical school, and a career as a doctor. Both of these avenues would be unavailable without taking the first step of an undergraduate degree.

High possibilities to get good pay or more job offers or the advancement are the most important reasons people go to college. No matter whatever the reasons are, I believe peruse a college degree is the worth thing to do. Therefore, we should understand the vital principle that neither college make students nor students make college, it simply because people need college to shape them up. Michael McPherson, an economist of the Spencer Foundation in Chicago which finances education research, states that, “College cannot guarantee anybody a good life, but it sure ups the odds substantially.”