Studies Debate the Value of

College in Todays Society

path to a successful life. This topic is often

the reason for debate between professionals,
and is the influence behind this research.

By: Tristan Gorkin

Norwalk Community College

In 2013 two authors by the names of, Isabel

Sawhill and Stephanie Owen, wrote the
article Should Everyone Go To College?.
They made the claim that college is such an
essential lifestyle and part of life that
everyone should experience. Although, for
some individuals, college may not be worth
the investment. The authors remind us that
the easiest way to enter the middle class
(minimal success) after college is to obtain a
degree and seek a high paying job which
requires a form of education.

Introduction
For the majority of college students,
attending a place of higher learning in order
to find a high paying job after graduation, is
the largest reason behind receiving an
education. In todays society it is the norm
for a childs prescribed path in life to be:
high school, college, then to start your
career. If you dont receive a higher
education it is not only more difficult to find
a job without a degree, but you are almost
deemed a lesser person if you arent
educated. Some of the most influential
and successful people in our countrys
history never completed a course of higher
learning. Why should you need some sort of
degree to be called successful or
educated? Is education only about
ensuring a passing a grade at the cost of tens
of thousands of dollars? Society should
redefine how it views education and asses
its motives. Students should seek education
for the knowledge and privilege just to learn,
not just to earn a degree and hopefully land
that high paying job. The research in this
report will provide a discussion on whether
or not attending a place of higher learning is
worth the cost or not.

For the past few decades, it has been

widely argued that a college degree is a
prerequisite to entering the middle class
in the United States. Study after study
reminds us that higher education is one of
the best investments we can make

Methods
To answer my main research question-Is a
college education worth the cost?-I designed
a 10 question survey with both open ended
questions and multiple choice questions. I
then distributed this survey via Facebook.
(See last page for full survey)
I asked that only people who currently
attend any college to take the survey. The
purpose of only allowing current college
students is to hear the point of view of the
students rather than graduates from past
years. This point of view provides a take on

Expert Opinions
Experts often debate about whether or not
college is the smartest, most worthwhile
Studies Debate the Worth and Value of College in Todays Society

college education today which is the issue at

hand. I put the survey up for five days and
received a total of 66 responses. Fifty six
(84%) of which were first year students,
eight (12%) in their third year, and three
(4%) in their third year. Although the ages of
the participants did not vary too much, the
attended universities range from the
University of Tampa to the University of
San Diego. Participants were scattered
nearly throughout the entire country.
Results
A majority of the 66 respondents agreed that
college is over priced for what students are
getting out of the education. When asked if
they strongly/somewhat agree or
disagree, thirty (45%) participants said they
somewhat agree, and sixteen (25%) said
they strongly agree. Almost three quarters
of all the respondents agree that they believe
they are paying too much for what they are
getting. To display the large amounts of
money that people are paying, the 66
participants were asked how much they are
paying for tuition and fees. Fifty three (80%)
of the 66 participants spend at least $30,000
a year on tuition and fees (See Figure 1
below). That amounts to at least $120,000
over the course of 4 years. Which is how
many years of college fifty two (72%)
participants said they plan on completing.

Figure 1: Costs of Tuition and Fees

Of the 66 participants, fifty nine (90%) are

going to college at the expense of their
parents. A majority of the participants arent
even paying for their education themselves
yet, they still believe that college is over
priced. If this same survey was given to
students in a lower economic class they
would most likely agree that it is
ridiculously overpriced.
Discussion
The results of the given survey display the
opinions of the future of our society. The
opinion that college today is much to
expensive. Although, it will never stop
society from desiring the lifestyle and
education you can get at college. Societys
norms will always stay the same and college
prices will continue to inflate. This survey
effectively collected data that explains the
average college students views of the
education they are receiving. College is one
of lifes biggest milestones as well as the

Studies Debate the Worth and Value of College in Todays Society

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gateway to leading a successful life, no

matter what the cost may be.
Conclusion
The results from the survey that was shared
on Facebook supports what society already
knows about higher education: attend a
university, earn your degree, find a high
paying job. This also challenges experts
beliefs that people are content with the
rising prices in fees at college.

"Should Everyone Go To
College?"
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d.
Web. 25
Sept. 2016.

References
Hurwitz, Michael, and Amal
Kumar.
Supply and Demand in the Higher
Education Market: College
Admission
and College Choice. N.p.: College
Board
Research, 2015. College Board.
Web. 5
Oct. 2016.
Leonhardt, David. "Is College
Worth It?
Clearly, New Data Say." The New
York
Times. The New York Times, 26
May
2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
Murray, Charles. "Are Too Many
People
Going To College?" American
Enterprise
Institute. N.p., 8 Sept. 2008. Web.
1 Oct.
2016.
Owen, Stephanie, and Isabel
Sawhill.
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