It Is an Investment!

Yolanda Melville's evaluation argument, "Is College Really Worth It?" (2012) suggests that some colleges are no longer helping students obtain jobs after earning a college degree. Melville provides the audience with an example of three national law schools being sued by students, President Obama’s plan to make college more affordable, and ways to ascertain an educational investment in favor of a good job. Melville provides information of the growing student debt in order for college students to graduate knowing they will not work for a lackluster salary. College students and perspective college students are the intended audience for this evaluation argument.

 I believe Melville did a great job at identifying what aspects of college make it worthwhile. It is very important for a college student to realize what needs to be done in order to obtain a gratifying position when exiting college. It is absurd to think that one can go to college for four years and obtain a decent position within a company right after the graduation ceremony. If an individual gets their foot in the door early on - while they are still in college - the chances of them obtaining a decent position after graduation increases. Employers look for experience, initiative, and proficiency. Anything less could be considered a liability and most employers refuse to train a college graduate while paying them a comfortable salary.

 This evaluation argument is geared towards informing perspective and current college students of how to make the most of their collegiate career. Melville explains that college students have a wide variety of financial grants available to them, so instead of taking out a loan, an individual can visit with their financial aid department to search for alternatives before signing up for excessive debt (236).  Many other options are present for college students outside of financial assistance, as Melville describes, such as relinquishing negative assets and securing positive assets (236). Melville suggests that students should get involved with student organizations and start diversifying their friendships for future benefits (236). While there is no paved path to success, students do need to realize the many benefits awaiting them. With a little dedication and hard work, anyone’s dream can come true.

Works Cited

Melville, Yolanda. “Is College Really Worth It?” Connections. Southlake: Fountainhead Press, 2013. Print.

Is College Really Worth It?

k                                 In the evaluation argument "Is College Worth It?" (2010) Michelle Adam suggests that, depending on the individual circumstances of the person, higher education may or may not be worth its price. Adam presents statistical evidence based upon the Pew Research Center's surveys of adults ages 18 and older, and presidents of two and four-year, private, public, and not-for profit universities. Adam's apparent purpose is to bring attention to the increasing tuition costs when compared to the quality of education, ranking of education in America, and what factors hide behind individuals who seek higher education in order to find out if college is really worth the cost. Adam's intended audience is current college students and perspective college students. 

 Adam explained our assumptions of college through many examples. Education in the United States is not as great as some think. We ask ourselves time and time again, "Is this worth my investment?"  In today's society it is about whom you know first and what direction that points your career. We witness college graduates working minimum wage jobs at McDonald's or Family Dollar. If college students would start thinking outside of the academic box, we would be able to sustain the American dream that we long to live. We feel that Adam did a great job addressing many issues that are a major concern for Americans. 

The overall flow of "Is College Worth it?" provided interesting facts along with interesting data to support Adam’s central question - is college worth it? Although prices in the higher education system have seemed to increase, people still felt that college is a necessity (Adam 232).  Not only did the Pew Research Center study estimate, on average, that each college graduate made $20,000 more than high school graduates, but when compared to the 2010 Census Bureau data, the results aren't much different (Adam 232). Adam’s use of percentages makes the article simpler to understand and not only appeals to college students, but also to perspective college students. 

Works Cited

Adam, Michelle. “Is College Worth It?” Connections. Southlake: Fountainhead Press, 2013. Print.

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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...Who Has the Fairest Self-Esteem of All?

       
     Amy Gonzales and Jeffrey Hancock’s research article Mirror, Mirror on my Facebook Wall: Effects of Exposure to Facebook on Self Esteem (2011), analyzes that past studies on self-esteem and internet usage, both positive and negative, may be affected differently by social media sites such as Facebook. Gonzales and Hancock support their claim by studying objective self-awareness and the Hyper-personal Model, as well as performing a study to prove which hypothesis is correct. Gonzales and Hancock’s purpose in this study is to figure out how Facebook affects self-esteem in order to confirm which hypothesis is correct and how the internet affects one’s psychological health. The intended audience is internet users, as well as parents who allow their children to use Facebook.      

     The study proved that Facebook does not have a negative effect on self-esteem, but the study did not fully examine all of the possibilities involved with Facebook usage. First and foremost, the study was a one-time basis and did not take into consideration long-term use of Facebook. The study also failed to recognize the amount of friends each participant had, which may or may not affect the outcome of the study. As Gonzales and Hancock state “We cannot rule out the possibility that reminders of one’s social connections are partially responsible for the increase in self-esteem (201).” Although these mistakes were made, this does create a new avenue to be fully discovered and encourages further research. 

     Gonzales and Hancock start out presenting two different theories on how one’s self-esteem is affected by the use of Facebook. The earlier experiments of objective self- awareness proved that participants felt an urge to view themselves as others do, which led to decreases in self-esteem from use of pro-social behavior. Secondly, the selective self-presentation theory proved the internet gives its users the ability to carefully select what information they want public, which in return creates positive self-esteem. Since both theories oppose each other, which one is actually correct?
      
     To find the answers, a Northeastern university assembled a study. The study included sixteen males and forty-seven females and consisted of measuring self-esteem, which was measured by the Rosenburg Self-Esteem scale, and behaviors, which was measured through a series of closed ended questions. The test results on objective self-awareness were found not significant. However, the results on selective self-presentation proved significant, showing not only did selective self-presentation positively affect one’s self esteem, but significance was also found by those who edited their own profile during the study and those who viewed only their profile. Another interesting find correlates those who exited out of their Facebook profiles during the study with lower self-esteems. These findings prove that Facebook provides its users with a new avenue to question their own current psychological processes through selective self-presentation.