General Education Essay -- essays research papers fc

With living costs as high as they are in this day and age, it is completely unreasonable to expect the average individual to squander already limited resources. Receiving a bachelor’s degree today requires an assortment of classes that often are not directly related to one’s career objectives. For some, they find this to be an enjoyable adventure, broadening their knowledge and learning about new aspects of life, but for others this is just burdensome. However it is looked upon, the college curriculum still requires a diverse selection of courses to develop well rounded, responsible individuals, but in turn creates added pressure upon students. Is it the job of secondary education to start developing all inclusive students who have been familiarized with a broad range of subjects? Is it fair that some children are able to afford private education and expensive tutoring with a one on one basis? The government needs to step in on this matter because the children who are growing up now are going to be this countries future. The rich are always going to be well educated because they can afford it. There needs to be government programs that provide free tutoring and counseling for the underprivileged. But the way things are going this will never happen because education is almost always one of the first things to be cut. One of the greatest sacrifices of college is the money required to attend. The Education Statistics Quarterly says: One of the biggest concerns for many families is how they are going to pay their children's college expenses. In academic year 2002–03, the average total price for full-time undergraduates to attend 4-year institutions—including tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, and other education expenses, as estimated by the institutions—was more than $12,800 at public institutions and almost $28,000 at private institutions (College Board 2003a). Over the past decade, inflation-adjusted tuition prices at public and private 4-year colleges and universities jumped nearly 40 percent, while the median income of families with a head of household 45 to 54 years old (those families most likely to have traditional college-age children) rose only 8 percent (College Board 2003b). Such price increases have made it much more difficult for families from nearly all income levels to pay for college. Researchers have, for many years, wondered how... ...eir general education courses. This mentality is not healthy. Not only are general education classes required, they are necessary for the development of well rounded citizens. It may cost a little more but what is a pretty penny compared to ones future. These courses are also valuable because it allows students to sample other aspects of life that they may find more interesting than his/her initial major. General education is quite valuable for the development of a fully literate society. For the development of cultured, interesting individuals, general education must be viewed as a necessity. Works Cited Kirsziner Laurie G. and Mandell Stephen R. Patterns for College Writing, Bedford/St. Martin’s Boston, New York Kozol Jonathan. â€Å"The Cost of an Illiterate Society.† From Illiterate America by Jonathan Kozol. Copyright 1985 by Jonathan Kozol Zinsser William. â€Å"College Pressures.† From Blair and Ketchum’s County Journal, Vol VI, No. 4, April 1979. Copyright 1979 by William K. Zinsser. National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/programs/quarterly/vol_5/5_2/q2_4.asp 1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA, Phone: (202) 502-7300