College Research

Steen Anthony

English 102

Summary Essay

Jan. 23, 2016

Colleges too Expensive

As Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus state, “Tuition charges at both public and private colleges have more than doubled--in real dollars--compared with a generation ago” (179). As years have gone by, tuition for colleges has increased, and with that some wonder if college is worth the new price.  In the article “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admissions?”, Hacker and Dreifus believe colleges are not worth the price of their tuition because they have gone astray from their original purpose of expanding an individual's knowledge. They believe that, to get colleges back on track, they should interact more with the students, reform with the faculty structure, and involve with upcoming generations.

Hacker and Dreifus claim the way colleges interact with their students needs to change to where professors engage every student as a whole and engage their minds.  Both believe every American is  able to do college-level work, so an across-the-board enrollment should be the United States’ first goal (Hacker and Dreifus 180). Hacker and Dreifus suggest to make the goal happen that “[Professors] must become conscientious, caring, and attentive to every corner of their classrooms” (180). By not excluding anyone, professors will help prevent any student from feeling left out and less prone to dropping out. Also, professors should challenge the minds of students. Hacker and Dreifus insist that students should choose impractical studies since they believe they are “a wiser use of college and ultimately a better investment” (180). By taking classes that they might not normally choose during their undergraduate years, students would become “more thoughtful and interesting people” (Hacker and Dreifus 180). By having professors reach all their students and having the students engage their minds more, students will not think college is a waste of time and money.

In addition, Hacker and Dreifus argue that the faculty need a reform to make everyone more equal and cut on excessive salaries. Both authors emphasize that colleges should change tenures with multiple-year contracts.  Hacker and Dreifus claim, “... higher education will lose nothing by ending tenure but will reap major gains” (181). Tenures affect the faculty by having new faculty members caution on how they teach, and give no real reason to senior members to better their teaching. Another point Hacker and Dreifus make is colleges need to change how adjuncts are being paid. They state, “Adjuncts should receive the same per-course compensation as an assistant professor, including health insurance and other benefits” (Hacker and Dreifus 180).  Both authors believe that it is wrong for people who teach the same course to be paid differently. By making the faculty more equal among themselves, the focus can be shifted from money and tenures to the students and their education.

Furthermore, Hacker and Dreifus suggest that teaching needs to involve more with the 21st century to better compensate with upcoming generations. They believe that graduate programs like research centers and medical programs do not have a place in colleges today if they hinder the learning of undergraduate students (Hacker and Dreifus 182). Hacker and Dreifus feel that, in today’s world, colleges do not need expensive programs to keep students engaged. With that, many professors dismiss how helpful technology can be in a classroom. Both authors suggest, “Unlike a textbook, software can pose interactive questions, review answers, and tell students to try again, offering hints on where they may have gone wrong” (Hacker and Dreifus 182-183).  Hacker and Dreifus believe that technology is not better than a great professor, but that it can be used to better teach a generation more inclined with technology. By growing with upcoming generations, colleges can find better ways to teach their students.

In conclusion, in “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admissions?”, Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus believe colleges have gone away from the main purpose to teach and the price is not worth it. However, they believe this can change if colleges interact with students more, faculty gets a reform, and change their teaching habits. By making changes, Hacker and Claudia insist that all colleges, students, and faculty will benefit, and both authors agree that this will make colleges seem worth the price they ask. As a result, unless changes can be made, colleges will seem too expensive for the common student.

Works Cited

Hacker, Andrew, and Claudia Dreifus. "Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 179-189. Print