The Growing College Gap

Citation: Draut, Tamara. The College Growing Gap. They Say, I Say with Readings. Ed. Russell Durst. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009. 378-391. Print.

Summary: In this work, Draut explains how the gaps in enrollment by class and race are once again as wide as they were thirty years ago. She expresses how many college students struggle with the high expenses of tuition, the many budget cuts, and the lack of financial aid for those who really need it.

Quote: "They are competing for slots at the nation's most elite schools, fearing that getting into anything less than a name-brand school will result in a life of mediocrity, or complete failure."

Response: I chose this quote because I experienced this first hand. I came from a high school that was ranked one of the top schools in California and was known to be a wealthy school. Most of the students that graduated from my high school ended up going to universities such as Harvard, Yale, NYU or USC. The demand to go to an "elite school" was something that many of the students stressed about. Matching up to this high demand was very stressful.

I personally don't believe that it is a done deal that if you go to a prestigious college you will end up successful. What many fail to understand is that Harvard is just a name. I do not believe that the fact that I am going to a Cal State will extremely hinder my success. The important thing to remember is that in this experience, it is how you, as a student, use the resources your college has to offer. It is how you, not the university, work to achieve your goals. A person could go to a top school and not fully reach his or her potential because he/she did not invest in his/her college experience completely.

I believe that no matter what, to be successful in life, you need a college education regardless. The way you go about your education is a whole other story. In the future, I hope to be a part of the music industry in some form. Whether it is producing, managing, or actually performing, the name of what college I graduated from should not effect my success in life. You create your own success. Work hard, get the job done, and hope for the best.