Victor Fiscella 

English 170 

Professor Apuzzo 

1 May 2023 

                                                                                                         Critical Assessment 

   

Oren Cass’s “College Isn’t for Everyone” is about how our current education system for high school graduates, those currently in college, and those who graduated college need reform, desperately. He explains how the current system is troubled with many different problems like increasing debt pits, unequal access for those with lower incomes, and the rate of high school graduations going lower over the years. Cass is writing to a general audience as most people in the United States have been in this type of situation before, deciding whether college is the right thing for them. Cass structures the argument by first explaining what the problem is, showing evidence and research to explain further, and then offering different types of solutions to solve these problems. He uses the example of two students from different income medians to explain how the system is flawed, then explains the statistics and value of going to college and graduating high school, and then explained a solution, “To reverse the system’s regressive nature, we should shift our college subsidies toward funding this new pathway. The burden of financing a college education remains manageable for those who actually graduate and use their degrees. They will still be the economy’s winners, even while paying off loans.” Cass claims that not everyone should go to college but have different pathways to success, “Those kids are most
kids, and a false promise of college success does more harm than good. We owe them our focus and the best pathway that we can construct — one that carries them as close as possible to the destination their college-bound peers will reach, and sometimes beyond.” Cass has some bias in his writing, as he works at the Manhattan Institute, so he has some type of higher education. This creates some bias as he had the chance to go to a college while speaking on behalf of those who can’t. This could create some distrust in his writing but not much to be discredited. Pathos is used during the evidence part of his writing, “If that were true, even a small chance at escaping the supposedly sad fate of inadequate education is better than ever admitting defeat”. This appeals to the readers’ emotions by explaining that some people will try to better their education, even if the odds are against them.  

I believe that college is a choice for someone to make and a privilege as well. Not everyone has the option to go to college these days due to money problems, location, or matters out of their control. For those who do have the option, it’s really up to them if they want a job that needs college education. Many current employers today are looking for college degrees when they put out job listings but there are many high-paying jobs that don’t require extensive college education to be good at it like construction or work in the service industry. I wanted to go to college for a mix of different reasons. I wanted to go into computer science, and you need to go to college for that, most of my family has had some type of college education so it was expected of me to go, and I wanted to learn some life skills by living on my own.  

 Carol Friel’s response to Cass’s argument is essential reading because it offers an opposing viewpoint on the argument. Friel argues that college isn’t just about trying to get a high-paying job and that there are many different live skills you’ll learn while attending. She also argues that college isn’t for everyone and that no matter how many years you attend or where you attend, you’ll be gaining experience that will help you down the line. Readers will want an opposing viewpoint as it lets them question claims and make a more educated choice on who they want to support. Readers will give this argument consideration as it makes a great point on why college is still necessary, even if you aren’t getting the highest education or even just going for a year or two.  

 

Should a College Diploma Be a Goal for All? ProQuest, Dec 30, 2018, https://libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/should-college-diploma-be-goal-all/docview/2161380505/se-2. 

Cass, Oren. “College Isn’t for Everyone: [Op-Ed].” New York Times, Dec 12, 2018. ProQuest, https://libdatabase.newpaltz.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/college-isnt-everyone/docview/2154504100/se-2.