Class Supplement, TOEFL Essay, the more college graduates, the better?

Writing Topic:
Some people believe that a college or university diploma has become far less meaningful than before, with ever larger percentages of people receiving higher-levels of education. Others believe that it is a positive development to have increasing numbers of students graduating from college. Discuss these views. Which view do you agree with?

Let’s Think:
This topic is made up of three parts: a hint, a direction, and a question. The hint introduces two opposite views about the increase of the number of university students. Then you are directed to discuss these two views and asked which view you share. The first thing to do to answer this question is to read these views carefully and analyze them.

The first view is negative about increasing numbers of university students. It says that a college degree is “far less meaningful” “with ever larger percentages of people receiving higher levels of education.” This reminds you of the phrase, “scarcity value”. This opinion sees a college or university diploma as something like a commodity that has a value in the market. The market is probably the job market in this case. When you apply for a job, having a higher educational background than others is a plus. Fifty years ago, a college or university diploma was a rare qualification and having one was a great advantage in getting a high-paying job, but now, most people in developed countries go to college and there is little advantage in having a bachelor’s degree when you try to find a job.

The second view says that having more college graduates is a positive development. It is probably about the development of society with the increase of the number of highly-educated citizens. What is good about society filled with people with higher-levels of education? What is good about them? They can read and write well. They have a lot of general knowledge and have been trained to think scientifically, which is to think logically and to conclude based on evidences. Many of them also have special knowledge and skills for specific jobs. Developing countries with good leaders spend a lot of money on education because they need human resources to build their countries: engineers, office workers, teachers, and many other professions that require at least a college degree. This is fundamentally true to developed countries, too. Increasing numbers of college graduates indicates prosperity.

Both views have a point. The difference between them might be the values. In the first view, a bachelor’s degree is a qualification for job-hunting. In the second view, it is seen as a building block of society.

Essay for Ideas and Expressions:
I think the increase of the number of college graduates is good for both society and individuals. It will contribute to the development of society and will enrich personal life.

It is true that the value of college diploma as qualification goes down as more people go to college. Having a bachelor’s degree is no longer an advantage in competition, especially in the job market. Fifty years ago, graduating from college or university was an accomplishment, but now, most people in developed countries go to college and no one makes much of a college degree anymore.

However, it is also true that having higher numbers of college graduates is a positive development. As the education level of a society goes up, so do the living standards of the people. In a developed economy, where most members of the society already enjoy a high standard of living but the economic growth is slow, college or university education seems to be redundant. Many college graduates are doing the job that high school graduates were doing fifty years ago. However, the fact that the same job is done by a person with higher academic background means the society benefits from the well-educated workforce. The job can be done much better or more quickly. Also, if a larger percentage of citizens are well-educated, it will be easier to reach a consensus and implement decisions on issues that require higher levels of knowledge to understand. A group of people can work more effectively when the members know what they are doing and work pro-actively than when they blindly follow orders of someone in authority. The more conscious and informed citizens become, the more critical issues they can solve by themselves. This is especially important when they have a delinquent government. Intelligent citizens won’t let it deceive them and ruin their lives.

At the same time, more individuals having the luxury of spending four years in learning something special means more people given chances to make their lives more fulfilling. At university, people are trained to think in scientific ways, see things from multiple perspectives, and keep themselves informed and inspired even after graduation. The increasing numbers of housewives with college diplomas means more informed mothers and more women who know more ways to enjoy life.

I personally consider it intrinsically good that more people are given chances to have contact with the best in education. Experiences in highly academic circumstances will light up each individual’s life and collectively this is good for society. Therefore, I believe that it is a positive development to have more college graduates. If the world needs to be geared a little bit more toward corporation, away from competition, in order to find ways out of the crises we are in now, better access to higher education might be the thing that should be celebrated.