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Solmaz Rajabi

English 102

Professor Breeze

01 July 2015

“Educating the Future: The End of Mediocrity”

Rob Bencini writes a very interesting essay arguing the topic of higher education.

Bencini uses logic and reasoning strategy to effectively persuade his audience. By using

logic and reasoning, Bencini gives his readers a better understanding of his argument

with actual facts and reasonable statements. Bencini focuses his essay on the reasons that

caused the decrease in enrollment and financial issues many universities are suffering

from.

In the article by Rob Bencini, he begins explaining his point of view by

introducing the seven trends he believes has led to the outcome of receiving a higher

education. The first trend Bencini explains is the lack of knowledge graduates have after

getting their degrees. Many employers feel that college graduates are not being taught

the right material for the actual work position. Secondly, Bencini says that many online

colleges are just being used because many people believe that any degree is acceptable

regardless how it was received.

For the third trend, Bencini explains that the price of some colleges and

universities has increased. The higher the cost of getting into a good school causes many

people to not be able to afford it. Another trend that was mentioned in the article was the

continuance of the debt caused by so many student loans. There are many instances
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where students can’t afford a higher education leading them to take out loans that’s not

certain to be paid off.

Bencini separated the final trend from the rest because he feels that the

connection between the workplace and a degree is his strongest argument. In the final

trend, Bencini states that many work places now are looking at the knowledge a person

has rather than the degree. Also he feels that one of the major issues with students

receiving a degree is not being able to find a job afterwards. Many students struggle to

find a job; therefore they are left with a high amount of unpaid student debt that can

never be repaid.

Furthermore, many universities have created MOOCs, which are free online

courses without receiving the actual credit. Any person has the opportunity to gain the

same knowledge a person would if they paid for it. Since there are so many work places

looking for knowledge rather than a degree the MOOCs help a person to specialize in a

certain area. Bencini says that there are so many people who have become successful

without a higher education or diploma.

In conclusion, Bencini argues that all of these trends have set back the enrollment

due to the advancement in technology. If a person receives a higher education they are

pressured afterwards finding a job. Bencini believes that people shouldn’t waste their

money when many people can sign up for MOOCs and having a better chance of finding

a job versus those who receive a degree. Bencini felt that any universities or schools that

are mediocre should close rather than decreasing the amount of technology being used.

Students and parents will pay if they can afford it or feel that it is worth it therefore, its

easier to just take MOOCs to specialize in a certain topic.

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