What We Can Learn From Murrays College Enrollment Essay

What We Can Learn From Murray's College Enrollment EssayThis Charles Murray essay is easy to dismiss, given the fact that it is definitely a controversial statement. However, it is also an honest assessment of college enrollment numbers. By examining this number for just a few short years, we can see where our nation stands today and how far we have to go.In the first paragraph of the essay, Murray introduces us to some facts about the number of students in the United States who are attending college. From that, he relates statistics that he found on the number of students in the United States who are returning from high school. Then, he goes on to discuss the statistics for the average age of students attending college, the number of single mothers and the average educational level for women in the United States.From those simple facts, we can ascertain that there are a few specific demographics that are larger than others in the population, such as the number of single parents, the average age of students and the number of Americans over the age of 25. All of those facts go to show the fact that there are too many Americans entering college today, but not enough of them staying after graduation. The fact that many young adults and mothers have left school, has drastically lowered the standards for quality education in this country.After reviewing the overall percentage of those graduating, the truth comes out. Today, we have too many students going to college today, but we don't have enough students going to college today to maintain our high standard. It seems as if the government has determined that we must accept this reality before the issues become worse. That's when Murray lays out the implications for today.One of the implications of today's college enrollment numbers is that today, our colleges and universities are no longer educating a large percentage of our population. In the future, Murray predicts that the percentage of students enrolled in the U nited States will continue to decline. What he fails to mention is that it will be the most heavily burdened group of students that drop out. Students from minority groups, and those who do not live in the U.S. will also experience dropouts as a result of low enrollment numbers.Murray also neglected to mention that the breakdown of low graduation rates comes with recent research that suggests that many students who have not completed high school are unable to remain in school. They lack motivation or simply cannot get through the courses in the necessary time frame. Therefore, it makes sense that they would drop out before graduation day to begin earning their degree.Most colleges and universities already face a dropout rate higher than that of vocational schools. Whether or not they educate these dropouts, should they accept the same percentage of dropouts as they do today? It may seem like a small percentage to you, but it represents a huge number of students.These are just a few of the implications of the alarming statistics for college enrollment numbers. So, as you read Murray's essay, take a look at your own. Chances are, you're right where he is, so do your part to help.