The Benefits of a College Degree, a Master’s Degree, and a Professional Degree
An AVID Assignment
The research document we studied titled It’s Time To Tell the Kids: If You Don’t Do Well
in High School, You Won’t Do Well in College (or on the Job) by James E. Rosenbaum
draws several important conclusions: 1) Those with a high school grade point average of
“C” or lower will probably never be graduated from a university. 2) Although it’s easy
to attend college regardless of high school grades, students with low grades end up taking
plenty of remedial courses that do not earn them college credit. 3) Most students who
earn poor grades in high school are kidding themselves if they think they will graduate
from college someday. 4) The more hours a student spends completing homework in high
school, the more likely that student is to graduate from college. 5) Poorly prepared
students often spend four to five years earning a two year AA degree from a community
college.
We also studied the U.S. Census Bureau’s Median Earnings chart to discover that those
with college and professional degrees make millions of dollars more over a lifetime (and
tens of thousands more each year) than those with only high school diplomas.
Today you are going to take your new understanding and apply it to several life
circumstances to identify the varied benefits of having earned a university degree or
professional degree. You will see that the sacrifice of working hard now will pay off
later in a number of ways.
Life Situation/Status Benefits of Having a University Degree (and PTS.
Perhaps a Professional Degree) in this Situation
Getting a Job That Pays
Enough to Live in an Area
You Like and to Have the
Freedom of Staying Out of
Debt
Buying a House for the
Pride of Home Ownership
and the Tax Benefits One
Can Receive by Deducting
Mortgage Interest
Attracting a Mate Who Is
Accomplished, Well
Educated, and Responsible
Becoming a Parent and
Supporting Your Children
Financially and Personally
Throughout their Lives
Making Sure That Your
Children Receive a Good
Elementary Education
Having Plenty of Friends
Who Have University or
Graduate Level Degrees
and Who Work in a Variety
of Professions
Being Able to Change
Professions When You Feel
Like Doing So without
Taking a Significant
Financial Hit
Buying Safe and Reliable
Cars for You and Your
Family Members
You Want to See Many
Places in the World, and
You Want to Go on Yearly
Vacations
Your Children Need
Someone To Prepare Them
for College by Teaching
Them the Value of
Studying Hard and Taking
Difficult Classes
Your Children Need Help
with their Schoolwork
Whenever They Struggle in
Hard Classes
Your Spouse Dies,
Divorces You, or Becomes
Too Disabled to Work, Yet
There Are Still Bills to Pay
Your Parents Need Extra
Medical Attention That You
Don’t Have Time or
Expertise To Provide
Having Enough Money to
Retire Without Worrying
about Making Ends Meet
Financially
Being a Citizen and
Consumer Who No One
Takes Advantage of
Because He/She Knows
How to Think, Speak,
Write, and Read Effectively
Now plan several goals for yourself that will lead you to the kind of life we mentioned:
Immediate goals:
What I will accomplish tonight:
What I will accomplish this week:
Short Term Goals:
What I will accomplish in these last four weeks of school:
What I will accomplish over the summer
Long Term Goals:
What I will accomplish Junior and Senior years in high school:
Difficult courses I will take:
Grades I will earn in those classes:
Ways I will prepare for the PSAT and SAT:
PSAT/SAT scores I will earn:
Ways I will involve myself in extra-curricular activities:
Universities I will earn admission to (in order to have a choice):
Extended Long Term Goals:
Number of years it will take me to be graduated with a bachelor’s degree:
Number of years it will take me to be graduated with a master’s degree:
The year I will be hired to begin my first professional job: