Undergraduate Education by Marty Nemko - Assignment Example

Nemko begins his argument by clarifying that his idea is most likely unpopular because most Americans are college educated and are sending their children to college as well. He goes on to argue how costly college education is and the kids who attend college are usually talented which is the more reason they are most likely bound to succeed than their counterparts who don’t attend college. This actually means that college isn’t the big difference. He goes on to quote a Columbia University’s report on how colleges fail to assess their own efficiency.

Nemko feels that lectures are very unproductive, however colleges are a big business and use of lectures is the cheapest method to instruct the masses. He further argues that several professors lack desire to educate undergraduates, but do it anyway since that’s where the cash lies. The rate of graduation at 4 year colleges is about 40%, which would be not acceptable in any other enterprise. Nemko elaborates the statistics used by colleges to make them appear more elite. He has a feeling that colleges misleadingly advertise custom-made experience amongst other things.

He then elucidates what he would do to fix the system. Nemko wants colleges to provide reports that have got genuine statistics and that can directly apply to an individual. He claims that this would at least provide a student with a reasonable pre-view of his/her next 4 years. Nemko favors online interactive lecture and concludes by stating that continued funding of these poor enterprises will yield and change nothing. It is therefore very clear that Marty Nemko presents an effective argument in “America’s Most Overrated Product: Undergraduate Education”.

Nemko is very clear in his presentation as to why college education is the most overrated product in America. He in no uncertain terms presents his argument using factual data that he has authoritatively researched on. He explains how even the parents who have no money will spare nothing to have their kids get a college education. He calls it mortgaging their future so as to pay for their children’s college education and gives the approximate figures of $200,000 for a 4 year college degree. America’s Education Department indicates that in spite of colleges dumbing-down classes so as to admit weak students amongst college freshmen who finished in the bottom 40% of high school class, 76% will not be able to get a diploma even when given 8.

5 years of study. Yet colleges do admit and receive money from thousands and thousands of such students each year. Nemko also has got a good grasp of the American system of higher education and is therefore able to offer a comprehensive argument based on what he has observed and researched on. He uses well analyzed information and is therefore able to offer a balanced and well informed argument which is objective. He not only talks about what ails the American Universities, he goes ahead and does an industry analysis as well and informs us how employers are bound to get jittery and cringe each time graduates seek employment, since according to them, a bachelor’s degree despite its cost ($100,000 or 200,000) doesn’t even demonstrate to fundamental writing, thinking or even reading skills.

Thus Nemo’s argument is supported by teacher education faculty of colleges churning out “defective products”. Teacher education faculty has indeed confirmed that most of their students have problems writing essay that are free of spelling and grammatical mistakes.Finally Nemo has successfully been able to utilize emotional appeals to persuade his audience why college is so overrated. He is able to do this through use of vivid examples and especially the fact that most professors are not so much into imparting knowledge to the young graduates but are simply after their money.

He really works out the emotional aspect of his audience by describing his own academic life and making them realize it’s the high time they opened their eyes and saw the reality of college education in America.Work Cited