Is the Cost of College Too High - Annotated Bibliography Example

September 9, Annotated Bibliography on “Is the cost of college too high?” Crouch, Michelle. "10 Reasons to Skip the Expensive Colleges: Are Ivy League schools really worth the price?" Reader’s Digest. September 2011. Web. 16 October 2013. The author disclosed ten reasons why it was argued that parents and decision makers of students pursuing higher education should think twice before opting to enroll in Ivy League schools due to exorbitant costs of college education. The strengths of the article therefore lie in clearly enumerating rationales for seeking other alternative options for pursuing higher education rather than setting their minds on Ivy League Schools. Likewise, at the end of the discourse, the author provided a link to the list of affordable colleges which could be considered as alternative options. The weaknesses that were noted include the lack of citations and a reference list where readers could verify the authenticity of the information that were provided; as well as the lack of statistical information that could validate arguments from an authoritative perspective. Overall, the discourse could still be used in the current research as a source of inputs for writing the proposed recommendations or courses of action, which could include the recommended option of seeking other least expensive educational institutions which could also provide an equally rewarding educational environment. Likewise, some examples that were noted could also be used; as long as these could be aptly verified as to their authenticity and reliability prior to inclusion in one’s research. Lapovsky, Lucie. "Five Ways To Reduce College Costs." Forbes. 26 August 2013. Web. 16 October 2013. The author initially reiterated the proposal of President Barak Obama in reducing the cost of edcuation. The information that was presented therefore contained five recommended ways of reducing college costs to include: (1) pursuing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC); (2) selection of courses to be taught by part-time faculty members; (3) select larger classes; (4) select courses and major programs that are still in demand; and (5) tap technological applications as effective learning tools. The strength of the article therefore include the straightforward presentation of information which is easy to comprehend. However, the weaknesses noted include the lack of support from secondary and authoritative sources on the topic; as well as lack of statistical information on college costs which could have added credibility and reliability to the author’s arguments. Therefore, one strongly believes that this source is not very useful in the current research; except in terms of using some insights regarding options or alternative courses of action for decision makers regarding pursuing higher education in ways that are deemed cost effective. This, however, if used should still find support from other authoritative sources which should be aptly cited and referenced accordingly. Matthews, Dylan. "Introducing ‘The Tuition is Too Damn High’." The Washington Post. 26 August 2013. Web. 16 October 2013. The article presented valuable information regarding introducing the 10-part series of ‘The Tuition is Too Damn High’ which was to be published online through Wonkblog over a period of two weeks. As disclosed, as part one of the series, these discourses would allegedly focus on the causes and effect of the continuously increasing trend of exorbitant costs of higher education. The strengths of the article include presentation of facts as exhibited from the statistical information over historical periods sourced from reputable references, such as the U.S. Department of Education, the Hamilton Project, and the National Center for Education Statistics, for starters. The topics included in the discussion compared tuition fee rates, and fees for room and board since the mid-1960s; as well as consumer price index for college tuition and fees; and the total undergraduate fall enrollment from 1970 up to 2010. This particular source would be deemed useful in one’s current research on the topic “Is the cost of college too high?” through the provision of crucial information with more extensive details in subsequent series that accurately document and support the increasing trend; and could therefore validate one’s arguments. Likewise, the article is published recently which increased the credibility and reliability of disclosed information with effectively cited authoritative sources on the subject. Odland, Steve. "College Costs Out Of Control." Forbes. 24 March 2012. Web. 15 October 2016. The author emphasized that college costs are soaring over the past decades. He initially presented comparative figures on the average wage of high school graduates with those who graduated with a university degree to assert that income and wealth is directly correlated to the level of education. Other statistical information which was disclosed included the percentage of the U.S. population who have earned a degree; as well as comparing the rate of increase in college education to the inflation rate. The strengths of the article included the provision of relevant statistical figures and citing some authoritative sources to validate his claims; such as the study conducted by the Goldwater Institute. In addition, the author evaluated the apparent factors that were deemed contributory to the dilemma, to wit: the tenure policy of universities; the rise in demand; to name a few. The noted weakness was the use of supporting information with included Wikipedia; which is considered an unreliable source. This article would therefore be beneficial to the current research in terms of providing support to the argument that college costs have been continually on the uptrend. However, to establish reliability and credibility of the figures, one need to verify the source and confirm its authenticity and applicability, as expected from scholarly researches. U.S. Department of Education. "Education Department Releases Latest College Cost Data to Help Families Make Informed Decisions." U.S. Department of Education. 27 June 2013. Web. 16 October 2013 The site provided crucial information which detailed the list of educational institutions that charge the highest tuition fee rates, the highest net prices, and those whose rates were deemed to be rising at significantly fast rates. The strengths of the source and information contained herein include the provision to the links, noted to be available at the College Affordability and Transparency Center. Likewise, other relevant online sites which accurately assist parents and decision-makers in pursuing college education were also aptly provided. The only weakness to these links were the fact that the partial shutdown in Federal Government offices has affected immediate access and view to these links. Otherwise, these should have been the most authoritative sources of information on the subject matter given the credibility and reliability of the site as disclosing crucial information about educational concerns in the United States. Therefore, in as much as there is a partial preclusion in accessing the needed lists of educational institutions which could reveal those charging the highest educational costs, the information contained herein could not be useful as a reliable source of information for the current research. One has to rely on other credible sources outside of the official websites maintained by the federal government as a source of beneficial information for the study. Works Cited Crouch, Michelle. "10 Reasons to Skip the Expensive Colleges: Are Ivy League schools really worth the price?" Readers Digest. September 2011. Web. 16 October 2013. Lapovsky, Lucie. "Five Ways To Reduce College Costs." Forbes. 26 August 2013. Web. 16 October 2013. Matthews, Dylan. "Introducing ‘The Tuition is Too Damn High’." Washington Post. 26 August 2013. Web. 16 October 2013. Odland, Steve. "College Costs Out Of Control." Forbes. 24 March 2012. Web. 15 October 2016. U.S. Department of Education. "Education Department Releases Latest College Cost Data to Help Families Make Informed Decisions." U.S. Department of Education. 27 June 2013. Web. 16 October 2013. Read More