Week 2 Journal Entry Assignment | 1
Joining the Conversation p.233
1.Summarize in a few sentences the seven misperceptions that Sanford Ungar discusses.
These of course are all the things that “they say”- and that he uses to launch what he
wants to say. How does calling them “misperceptions” affect the way you read his
argument? Would you read it any differently if he instead called them “common
assumptions”?
In the article provided, seven misconceptions about liberal arts education
is mentioned. I plan to summarize these misconceptions that were discussed in
item and, I am planning on stating how I would perceive them if they were called
“common assumptions”. The first misconception promotes that vocational
training is the prime alternate versus liberal arts training in today’s culture. Ungar
finds that specialized training is a shortcut for students. When a student has a vast
array of knowledge, he believes they are more well-rounded. This makes them
better able to succeed in their future careers.
In another point, Ungar disagrees that the liberal arts are extraneous for
low-income students. This also supports the idea that these students should be
more seasoned in different areas of study. When we cover Ungar’s fifth point, he
mentions that that liberal arts are more of a STEM program. Some people
misperceived that a liberal education is related to politics, due to the nature of the
program of study’s name. This in fact is not a true statement.
All this information leads me to believe that, misconceptions are more
assumptions than anything else. My husband likes to say that “assumption” has a
character-trait word in it that is not becoming of a human being. I must agree that
it sounds more appeasing to the ear, to categorize them as misperceptions as
opposed to common assumptions. I do think that I would read this a bit differently
depending on the wording of the subject. One word can really make the difference
on a subject matter whether it is a synonym or not.
2.See paragraph 6 where Geoffrey Garin suggests that “the responsibility of higher
education today is to prepare people ‘for jobs that do not yet exist.’” Thus, according to
Ungar, “It may be that studying the liberal arts is actually the best form of career
education.” How would you respond to this claim?
I agree that a liberal arts education can prepare people better for different
aspects of a job. I do also think that specialized career training is essential to
thriving in a certain field. Since I am in the health field, I have used much of my
education through having an arrangement of knowledge. I have dabbled in
phlebotomy, dental assisting, medical assisting, etc. In these vocational trainings,
I was given core education to help me blend into the work place better. I think that
we are given a lot of education in a liberal arts degree that is not relevant to the
field we are going into. This in turn makes students pay higher fees for their
education with these extra credits being involved. That being said, as student who
Week 2 Journal Entry Assignment | 2
is looking to be a physician in the future, I think that more information in the
sciences is essential to my success. The basics of oral communication, English,
math, etc. are vital as well to do basic tasks and just function as a human-being. I
degenerate that this needs to be taken in college though. We take these classes in
high school just to take them in college again and I find that a bit redundant and
less time efficient.
3.Misperception number 5 relates liberal education to political affiliation. What does Ungar
have to say on this issue, and what do you think about his response?
To be honest, I have been at fault for associating a liberal art education
with political affiliation. I believe that this could be avoided if we all researched
this matter before “assuming” that this affiliation is relevant. I am a conservative,
and after reading this article, it has opened my eyes to the truth. There is quite a
difference in the terms liberal and conservative. This is both in definition as well
as association to education. For example, a degree in religion is classified as a
liberal arts degree. If this subject was associated to a degree program than
wouldn’t it be a “conservative arts” degree? No, this is not the case because a
classification for such a degree does not exist. Ungar says that a liberal arts degree
has nothing to do with a political affiliation and I believe that he is correct.
4.On what specific points do you think Ungar would agree with Andrew Hacker and
Claudia Dreifus (pp. 178–88)? On what points would he be likely to disagree?
I am going to say that Ungar would agree that a college education should
be available to anyone and everyone. As for speaking of finances, I feel they may
clash on their views. Their ideas on the relevance of cost are quite different.
Ungar thinks that the cost of education is unfair while the other two claim that
schools should be praised for their financial achievements.
5.Write your own essay listing five assumptions about college education.
Misperception No.1: A college education is essential to a person’s success in the job
field. I am one that will disagree with this assumption. There are many people that are
documented for exceeding the average of wealth as well as success, that have not
attended college. Bill gates is one of those famous persons. Another great example is my
husband. After joining the military, he completed his time of service and entered the work
field right away without going to college. He was picked out of hundreds of applicants
for a position at Conoco for an engineering management position on the oil field. He beat
out many other applicants due to his prior experience and level of maturity. Some of the
applicants had bachelors or even master’s degrees. They stated to him that they preferred
someone that they could mold. This would be a person who did not have prior experience
or education in the field.
Week 2 Journal Entry Assignment | 3
Misperception No.2: All college education is worth putting yourself into debt. This is
another statement that grinds my gears. An education is an investment just as many other
things are. You should not be getting an education in a career where the program costs
more than the income you will be bringing in after you enter the real world. I think that
an education is great and if you are going to benefit from that education and it will
enhance your potential then you should surly go for that investment. Would you invest in
a business if you did not think it was worthy of bringing in more than the profit that you
invested?
Misperception No. 3: You have to do amazing in High school to get into a good or
even decent college. I will tell you the hard truth on this subject and it may not be
something that your teachers or your parents tell you. I was one of those kids in school
that did not work to her full potential. My teachers said that I was a genius but that I do
not apply myself. It was written on all my report cards and instilled into me at every
parent/teacher conference. My grades were subpar and I can vouch that I passed by the
skin of my teeth every year. After entering the military, I thought that college just was not
for me. I was so mistaken, and thought that I would at least give this application thing a
whirl. I applied to six colleges and got into them all. Some of them were well-known and
one was even an ivy league school. I did not take my ACT’s or SAT’s. I had
extracurriculars but by no means a good GPA. Now I make great grades in college and I
am doing well in life. I am not saying that this works for everyone, but I was not your
traditional “hard working, stressing, high school student”.
Misperception No. 4: You need to put in a lot of philanthropy and thrive in extra
curriculars to be successful in college. Again, this is a great outlook and I suppose if you
can handle the social and educational aspects of college this may be the path for you. For
someone like me who takes heavy course loads, joining a sorority or even a chess club is
a little out of my realm of possibility. They try to teach you time management in all
institutions and this does play a major role in your success. I am sure that future
employers would rather see that you excelled academically and knew the materials for
your job rather than being part of a sorority and/or feeding the poor. Likewise, as these
are great attributes to have when it comes down to choosing what is more important to fill
your time, I find that studies will win the race and for good reason.
Misperception No. 5: A college education is guaranteeing you a job in your field of
study. There are many students that upon graduating find a hard time working in the field
they have their degree in. The Washington Post states that only 27 percent of students
have jobs in their respected fields. Just imagine, going to school and being passionate
about your curriculum, to find out the job market does not support your dreams and hard
work. This is why I recommend to do the appropriate research for the field you would
like to eventually get into. Although the job market is always changing there are some
jobs that will always be needed. Look up available jobs on indeed, take the time to
interview others who have the degree you are aspiring to attain, etc. I think this can help
others with the disappointment at the end of the journey called college.
