Thursday, May 14, 2015

Importance of the Americn Dream

Tonight, my dad spent time at his student's graduation at Northeastern University. Northeastern is a state commuter college that is often a choice for people that want education but don't have the money or time for a private university or more notable state school. Northeastern doesn't produce prominent political figures or field defining scientists, but what it does do is produce graduates that are better prepared for the professional world--the majority coming from lower to lower middle class families.

When my dad came home my mom asked him why he spent so much time watching graduation twice a year when many of his colleagues do not. His response was especially interesting: "That graduation is more notable than any Ivy League School graduation every has been." He went on to say that 60% of the graduating class would be the first of their family to graduate college and to have a good chance at raising their position in the professional world and move up their socio-economic status. 

The interesting question is not if either graduation (at an Ivy League School or at Northeastern) is important, the question is which is more significant. In American Culture is it more important that a large graduating class may be bringing themselves and their families and their kids up from lower class to middle of upper class, or is it more important that the wealthy and privileged majority of the high ranking private university stays wealthy and privileged? Out of an Ivy League School's graduating class could be a future American President but is it that notable that the powerful stay powerful.

What do you think matters more in the general scope of Americans?

No comments:

Post a Comment