Part 1 citation: Barbaro, Michael, et al. “Is College Worth It?” The New York Times, 20 Sept. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/podcasts/the-daily/is-college-worth-it.html?showTranscript=1.
Part 2- Summary: In this podcast, Paul Tough and michael barbaro talk about why many young people are choosing not to go to college, mostly in rural areas where it’s seen as not worth the cost. He explains that many of these young people “had really negative experiences in college,” such as dropping out and collecting debt over time. As a result, “ a lot of family members were discouraging their younger kids from going on to college.” Tough highlights that while not attending college may seem like a solution for a lot of people, the country as a whole is at risk if millions of young people choose not to go to college. He also adds that economists predict the U.S. will face a shortage of 8.5 million college graduates by the end of the decade. This number just seems very scary overall. Tough also points out that a lot of high school graduates face limited job opportunities, just because of the fact they don’t have a college degree…. “The fastest growing jobs… for folks who don’t have anything more than a highschool degree… pay a median salary of less than $31,000 a year.” In the end, he believes that college is a necessary part of the economy, but the current system, which is “increasingly unfair,” needs to change.
Part 3- Rhetorical Analysis: The genre of this source is a journalistic podcast episode, which is part of The New York Times called The Daily Series, which focuses on current events news. The host, Micheal Barbaro, is an experienced journalist who has a reputation for thorough, and balanced reporting, giving credibility to the information. Barbaro’s tone is thoughtful and neutral, while still encouraging the listeners to question the values of getting a higher education. This episode appeals to logos because of its use of statistics on college debt and job outcomes and includes ethos by presenting credible experts and students as interviewees. The primary audience would be highschool students, college students, parents, and anyone who is simply interested to find out if college would return their initial investment. There really isn’t a specific occasion for this podcast to take place, this is just general information and statistics. The New York Times is one of the most credible sources in the world. Earning over 130 Pulitzer prizes. The podcast is recent, it was uploaded on sept, 20, 2023. Since this episode is recent it provides current information and statistics about this topic.
Part 4: Notable Quotable:
1. “What I found was that a lot of them had had really negative experiences in college. They had dropped out. They owed a ton of money. They didn’t feel good about themselves, and a lot of family members were discouraging their younger kids from going on to college.” (Tough)
2. “When you talk to economists about what this economy is going to need over the next decade, what they tell you is that we need more BAs.” (Tough)
3.“The reality is that for most people who just have a high school diploma as their highest educational credential, the opportunities are really limited.” (Tough)
