While picking a college, seniors in high school search to find the ideal school to attend for the next four years; however, what actually makes a school an ideal school? In “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?”, college professors and authors Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus describe what colleges should be doing versus what schools are actually doing. Hacker and Dreifus dissect the aspects of colleges that make them popular places to further a high school senior’s education. In the article, Hacker and Dreifus explain that colleges need to establish engagement with students, update policies for students, and implement changes to improve experiences for students. College professors need to engage their students and encourage them to use their minds. Hacker and Dreifus believe that college professors need to be vigilant in their classrooms and inspire students to use their minds; this includes using the advances of technology. College professors, like those at the University of Notre Dame, who take time to learn their students’ names and genuinely care about the future of students have a more successful learning environment. According to Hacker and Dreifus, “Teaching appears to have a genuine import; Notre Dame has a 13-to-one student-faculty ratio. . . The president, the Rev. John Jenkins, has himself taught undergraduates- and he personally counsels them. . .” (Hacker and Dreifus 184). Hacker and Dreifus’ research proved that when college professors, including the president, engage with their students, the college has its priorities right: the education of the students. Hacker and Dreifus argue that some policies at universities need to be reconsidered because of the quality of education provided. Colleges need to change the policies associated with tenure, sabbatical, and adjuncts to provide a better education for students. Hacker and Dreifus argue that universities need to get rid of tenure because it does not allow a teacher to improve their teaching abilities; additionally, professors should not be able to take a leave from their job either. Hacker and Dreifus also argue the salary of an adjunct should be more important than how to fund a new sports facility. Hacker and Dreifus state, “. . . part-timers who teach a half-time load are eligible for health insurance. . . “ (Hacker and Dreifus 187). While the part-timers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology receive these benefits, other adjuncts do not receive health insurance nor the same amount of pay. Adjuncts teach the same curriculum as a professor, but they receive only one-sixth of the pay. Hacker and Dreifus argue that they should receive equal pay because they are not tenured, and they have the want to improve their teaching abilities. The policies of adjuncts are only some of the changes Hacker and Dreifus suggest. Colleges need to implement structural changes including encouraging foundations to distribute money evenly, create more content specific institutes, and hire presidents who will not sit behind their desks. Hacker and Dreifus determine that benefactors choose to donate to universities who are already financially sound. Benefactors should instead donate to colleges who have students that grew up in rural areas. Hacker and Dreifus described how Western Oregon University “offers a ‘tuition promise’ to entering freshmen: Their fees will remain constant throughout their four years” (qtd in. Hacker and Dreifus 187). In other words, Hacker and Dreifus found that the main goal at Western Oregon University was to educate their students without the worries of all the debt. The suggestions Hacker and Dreifus provided from their research of colleges are how universities can make their colleges ideal. In the article “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?”, Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus explain that colleges need to establish engagement with students, update policies for students, and implement changes to improve experiences for students. Through the engagement of students, the fair treatment of adjuncts, and the donations of benefactors, seniors can find the ideal college.
Works Cited Hacker, Andrew, and Claudia Dreifus. "Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 179-189. Print