The Four Pillars of Argument

                                                  The Four Pillars of Arguments

       Reviewing the four pillars of argument in "College Is A Waste of Time" by Dale Stephens

Thesis Statement: Paragraph 1: "I believe higher education is broken."

Evidence: Paragraphs 4,6:
 "College is expensive. The College Board Policy Center found that the cost of public university tuition is about 3.6 times higher today than it was 30 years ago, adjusted for inflation. In the book Academically Adrift, sociology professors Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa say that 36 percent of college graduates showed no improvement in critical thinking, complex reasoning, or writing after four years of college. Student loan debt in the United States, unforgivable in this case of bankruptcy, outpaced credit card debt in 2010 and will top $1 trillion in 2011. (4)

  "The success of people who never completed or attended college makes us question whether what we need to learn is taught in school. Learning by doing-in life, not classrooms- is the best way to turn constant iteration into true innovation. (6)

    

Refutation: Paragraph 9
 "Of course, some people want a formal education. I do not think that everyone should leave college, but I challenge my peers to consider the opportunity cost of going to class. If you want to be a doctor, going to medical school is a wise choice." (9)

Conclusion Statement: Paragraph 10

  "We will change the world regardless of the letters after our names."

I believe that he appealed to his audience because he provides facts, his own experience and a little humor. He also does a popular name drop of Mark Zuckerberg. I do not agree with Mr. Stephens because I am a college student trying to succeed and this article is trying to convince me not to continue my college career.