The Climb to College

Famous poets Dorothy Parker, Robert Browning, Ogden Nash, Quincy Troupe Jr. and Carl Sandburg all have one thing in common; not one of these poets have received a college degree.  Some enrolled in the highest institutions such as Harvard, and dropped out nearly only one year after their enrollment.  Others decided to even drop out of high school before they even received their diploma, finding jobs to help make ends meet for their families.  But somehow, all of these people became highly successful, winning prizes and awards, such as the Pulitzer Prize, despite their lack of a higher education.

The question is, how did these folks become so successful?  In the 1800's, it was not uncommon for a woman or man not to go to college.  The truth is, times are changing, and statistics are much different today, than they were in the late 1800's and early 1900's, especially for females.  In 1870 only 0.7% of the female population went to college. This percentage rose surely, but slowly, and by 1900 the rate was 2.8% and the rate only increased to 7.6% by 1920.   

Ever the 1970's, when many feminist movements occurred, women felt empowered and began to enroll in colleges to pursue a career, and by the 1980's more women were enrolled in college than men.  The role of women are changing, as women are becoming much more equal to men.  There are less stay-at-home moms, more women with college degrees, and providing an equal about of money (or more) to the household as the man.

Nowadays, if you don't attend college and earn at least a two to four year degree, although possible, it is much harder to find a well paid job in order to make a living, to maintain a home to healthy and safe living standards, and to take care of a needy family.

According to USA Today, more and more Americans are educated nowadays, both men and women.  During the 2000's, figures show that more than 80% of Americans today have earned at least a high school diploma or higher, compared to only 75.2% in 1990, which shows the increase in the American population continuing their education.        

Earning a college degree enables you to have a stable lifestyle, and earn more money.  In 2008, statistics show that those who graduated with an advanced degree attained a salary of about $83,144 dollars, and those whose highest level of education was high school, earned about an average of $31,283 dollars.

So, if given the opportunity to attend an institution of higher education after graduating high school, take the opportunity.  Go for it.  Statistics truly show that with a college degree, you are able to earn more money, which can lead you to a happy, healthy lifestyle.

Unfortunately, like Parker, Browning, Nash, Troupe Jr., and Sandburg, we won't just be able to write our poems on napkins on a train and have them become published.  It's going to take a little more than that these days.

"Early College Women: Determined to Be Educated." New Page 1. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. <http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/college.htm>.


http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec02/college.html

"Census: Women Equal to Men in College Degrees - US News - Census 2010 - Msnbc.com." Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- Msnbc.com. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36663479/ns/us_news-census_2010/t/census-women-equal-men-college-degrees/>.


"College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2010 High School Graduates." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.nr0.htm>.
Women Working. Photograph.


Ogden Nash. Photograph.


Diploma. Photograph.