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The high, rising cost of attending college is one of the main reasons Tough credits for the loss of faith in the value of college in America. Comparing the cost of tuition over several different years, Tough explains how a once affordable investment, has turned into a great financial burden many can't bear.

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Tough uses the term, "College wage premium" as the most basic tool to measure the effectiveness of getting a college degree. It compares the salary of someone with a college degree with the salary of someone without one. He explains to us why this figure changes over time by writing, "When employers want more college graduates, the premium goes up; when there is a surplus of college grads, the premium goes down" (Tough 4). He also mentions how it is different for different demographics making college a wise investment for some, and a foolish mistake for others who could have made the same salary without college which is often the case for minority students.

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"College wealth premium" is a more advanced measure of the effectiveness of college as an investment mentioned by Tough. Instead of just looking at the difference in salary after getting a college degree, it also looks at debt and assets as well. The difference between the wealth amassed after going to college and not going to college is not as large as the difference in salaries mainly due to student loans. In many cases, people would've even been better off not going to college. An important statement made by Tough regarding the college wealth premium is that it has been decreasing since the 1940s for both black and white students. For many, it is now a very insignificant number.

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Tough compares the decision to go to college to gambling at a casino to highlight the fact that college is an investment that pays off for some and doesn't for others, sometimes leaving them worse off financially than if they ended their education after high school. This is especially true for those who are unfortunate enough to take on loans or pay out of pocket for a college degree that they never end up finishing.

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Ivy plus university persistence of privilege

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Ivy plus university persistence of privilege

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Various factors are taken into account when admitting students into the upmost elite and selective colleges in the country known as "Ivy Plus" universities. Many of these factors, as Tough explains, give students born into wealthy families a massive advantage over their less fortunate competition. "the children of the richest American families are twice as likely to be admitted to an Ivy-Plus college as middle-class students with the same standardized test scores". Tough 13) This goes to further show that the wealthy do in fact have a lot of privilege when it comes to admissions without even considering just their academic level.

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Tough acknowledges that there is a growing view that colleges are too liberal. Specifically, he explains that this view has become popular amongst republican identifying Americans. This should come as no surprise considering that, as Tough mentions, multiple colleges have an overwhelmingly liberal faculty that continues to grow in the ratio of liberal to conservative educators. This ties in to the overall rising sentiment amongst republicans that college has a negative effect on the country because the view that colleges are too liberal is the biggest force driving the negative shift in opinion.

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Tough explains that the decision students make regarding their major, is among the most crucial factors in whether or not college will be a valuable investment for them or not. Students who chose STEM or business majors are far more likely to benefit from choosing to go to college than students who chose humanities majors. This is mostly due to the fact that the jobs available to STEM or business majors after college offer higher salaries than those available to humanities majors.

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Americans Are Losing Faith in the Value of College. Whose fault is that? -Paul Tough

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Americans Are Losing Faith in the Value of College. Whose fault is that? -Paul Tough

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Paradox -a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

Aggregate -A whole formed by combining several (typically disparate) elements.

Ideology -A system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Stratified -Divided into levels or classes based on social status, education, or income.

Affluent -Having a great deal of money; wealthy

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While working on my rough draft, I made sure to revisit past comments from my professor, particularly those about analyzing statements that can be interpreted in multiple ways. I focused on applying my professor's constructive criticism, and ensuring that I explained in detail exactly what I thought Tough meant in his article. This was a crucial aspect of the assignment because the reader’s ability to understand the quotes I inserted from Tough’s work directly affects their ability to understand my analysis. Especially since I was limited to using two quotes, I wanted to make sure they were used to explain the arguments that could benefit from the use of quotes the most. As I wrote, I also reflected on each of Tough’s arguments and how they may apply to me and my fellow peers at Rutgers University. I thought about all of my friends taking different majors, coming from families of different economic statuses, coming from different geographical regions, and coming from different ethnic backgrounds. I thought about how these arguments made by Tough might affect them all differently in this big Casino of a University we are all gambling our time and money on and how for some of them college will be a valuable investment that pays off and for some it won't. In conclusion, the argument mapping assignment was incredibly useful for strengthening my ability to explain and analyze statements made by Tough. It also gave me the chance to think critically about the American college system which I am a paying member of.