Some people think that universities should provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. Others think that the true function of a university should be to give access to knowledge for its own sake, regardless of whether the course is useful to an employer. What, in your opinion, should be the main function of a university?
The function of higher education has attracted numerous debates. Some people believe that university should equip its students with skills demanded by the labour market, whereas an opposite argument arises, suggesting that the pursuit of pure knowledge is the only goal of higher education. However, this essay argues that universities should balance both of these aspects when setting the curriculum.
It is not doubtful that most of the students go to university for a descent job after their graduations. Here is a simple logic of the supply and demand: if university education could not facilitate better salaries and higher positions, then why would the students attend universities? In fact, Ivy League college graduates are highly demanded by the most successful companies, for example JP Morgan and Citigroup, because of the sound work-related knowledge that the graduates have obtained during university studies. Thus, what should be taught in university is actually shaping by the demand of employers, in such a case, it is reasonable that universities set courses which met the employers’ expectations.
Nevertheless, the function of university education should not be limited to satisfy the needs of job hunting; more importantly, it should serve a greater purpose which is the pursuit of truth and innovation. To achieve this advanced goal, university courses should cover a range of theoretical study, research and practice. Among the three types of course, the first two may not have immediate effects on an individual’s wealth growth, but they are indeed the cornerstones of the development of the human society as a whole.
In summary, the function of higher education is incomplete if either of work-related skills or pure academic knowledge is provided by universities; hence a tradeoff between them is needed.
Pls correct my essay! The function of university
Re: Pls correct my essay! The function of university
Hi SaraZh,SaraZh wrote:Some people think that universities should provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. Others think that the true function of a university should be to give access to knowledge for its own sake, regardless of whether the course is useful to an employer. What, in your opinion, should be the main function of a university?
The function of higher education has attracted numerous debates. Some people believe that a university should equip its students with skills demanded by the labour market, whereas an opposite argument arises suggesting that the pursuit of pure knowledge should be the only goal of higher education. However, this essay argues that universities should balance both of these aspects when setting the curriculum.
There is no doubt that most students go to university for a decent job after graduation. This is the simple logic of supply and demand: if university education could not facilitate better salaries and higher positions, then why would students attend universities? In fact, Ivy League college graduates are in high demand by the most successful companies; for example JP Morgan and Citigroup, because of the sound work-related knowledge that the graduates have obtained during university study. Thus, what should be taught in university is actually shaped by the demand of employers. In such a case, it is reasonable to expect universities to set courses which meet the employers’ expectations.
Nevertheless, the function of a university education should not be limited to just satisfying the needs of job hunting; more importantly, it should serve a greater purpose which is the pursuit of truth and innovation. To achieve this advanced goal, university courses should cover a range of theoretical study, research, and practice. Among these three types of course, the first two may not have immediate effects on an individual’s wealth growth, but they are indeed the cornerstones of the development of human society as a whole.
In summary, the function of higher education is incomplete if only either work-related skills or pure academic knowledge is provided by universities; hence a trade-off between them is needed.
This is a well written and clear essay. You express your ideas very well which made reading this easy fun.
Great job!
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