the point I am trying to make

At this point in my research, I have finally come to where I can start to formulate my case and the point I am trying to make. My question is, Is the giant Ivy League price tag truly worth it and what do students get from a private education? In my case I am starting to believe that it depends on the student and in most cases, a student can get a great education anywhere they go. My research shows that students in public universities can earn just as much (even more) than students in private universities. other aspects included in my research are employment rates for students coming out of both types of universities and enrollment levels in private universities. I am looking at evidence showing, graduation rates, class sizes, tuition, graduate schools acceptances, etc. to help stake my claim.

The Debate

The debate i have identified. Is a tough one to distinguish, and it will be even tougher to establish a winner. Both sides provide enough evidence to sway me in either direction. My question has shifted to whether or not the experience of an ivy league is worth it over another institution. And what is it that gives the schools such a sense of entitlement for their graduates success? While one side says, the Ivy League "grooms" its students for success, nurturing them and making certain that they do succeed. Is the university doing so to keep its highly accredited numbers high? And on the other hand, students at large public schools aren't granted the personal touch like the students at ivy league schools. They tend to be "mass educated" and students can drop out and fail a class without notice. However, students who do excel in this situation, do so on their own, showing that they can achieve success independently. So, the debate is difficult and I have much more research to do to venture both sides of this topic.

What I Need Help On.

So far, my research has been going quite smoothly. However, there are a few things in my research that I feel as if I definitely need help on. First off, I need help finding more scholarly sources, for some reason I have had no issue finding primary sources (i.e. U.S. News articles and University admissions websites), however when it came to me finding secondary sources I was coming up against great difficulty. I am not sure if I am going about my research the wrong way or I am just typing in the wrongs things into my search because I am having a hard time finding what I am looking for. I have found a few good ones, but I am fully aware that I need much more. Also, we already spoke of this in our conference, but I am still thinking of what directions I am going to go in my topic. I have been jumping around the topic and I need to finally choose a direction. Besides those things I think I am off to a pretty confident start. If I think of anything else, I will be sure to ask!

Is It All Worth It?

I have gotten to the stage of my research to where I can begin to piece things together and I can begin to see the picture of where I am going with this project. So far I have had no difficulty finding primary sources I can use in my research. Primarily I used the admissions website at Harvard University to show examples of the attitude the Ivy League has towards the education they have to offer. On their website I noticed---which was different from other university websites--- they brag about the statistics of where their graduate end up after graduation much more than the rest. In Deresiewicz's "The Disadvantages of An Elite Education", Deresiewicz (an Ivy League graduate himself) speaks of the issues with Ivy League entitlement, he describes how Ivies "encourage their students to flatter themselves for being there". He also discussed how the entitlement that the ivies impose causes it's alumni to be "incapable of talking to people who aren't like you [Ivy Grad]). This could be a lead on the Ivy League "entitlement" argument. While I still haven't decided a specific question the resources have helped me come closer to what my question might be. What do students get from an Ivy League education? Where does this source of entitlement that the Ivy Leagues impose on their students? and is it all worth the overall high cost? In "What's Wrong--And Right-- With American Higher Education" by James Axtell, Axtell explores all aspects of American higher education including the difference between public institutions and the ivies. Axtell explains the downsides of both which makes my non-bias approach towards this project much more simple.