Beshears 1

Allison Beshears

Mr. McMillen

Comp. 1- 017

10 September 2015

Summary of “Two Years Are Better than Four”

In Liz Addison’s, “Two Years Are Better than Four” she responds to Rick Perlstein’s

opinion piece “What’s the Matter With College?” In Addison’s response she touches on the fact

that college is different then it use to be due to the affordability of attending a community college

and the opportunities it provides. Opportunities such as gradual growth, the positive effect

attending community college and how attending a community college opens up doors for

furthering a higher education.

In the twenty-first century, community colleges have provided a change in the process in

which college students can gain their higher education. The way they gain the higher education

isn't the only thing that differs from earlier decades, the culture of the college system has also

changes. For example, college is now more about the education, the hard work, and the time

dedicated to studying. It is less about the social aspect and partying side of a traditional college

experience, which was once the important aspects of college that is stated in Perlstein’s opinion

piece (255-256).

Community college is a more affordable way to pursue a higher education then attending

a “University of Privilege.” The affordability that Community College provides for a higher

education allows for individuals to achieve the goal of being the first person in their family to

have a college degree. Another way to put this is that community college provides an affordable

future that is rooted in a dream and the hope of its possibility. The low price of attending a
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community college allows for money to be saved and for opportunities to attend a University of

Privilege just like Liz Addison did after attending two different community colleges (257-258).

Community colleges provide individuals the ability to start pursuing a future without the

debt that the University of Privilege could possibly cause them. Individuals that do not know that

they want to do as a profession in the future can begin college as a rookie and slowly discover

what they want to be. When it comes to applying for a University of Privilege, you must “prove

yourself worldly, insightful, cultured, and mature before you get to college.” This is a

challenging task to do for someone who is the first in their family to go to college or for someone

who didn't do too well in high school. The problem with attending a University of Privilege is

that it is a place that does not give students the ability to grow due to the acceptance an applier

must express their ability to be insightful and mature. One perk of attending a community college

is that it allows for gradual growth and maturity to occur in an individual over time (256-257).

Addison states that community college is an affordable opportunity to further a higher

education that a lot of people do not acknowledge as a possibility or do not know about its

existence. They are great institutions that can provide individuals with an excellent education as

a whole or even be a stepping stone for a University of Privilege.