Annotated Bibliography (Essay Sample)

Annotated References.
Name of Author
Institutional Affiliation
Annotated References
Hixon, T. (2014). Higher Education Is Now Ground Zero for Disruption. USA.
This book by Todd Hixon is merely a reflection of what people actually perceive of the higher education system in the USA. It talks about college/university education in keen and explicit details. The book attempts to try to comprehend why the payment for higher education in the USA is ridiculously high. Apparently, the rates of fee payment for the same have inflated three times over merely within the last thirty-five years. According to the author, it is incomprehensible how higher education could be as costly, yet in most occasions, not quite as marketable. A case like this could be interpreted as an utter waste of money on education that does not carry any guarantees for a good and stable future. We gather from the book that one in every eight college graduates end up unemployed, the rest of which, acquire jobs that are in no way related to their college education. Overall, the college system has been commercialized in despicable ways. Based on the author, college influence only works in employment with regard to the top 100 schools in the country; the rest could very well be in comparison with high school graduates. The author clearly states that the higher education system in the USA today is quite overrated. In fact, it puts across a reasonable suggestion that instead of attending colleges, individuals could actually utilize technology by learning and getting all the essential enlightenment through online studies. The author clearly steers people towards being more open to alternative ideas of learning rather than spending money on higher education, which could turn out to be a total waste.
This source is very applicable to my education now. Many people are undecided about pursuing higher education due to various reasons. Through this source, they get the idea that higher education is not as definite of one’s future as it is painted out to seem. There are ample alternative ways in which one can make their own way in life in the case that they lack money for college in the USA. College simply gives one an edge, perceptibly, not a very big one today. The source mentions in his work that there are a considerably substantial number of successful entrepreneurs who are without college education in the country today. I would say that through this source, one is made aware that there are options when it comes to the issue of college; the fact that online education is available is one.
This source is credible in my opinion. For starters, he writes out of his own personal experience. This is based on the precise fact that he acquired higher education himself. In essence, this put him in a position to experience first-hand how college affected his life in general. I would say this puts him in an imperative and vital position to talk about it as accurately as he does. We get this from a speech from the current Princeton University president that he takes us back to while he was still a college senior; William Bowen literally predicted the overstatement and exaggeration of higher education costs in the USA. In my opinion, this makes the source credible enough to be taken into consideration.
Bowen, W. G., Kurzweil, M. A., Tobin, E. M., & Pichler, S. C. (2005). Equity and excellence in American higher education. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press.
This book addresses the issues of higher education on a more particular and precise aspect. It looks keenly into the provision of the education itself; is their equity and excellence in the system? Americans clearly do value their education and consider it excellent, though it is still a debatable fact. On the part of equity however, people are quite uncertain. America strives to offer education to minority groups like immigrants, other ethnic orientations, and etcetera. However, it is an arguable factor whether this motive threatens the verities of their educational system as well as the social mores pertaining to the same. The book goes further to expand and elaborate the purpose of higher education in the United States; to equip the youth with the knowledge and skills they require to take up more productive roles in the society as a whole. The source overtly notes ways in which to ensure equity and excellence in the US education system. One suggestion is that the most deserving students could be given financial aid in order to afford the education itself; this is a step towards assuring equity considering the fact that some gifted students are incapable of funding their own education.
The book even goes further to exploit the issue of the impacts of socioeconomic issues such as race and ethnicity with regard to access to college education. Clearly, these factors still do influence attainment of higher education much as they should not. Generally, this book looks at higher education from a much deeper point of view, from the inside.
I would say this source is quite relevant in many aspects. It is pertinent that people should know how to ensure that there is equity and excellence in the higher education system. This is not a singular effort rather it is communal. Everybody deserves a fair short at the best that the US education system can offer and this source emphasizes on that point. It gives the outside a clearer perspective of what really goes on in the higher education system in actuality.
I can undeniably vouch for the credibility of this source. The authors are great names in the educational systems; they are intellectuals who comprehensively understand this topic as anyone else who qualifies. For instance, William Bowen is the president of Princeton University; what better position to be in to write this? They write this from the inside of the system and not merely as outsider viewers with a perception. This is undoubtedly a very credible source.
Dickert-Conlin, S., & Rubenstein, R. H. (2009). Economic Inequality and Higher Education: Access, Persistence, and Success.
This is a source focused mainly on the effects of economic inequality on accessibility, persistence, and success with regard to higher education. It talks about the joint effort required to minimize economic inequality in higher education. It is no doubt that college education in the USA is quite expensive, well out of range with a majority of parents who cannot afford to send their children to college. This book tries to depict all that should be assembled in the fight against inequality in higher education as attribute to lack of finances. This source is a compilation of all the ...