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?
This
question is quite difficult because it requires you to look at both sides
of an issue and give your opinion.
There are
three ways you could answer this:
1) Argue that
the function of university is to provide graduates with knowledge and skills
needed in the workplace.
2) Argue that
the function of university is to give access to knowledge for its own sake.
3) Argue that
the function of university is to do both.
I’ve decided to pick the third option because this will allow me to discuss both sides of the argument and therefore give a very comprehensive answer.
Answer
Whether a
university’s role should be to prepare graduates for specific jobs or simply to
educate without a particular vocation in mind is a debatable issue. This essay
believes that universities fulfill both purposes. The essay will first discuss
the function of vocational courses, followed by a discussion of more
traditional tertiary education.
Some students
have a very specific job in mind when they enroll at university. Medicine,
dentistry and accountancy have clear career paths and they allow people to
focus on and then undertake a certain profession upon graduation. This suits
those who have decided on a career and it avoids them wasting time studying a
more general subject like English. For instance, in the United States you must
complete four years of higher education before you can study law and many feel
that these four years are a waste of time, that would have been better used
focusing on their chosen discipline.
However, this
is not suitable for everyone and many people have no idea what job they
would like to do when they are 18. For these young people, it is better to do a
non-vocational course, such as philosophy and simply add to their intellect
without a career goal in mind. If they were forced to study a more practical
subject, they are more likely to quit or become disillusioned because they
don’t see the point of their chosen subject. For example, The Times recently
reported that only 50% of law graduates actually want to become lawyers at the
end of their studies.
In conclusion,
the function of college is to both prepare students for the workforce and
provide knowledge and which one a person chooses should depend on their
preference at the time. (285 words)
Band 9.
Analysis
In the
introduction I have paraphrased the question and then made it very clear what
my opinion is. I have also told the examiner how I am going to organise my
essay. This will give us very high marks for both ‘task achievement’ and
‘coherence and cohesion’.
My next
paragraph is one in which I show that the function of university is to prepare
students for the workforce. I have not only made this point, but also explained
why I think this and provided an example to further support my argument.
The third
paragraph is one in which I show the function of university is to give students
knowledge without any job in mind. Again, I have explained my point and given
an example.
Lastly, I have
made my opinion clear again in the conclusion and summarised the main points.
I hope this
has been of help to you and please let me know if you have any questions or
feedback.
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