Dave Eggers Serve Or Fail Summary

In his opinion piece, Serve or Fail, Dave Eggers (2004) proposes an additional requirement to the life of a college student. “Colleges,” he argues, “Should consider instituting a service requirement for graduation.” (Eggers, 2004) Though he covers his many disputes with Colleges, this is the primary focus of his essay as he believes the requirement could appease them. While he has convincing reasons, Eggers’ (2004) argument relies on flawed logic.
After outlining his College experience, Eggers (2004) lays out his claim: Colleges should require community service to graduate. He argues that, in his experience, college is too long, and gives it’s students too much time to waste. Because of that, college students have the unique capacity in …show more content…
However, Eggers’ (2004) hastily generalizes all college students as having the same experience that he did. On top of that, he makes other presuppositions, such as juniors having the most amount of time, or that all college programs are too long. The first hole in his logic is the easiest to display. Eggers (2004) generalization of college students as having copious amounts of free time is false for many people. Since he had the time to become “became one of the best two or three foosball players in the Land of Lincoln” (Eggers 2004), mustn’t all college students? While that was his experience, it is out of the norm. For myself, taking a full course load, the lead role in the theater production, and playing an intercollegiate sport means I have to choose between a full night’s rest and a couple of hours of free time after I finish my homework. My experience is not the standard either, but it lies somewhere in the middle of my perception and that of Eggers (2004). With many friends in the Honors program, I have to admit I know more students similar to myself than Eggers (2004). In another anecdotally based generalization, Eggers (2004) also claims that “that college is too long -- it should be three years.” While that may be his experience, it is not consistent for all students. Some majors are more involved than his Journalism degree, such as biochemistry, nursing, or engineering. These overarching generalizations, based on anecdotal evidence, are supported by other unfounded assumptions. Eggers (2004) claims that junior year is, “a time when the students are settled and have more hours and stability in their schedules,” however if you read that to any RWC nursing major they would only need one word to dispute that:

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