Argumentative Essay: What Are Students Like Customers?

The ongoing debate whether students are customers or not has established that majority of people believe today that students are customers. The quality of this debate, however, is still not put to rest. There are many that believe this is either good or bad. Majority of research I have conducted sways the opinion believing that students being treated like customers is not a good thing, particularly for the students. There are many benefits from treating students like customers for the schools, but in a professor’s viewpoint, especially, they believe that this is not right and should not be a thing anymore. We have all heard the saying, “The customer is always right.” In these situations, we typically think of the customer consuming a product in a business. In this particular situation, the customer is valued as a student in higher education. If the student is resembling a customer, would we think that they’re always right? Although it might be crucial for universities to treat students like customers to thrive and survive, it does not make this issue right. …show more content…
There were many contributions that made this paradigm well-rounded and liked. Wilhelm von Humboldt, who some regard as the prime mover in the German system, stated, "The teacher no longer serves the purpose of the student. Instead, they both serve learning itself" (von Humboldt 1969). Later on, schools in the United States adopted that same concept. Another reason the “students as customers” concept was used was in order to get more money for their schools. State legislatures would give more money due to the head count at the school. In order to get more students, they added many resources and amenities to attract students. The amenities that are added to attract students most are luxurious dorms, various food options, and plentiful resources and technology to help excel in their