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Numerous college students today feel as if they are not adequate enough. So much is put on their plate, and above it all, in order to maintain moving forward academically towards a career, they must showcase themselves. This idea is explored in “College Pressures” by William Zinsser. He discusses why students are driven to try so vigorously in order to earn a step ahead, yet the reasoning is arguable. One of the central struggles among college students today is that they are required to compete against one another to appear exceptional. In frequent cases, students are trying so vigorously to appear favorable on paper in order to be accepted into a prestigious school or to be hired for a higher-paying job. Additionally, students are required …show more content…
Students should desire to earn higher grades, not necessarily just earn them to surpass each other. Higher grades can be an indicator that a student is sincerely learning, a feat which should be celebrated. Subsequently, there are a wide variety of scholarships out in the world, so students don’t necessarily compete for the same ones. There are ones based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, job (or lack thereof), one’s parent’s job, and a number of other factors. Scholarships exist out there if a student is simply willing to search. Students also adopt extracurricular activities to cause themselves appear preferable, nevertheless this is not required. No one forces students to join extracurricular activities (except maybe their parents). Moreover, there are other ways to cause oneself appear desirable to colleges and jobs than being a participant in extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities are an excellent way for students to meet people who are fond of the same interests as them. In all honestly, there’s not an array of excuses nowadays for students having grades that aren’t up to par. Computers are one of the world’s best resources when it comes to finding information. Even besides that, books today come out with furthered information and other helpful tools than ever. Students have every resource they need to succeed, so …show more content…
Scholarships, extracurricular activities, grades, the business of the college, and letters of recommendation all play a certain role in helping students compete against each other for a superior
From the beginning of high school, students strap on their seatbelts and prepare for one of the most vigorous races of their lives – becoming successful. With the rare occurrence of a break, kids are expected to keep on driving as fast and as powerfully as they can in order to get into a “great” college, which would be followed by graduate school and then an actual job that would make a lot of money. In American society, common values include working hard, determination, and being so productive that free time is not even a question. However, this philosophy is taking a major toll on American college and high school students. For at least 40 years, America’s future has been steadily growing unmotivated, tired, and hopeless due to the overemphasis on performing well in school. This phenomenon is appropriately expounded in William Zinsser’s “College Pressures”, which takes a look at the top four sources of tension that cause these feelings of dejection and agitation. After reading this article, I came up with a few solutions to this national problem. It is time to switch the harsh, over-encouraging green light of education to a comfortable yellow one. In order to make this ideal transition, directors of education across the country need to primarily reduce the amount of out-of-class assignments, lighten the grading system, and incorporate days in the school year that allow students to express their thoughts about school and provide useful feedback.
Zinsser, William. “College Pressure.” The Norton Reader. 13th ed. Ed. Linda H. Peterson. New York: Norton, 2013. 380-388. Print
The multiple choices students have today in college have made the university a party environment, resulting in complacent students. Mark Edmundson raises important questions and makes valid points in this essay that are worth thinking about. If people don’t take a look at our present college system and start thinking outside the box, the college education system will continue on its downward spiral of consumerism. It is fun to graduate high school and go to college to party and to have a comedic professor, but there is so much more to college then having fun. People need to realize that by challenging student, students can then start to recognize their own potential end become better for it. Learning and utilizing the information that is being taught in college is essential. “Everyone is born with their own mind, all that is left to do is break out of the stereotypical college student mold, and use
The first point that Etelson makes in her article is about the pressure that students are under today, she often refers to it as “educational pressure cooker” (Etelson, 2015). Today, every student is overwhelmed with pressure. Middle class students have pressure to get into a top college. Poor students feel
In “Is the College Admissions Bubble About to Burst?” Lindsey Cook (2014) discusses about why students are having hard time applying college. Cook expresses that high school students are concentrating too much on enrolling into the college. Two main issues in her idea that I want to discuss are that college application processes are too competitive and
The article “College Pressures” is an examination of how there is both self-imposed and external pressure on college students. The article also examines the ways these forms of pressure affected students, and how they cope. In “College Pressures” William Zinsser uses Exemplification, Division-Classification, and Descriptive Imagery to describe the Psychological and Emotional pressure that college can present; and examines how these pressures have narrowed the perception of what success embodies for an individual’s life. The beginning of “College Pressures” starts with a student, Carlos, who details his anxiety over his studies. In it he talks about not being able to manage his classwork, and how the stress from all of his responsibilities has taken a lot out of him physically.
If interested in attending college after high school, being accepted to a “dream” college or a college of interest could end up being one of the largest milestones in a person’s life. Being accepted to that college could change a person’s life forever however, on the other hand if acceptance to the university was denied; it could result in detrimental effects on a person’s life. Although being accepted into a person’s dream college may not the maximal point in their lives’, it could cause an array of different things to occur. They would then be faced with the challenge of making the decision to attend a different university. However, another situation may transpire such as that person not being accepted to any college that they apply to, or one that doesn’t supply the inspiration that was present prior to the application of their dream college being denied. In almost any circumstance of denial to a person’s college of choice, upshots could occur that have life-long effects on a person’s life which is something most future college students would rather not have to deal with. Being admitted to a certain college is an extremely delicate process which varies from university to university which creates an ideal atmosphere for denial to a certain college if certain aspects of the student’s admittance application do not meet the universities’ requirements for admission. This is where problems begin to rise in the collegiate academic system which could prevent some future college students from getting the education they desire and being forced to settle just because they scored poorly on a single test or struggled through high school for some reason or another. Colleges rely too heavily on academic performance based upon prior knowledge ...
In the essay “College Pressure” (1978), William Zinsser, An American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher, argues that college students are faced with four types of pressure, Economic, Parental, Peer, and Self-induced pressures. Zinsser support the views of college students who are faced with economic pressure from colleges by describing the students struggle to pay college debts, the author states, “Loan that [Students] must start to repay within one year of graduation.”. Then Zinsser explains students economic pressure causes parental pressure on the student because, “One part of them feel obliged to fulfill their parent's dream.”. Zinsser emphasizes how peer pressure takes place in a college student in which the students put the
Mark Edmundson, published the essay “Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here” on August 22, 2011 in the Oxford American. Edmundson received his education at Yale University and is currently a professor of English at Virginia University. In the beginning of the essay, He describes the initial feelings of a new college student and explains what is expected throughout the process. He adamantly expresses the need to find oneself, which he feels is the true meaning behind achieving higher education. He describes sources of pressure students face when trying to get an education, which include expectations from society, family, and even the university the student is attending. The institutions are pressuring students to avoid making an impact on society and only getting a degree for the purpose getting a job.
College students seem to worry too much about their futures and how financially sound they want to be when they graduated from college. Therefore, this unnecessary worry has hindered many students from channeling their positive energy into something they love to do. They think they need to have it all figured out now. Thus, they forget to take creative classes that will aid in open-mindedness. William Zinsser, the author of “College Pressures”, speaks about the four types of pressures on college students. These pressures are economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. It is however common to see some of these pressures affect college students. I believe that some college students if not all can relate to all of the aforementioned pressures.
According to the article Getting into College, “there are over a half million more 17-year-olds in the United States than there were 10 years ago” (Ewers and Haight). The increased amount of applicants only makes the process that much more selective and competitive. The article continues to point out that, by 2004, nearly forty-seven percent of high school students graduated with an A average. Because of this influx in applicants, colleges only want to accept the smartest, most diverse, and most involved students. This is obviously a very frightening and stressful thought for most adolescents. Students then begin to push themselves just a little harder, stay up just a tad longer to study , and take on just a few more clubs with one motive in mind—to further decorate their college applications. This added stress and pressure may not seem like a monumental issue at first, but it can develop into serious illnesses if it is not maintained and
When transitioning from high school into higher education, there is a lot of pressure for one to attend and complete college. With the national rise in enrollments, college costs, student debt, and under-placed graduates, we inevitably come faced with the question: is a college education worth the investment? It’s a pretty loaded question. As current college students, it’s best for us to believe it is worth it as we need all the motivation we can get to pursue our degrees. We’re convinced that college is definitely worth it “in the long run.” However, as people have varying needs and resources, the question to be asked at high school students ought to be, “Is college a worthwhile investment when taking into consideration your individual aspirations, and is it worth it at this time of your life?” This is when one would assess where they stand – under what circumstances will they make this decision. [Needs Thesis]
It seems as though the majority of college students these days aren’t looking to further their education because it’s what they really want, they do it to please their parents, to be accepted by society, or because there’s nothing else for them to do (Bird, 372). These expectations have led to students being unhappy and stressed, and have pushed them into a school or a job that they don’t particularly care for.
As a young undergraduate, I attempted to prove myself as a hardworking student by attending my courses focused and well prepared, and conducting my assignments as required. Through my undergraduate studies, I was fortunate to participate in several student and voluntary activities. Furthermore, determinant to acquire relevant practical experience, I trained and worked at several establishments applying my theoretical ed...
Teachers routinely teach you the standardized things you need to know to get promoted to the next grade. In my experience, throughout high school, once you acquire the knowledge to pass the test, high school teachers believe you have reached your potential and no longer push you to accomplish more. Unlike, high school teachers, professors are willing to provide an abundance of support to any student sincerely trying to improve. Not only do college professors help students recognize their potential, but become the driving force behind them exceeding their personal expectations. Professors continuously clarify what matters and why it matters; therefore, instilling a sense of pride in their work, as well as in themselves.