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Effects peer pressure has on academics
How can peer pressure affect academics
Effects peer pressure has on academics
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In the essay “Achievement of Desire”, author Richard Rodriguez, describes the story of our common experience such as growing up, leaving home, receiving an education, and joining the world. As a child, Rodriguez lived the life of an average teenager raised in the stereotypical student coming from a working class family. With the exception, Rodriguez was always top of his class, and he always spent time reading books or studying rather than spending time with his family or friends. This approach makes Rodriguez stand out as an exceptional student, but with time he becomes an outsider at home and in school. Rodriguez describes himself as a “scholarship boy” meaning that because of the scholarships and grants that he was receiving to attend school; …show more content…
The pressure of students hearing “Your parents must be proud” brings students to an expectation that they can not fail or those people will not see them the same. People do not tend to remember all the success that a student has achieved even if they only make one mistake. Students do not want people to see their flaws and imperfections but only the success because then this will be all people have to judge them by. A “scholarship boy” may have worked harder than other students still feeling that even though they were “always successful, [they can be] always unconfident” because they happen to be the prized student with so many expectations (339). Today many college students receive scholarships and grants offered to students making it so competitive for anyone to receive any type of financial aid for school; when a student does receive financial aid they feel as if the only way that they can keep the financial help would be to suppress their social life only fixating on school work. The competition for scholarships and grants will continue to become harder and harder to receive because not only will there be more and more people trying to get into schools each year but the expectation continues to rise for these financial aid options. This will continue the pressure and social suppression for “scholarship …show more content…
The first semester of college I spent so much time in the library learning as much as I can that I as forgetting the life I had before going to school. All the memories I had of late night adventures with friends and the quality dinner time spent with my family soon became just a distant memory fearing if I spent a minute focusing on that, that was one minute that I could have gotten one more answer right on a test. Never had my family or friends work so hard in my life trying to become the best and most successful person that I can be. Although I may have been learning more than I had ever been before my personality and social life were being suppressed into a sheltered “scholarship boy”. I may not be going to school off scholarships but even worse I pay the complete out of state tuition to attend school. This makes me feel like I need to work harder than the people riding on scholarships so that I can prove the university that they should give me scholarships over the other students. Not only does it then showing the university that I deserve the scholarships, but it also gives myself the self-achievement that my money was being well spent. An education can be an investment in my future so the money that I spend to attend the university may better my odds of getting a better-paying job. The knowledge that the
The teachers interviewed in this film discussed that once students begin looking into the hefty cost that comes with college they become quite discouraged because they are not aware of ways to get some of the cost eliminated such as qualifying for FAFSA, application wavers and multiple scholarships they could apply for. Not only is the financial aspect intimidating, but these students do not understand how much profit they could potentially make off of a student loan. Not only can these students make more money and benefit from a possible loan along with avoiding some financial struggles, they can also work to benefit their futures. For example, Soma, discusses that before his father passed away his father encouraged him to get a college degree, with that being said, if these students were to attain a college degree they could help their families In the future, live with a sense of accomplishment and break the cycle of low socioeconomic status, allowing them to thrive in their future. With the lack of knowledge first generation students possess, they are typically unable to see the benefits they would have if they attended a college and attained a
In the essay “Achievement of Desire”, author Richard Rodriguez, describes the story of our common experience such as growing up, leaving home, receiving an education, and joining the world. As a child, Rodriguez lived the life of an average teenager raised in the stereotypical student coming from a working class family. With the exception, Rodriguez was always top of his class, and he always spent time reading books or studying rather than spending time with his family or friends. This approach makes Rodriguez stand out as an exceptional student, but with time he becomes an outsider at home and in school. Rodriguez describes himself as a “scholarship boy” meaning that because of the scholarships and grants that he was receiving to attend school; there was much more of an expectation for him to acquire the best grades and the highest scores. Rodriguez suggests that the common college student struggles the way he did because when a student begins college, they forget “the life [they] enjoyed
“You don't want to be like your parents!" triggers memories of the day I found my compelling reason to attend college. My grandfather is a very wise man who exhibits the meaning of sacrifice and hard work in my family. My first visit to the UOG admissions office with him was a dreadful experience. As I gazed at the cost of tuition yearly, I felt a sudden weight on my shoulders. For a moment I felt like a traveler lost in a foreign place trying to figure out where to go and how to get to my destination. I knew at that moment that I could not afford it unless I found a job to pay for the expenses or received some form of financial aid. As I requested a FASFA form and began filling out the application, my hand began to tremble and again I felt
Richard Rodriguez in “The Achievement Of Desire”, is a man who started to reflect on his early adolescence at the age of thirty. The author struggled to maintain a balance between a successful education and the life of coming from a working class family. At a very young age Rodriguez had decided to make education his one and only top priority, not noticing it would affect him gradually. He would rather spend his time with his books and learning than having quality time with his family and friends, however he became aware about the separation occurring between himself and his family, explaining throughout the text how he was not able to have conversations with his own family and becoming an outsider to his education and home. However, fails
Even after the competitive race to get into desirable colleges has subsided, students are still finding themselves relying on the pressures of success to motivate them and push them forward. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s article “Bright-Sided”, Ehrenreich explains a mindset shared by those in the market economy that is also internalized by students in college and even workers in the workforce, “If optimism is key to material success, and if you can achieve an optimistic outlook through the discipline of positive thinking, then there is no excuse for failure” (Ehrenreich 538). Through Ehrenreich’s proposed positive thinking concept, the stress and pressures that young adults place on themselves are self-imposed and intertwined with their logic and reasoning, but those pressures are initially driven into their mindset by society. People in current society are brought up to believe that they as individuals must take responsibility for their own success; students think that if they use positive thinking, they will get exactly where they want to be, and if they fail, it is because they did not work hard enough. It is exactly this ideology that leads to students presenting “signs of depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation” (Alicia Kruisselbrink Flatt, The College
In college students must learn how to manage their time, organize their schedule that meets their college and personal duties, how to be resourceful, and how to interact with people whom they never met. Before college, a variety of students already learned how to accomplish these skills, but only a few of these students are fully responsible for themselves before leaving their home. Students who are dependent are most likely to have been helped by their parents who took an overprotective or extreme interest in the life of their children. Many students do not get the help they need to become independent and being overwhelmed may lead a student to commit suicide, fail, or even drop out during college. If a student fails, his or her self-esteem can be permanently damage, and the consequences can effect an entire lifetime. Students must receive more helped by college administrators and professors and influence them to self-mange better. It is understandable that some people do not want colleges to help more because they want the students to do mista...
Ultimately, what is at stake here is the fact that parents are making excuses for students who do not want to work hard in school or are not able to handle it, therefore, parents need to stop making excuses for adults and let them decide their paths in life. If parents stop excusing their kids, then teachers can continue the challenging work for student resilience to increase. College is a privilege, not every child in the world can experience and no one said it would be easy, but no one said it was acceptable to hold each student’s hand for the ride
Noted authors, Brandon Chambers, is quoted saying, “If you are going to fear anything fear success. Think about what you are doing and when you succeed what life you will have.” There are several different reasons why I could stay home, work and not go to college; I could go to work every day and make more money for the house, it’s easier, and I would be less stressed. Now, on the other hand there are many reasons why I should go to school; such as further my education, make my family proud, and make myself proud. I am attending college for several different reasons. One reason is to further my education. I hate feeling like I don’t know something, I like being the person everyone comes to for information. Also, because I want to be better prepared for my major, I want to be better then the next person with the job credentials. I want to major in Social Work and Criminology. I dream to be a counselor or an clinical service social worker. I want to help people who need someone there for them someone who can guide them or even just talk too. Another reason is because I would be the first in I would be the first in my family to go to college. I feel in some type of way I am setting an example for my parents and my brother that they too can go back to school. Lastly is simply because I love school. I love knowing more and more each day. College is not for everyone, but I will be successful by grasping the benefits, preparing for the problems, taking heed from experts, and working on strategies to be successful.
Thinking about a little girl purposefully drinking out of stagnate water, shows how determined people from other countries were to have the benefits we have here in America today. The severity of a young child almost killing herself in a desperate attempt to go to school, makes one realize how fortunate they really are. The hardships Junot’s mother went through inspired him to keep going when he was struggling with his writing. Because his mother was fortunate enough to come to America, he was able to become an accomplished writer in a free country. Junot’s mother aspired to be a nurse. “When the field hands were hurt or fell ill, she was the one who cared for them.”(Diaz 1), but of course living as an uneducated girl, in a third world country, on a farm, did not give her the right requirements. When the law was passed forcing children under 15 to go to school, she was filled with excitement. However her mother, Junot’s grandmother, was not pleased with this, and beat her everyday she went to school. Junot’s story is similar to that of my great-grandmothers. She never even thought about attending a college. If she would not have left Hungary she would not have went to school at all; in fact she may even have died, ending our family line. My great-grandmother came over to America as a laborer’s child, but was able to attend school, unlike if she would have stayed in Hungary. She too would have toiled in the fields even at
To fully comprehend a work you cannot just read it. You must read it, analyze it, question it, and even then question what you are questioning. In Richard Rodriguez’s The Achievement of Desire we are presented with a young Richard Rodriguez and follow him from the start of his education until he is an adult finally having reached his goals. In reference to the way he reads for the majority of his education, it can be said he reads going with the grain, while he reads a large volume of books, the quality of his reading is lacking.
“Achievement of Desire”, an essay written by Richard Rodriguez, which describes the struggle a boy, has to go through to balance the life of academics and the life of a middle class family. As a son Rodriguez sees the illiteracy off his parents, and is embarrassed of it, and as a student Rodriguez sees the person that he wants to be, a teacher, a person of authority and person of knowledge. Rodriguez tells his personal story of education, family, culture and the way he is torn in-between it all. In this essay, Rodriguez uses the term of a of a “Scholarship boy” meaning a “good student” and “troubled son”, he believes that being a scholarship boy makes him feel separation and isolation as he goes further in his education and Rodriguez insist that the feelings of separation and isolation are universal feeling.
Shaming has become ingrained in today’s society where some parents don’t even realize they are doing it. The shame comes through the expectation the parents put on their children to follow in the path they took regarding the college they attended and sorority or fraternity they belonged to. Shaming has become a serious issue in our society that causes negative effects on the child. Shaming on children can be very detrimental to their self confidence and potential in life. While a student may have goals and dreams for their future, this may be haltued to do the pressure put on by the parents.
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.
A scholarship boy was based on research from Richard Hoggart. For many years Rodriguez labeled himself a scholarship boy. Rodriguez didn’t realize how his claim of being a scholarship boy affected him until he was well beyond a mature adult. The label of a scholarship boy Richard Rodriguez knew himself to be had a negative impact on the way students perceive him to be. Students labeled him as "Kiss Ass" he always wanted the teacher 's attention. The label of scholarship boy had Rodriguez confused on if he was a good or bad student. Rodriguez lost his connection to his family and Hispanic heritage because he wanted to please his teachers. Being a scholarship boy affected Rodriguez in professional life he taught the way his teacher taught him an education filled with banking concept way of learning. Richard states in his exposition, “He takes his first step towards academic success, away from his family” (Rodriguez,518). Rodriguez had focused entirely on his studies. As Rodriguez moves closer and nearer to his studies his association with his family has become lousy. Rodriguez lost his touch with his Hispanic cultural, His teacher was proud to tell and also took pride in losing a cultural sense of being since he was so centered around his school work. He additionally didn 't have a considerable measure of a social life because of his consistent concentrating on reading and
As I entered high school the pressure to succeed and live up to my parent’s expectations increased. I joined clubs that my parents approved of, I took classes that would look good on my transcript, and I studied 24/7 to keep a good GPA. Seeing the people around me happy and proud of me was a good feeling. I stayed up all night just so I could study and get good grades that would make my family and teachers proud. Junior year I never got more than four hours of sleep a night. I was a zombie just going through the motions of life. As I began to look for colleges, the pressure to be #1 grew. My parents took me on countless college tours, thirty seven to be exact, in order to find the “right school for me.” My parents drove me around the country visiting tons of top engineering schools. Occasionally we would visit schools I wanted to visit. But every visit went the same. If my parents chose the school they smiled the whole tour and spent the car ride home talking about how great it was. If it was a school I chose