College years are often the years that are worth living for in our lives. They are the years when we can effectively identify ourselves in the society today. They are also the years when we can be able to look back and say they are worth after all. They are the years that make us who we are in life. It is these years that enable us to shape our careers in our life. My college years just like any other student who remembers their college years were fantastic. There are however different types of pressures that normally make college life to be a little complicated. Pressures are the things that cause us stress or make us stray away from our hard earned dreams that we make sure that every day we try and focus. My college years were comprised of economic pressure, parental pressure and peer …show more content…
Economic pressure involves stress that comes as a result of money issues around college. It is the pressure that comes with trying to get all the monetary things that you can be able to get at this particular stage in your life. It is very accurate that most college students try and juggle through even through three to four jobs at a go to see to it that they can meet their demands. As a college student, I was always caught in between money issues. I use to borrow a lot to finance some of my activities. However much I tried to partake a few part-time jobs here and there the money I got did not still cover up for all the expenses that I need them actually to do. I was always on one side spending even way much more than I was receiving. This is also due to the reason that my parents were unable to send me enough money that could see to it that I was comfortable all through my college life. This was indeed a major setback for me also considering the ever-increasing school fees that required to be paid up before you were to be allowed to undertake any exam in the college years after
One that stood out to me the most was Melanie's, who was a recent high school graduate and had just made the immensely stressful transition to Lakeshore community college. She states, “ I never realized how fast college would be -- comparing one year of high school with one semester of college. Its really fast pacing. Like, i'm taking french right now and that has really kicked me in the bum. Because in highschool, you have two weeks to learn one section.” I was able to relate to what she was saying. College is very fast pace and highly stressful compared to how high school was. Students were able to take time on assignments, make time for assignments and not feel as if they are being pressured to know the answers immediately. Many teachers want assignments turned in a couple days after students barely learned the new material. In college everything is thrown at you and you are now expected to know exactly what to do and have the assignments completed on time. That alone can cause stress and can cause a student to feel as if they should just give
In the essay “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, Zinsser speaks about the pressures and anxiety that plague college students, all the while wishing that they had “a chance to savor each segment of their education as an experience in itself and not as a grim preparation for the next step.” Referring to the 1979 generation of college students as “panicky to succeed”, he lists four of the following stressors for college students.
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.
Life is never easy, no matter how hard we try to short cut and escape the inevitable difficulties. After college is when life sets in, when work becomes a necessity and we all begin to find a place to settle down. People respond differently to different situations. Some of us embrace the freedom and the ability to earn money and spend money indiscriminately. Others crumple under the social pressures placed on us.
Also a big point that most students like to attend to high school is because of prom and all the fun activities they do at their senior year. As a college student you stop caring about things like that and start caring more about getting excellent grades at school so you could graduate. now that you have greater responsibilities you would not always have free time as other normal high school student indeed you would most likely have projects or homework during the weekends or during the breaks. But all of us know that we have to leave unnecessary things in order for us to progress
Colombo explains that “Beginning college can be disconcerting experience” (Colombo, p.1). That there will be more peer pressure from your peers and an increase expectations that you have never faced during your high school days. “In the dorms you may find yourself among people whose backgrounds make them seem foreign and unapproachable” (Colombo, p.1). Colombo also states “If you commute, you may be struggling against a feeling of isolation that you’ve never faced before” (Colombo, p. 1).
In the essay, he states that he sees “four kinds of pressure working on college students today: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure” (398). He goes on to explain what goes through the minds of college students when dealing with the four stated pressures as well as academic pressures. While putting the thoughts of college students on display, Zinsser emphasizes the stress that they are forced to succumb to due to the stated pressures. He explains, “Today it is not unusual for a student, even if he works part-time at college and full-time during the summer, to accrue $5,000 in loans after four years--loans that he must start to repay within one year after graduation. Exhorted at commencement to go forth into the world, he is already behind as he goes forth” (400). In the quote, Zinsser explains the economical aspect of the four listed pressures. He clarifies that most students who pursue higher education do not graduate unscathed from school loans. He then questions his audience on the rationality of a college student going through school without thinking about the large sums of money that must be repaid by them: “How could he not feel under pressure throughout college to prepare for this day of reckoning?” (400). This description helps Zinsser effectively explain to his audience the hardship of dealing with just one of the four pressures he enumerated. Zinsser also uses rhetorical questions to let the audience know that he respects their point of view but also to further his own point. When explaining how parents would rather their children enroll in courses that will lead them to a financially fulfilling degree, Zinsser answers the question that audience members are thinking: “Where’s the payoff on the humanities? It’s not easy to persuade such loving
Zinsser’s work entitled “College Pressures” intent to expose a critical flaw within the educational system, in hope that it will encourage students to relax when it come to their academic success. Zinsser’s is doing more than illustrates a difficult situation, he is enforcing new ideas and principle just as: academic freedom and freedom to explore career opportunities without judgement and criticism from the school system and their parents. By enforcing these principle Zinsser’s hopes to awaken a new era where students are free from pressured sales tactics from both parents and society when come to academic success.
Coming to college as an adult, we have many expectations and preconceptions of what college will or will not be. The expectations we have can influence our college life for the better or the worse. My experience since starting college has been an interesting one. People have misconceptions about college because they do not know what to expect. After doing some research, I have concluded that there are three major factors that are often misunderstood about college life. The first is the financial aspect of college. Second, is the relationship between the professors and students. Third is time management. These three factors play an important role in why people are afraid to go down the path to college.
At the start of the semester, my oblivious state of nature associating with the Chinese culture reached an unacceptable level. Implementing a necessary change, I decided to educate myself on different cultures starting with China. I failed to ponder that such a rich, deep culture existed outside America. Encompassed by this country’s unique yet suffocating melting pot culture, my outlook believed ideas such as uniformity between American Chinese food and Authentic Chinese food. After this course, my bigot perspective widened as I witnessed diversity in the world. Before this class, when I thought of Chinese food, my connotation jumped to thoughts associated with chop suey, but as I progressed my education, my mindset gradually pondered foods like steamed buns or “New Year Cakes” with authentic Chinese food.
It may conclude that student who pay by student loan feels more pressure to getting a job after graduate to be able to pay back for the loans. This motivates them to study hard because they realize that how much the importance of academic performance to get a job.” What does this mean? Those who are having to use loans are more pressured to find a job and work to pay off their debt, seeing as how it could last a lifetime and are having to work hard to maintain financial aid. Yet, for those who go to college with their parents funding their education, there isn’t as much pressure to succeed because the family has the ability to fund
Students entering college for the first time become concerned with their college life. The students are on their own once they enter college. There are no parents or guardians telling them when to do homework, when to go to bed, or how to eat healthy. These students are now responsible for how they are going to succeed in school and meet their own needs. From the beginning, these students wonder what their experience is going to be like and are they going to handle the demands of college?
While transitioning into college, socialization is very important, but students should recognize the bigger picture (hbr.org). Everything might be an essential for college, only if students are able to regulate them nicely, in order to prevent stress. Create the perfect routine to reduce the decision about what to do every day. (hbr.org). Always take find time to do you hobbies, or just something that is in your interest. This can pull minds out of the stressful day, so it have time to “replenish your energy” (hbr.org). Students should always review the progress, and whether they approached their goals (hbr.org). No one is perfect, don’t always shoot for perfection, because it will only add on stress. To handle stress, talk to someone about your problems, one of the worst way to handle stress is to hold the feelings in. There are also psychologists on campus to help students with their needs. Stress will go away, if treated correctly, if not it will lead to bigger
Many first year college students face problems as they enter a new educational environment that is very different than that of high school. However, the common problem is that many first year students become stressed. For many students, college is supposed to be the most fun time of their life; however, their fun can be restricted if it is limited by stress and other mental illnesses. According to the National Health Ministries (2006), stress is caused by “greater academic demands,” the feeling of being independent from family, “financial responsibility,” homesickness, being exposed to meeting new people, peer pressure, “awareness of one’s own sexual identity,” and the abuse of drugs and alcohol (p. 2). However, the causes to first year students’ stress mainly include academic demand, parents, finance, and peer pressure.
The academic pressure is one of the major stress factors in my life. The academic environment is very competitive and everyone wants to be the best. Not only are am I competing with my peers, I am also competing with myself. I always want to exceed my expectations. Which can cause me to become anxious at times. The academic pressure has many sublevels to it. Making excellent grades, homework, projects, essays, online work, class scheduling, exams, and many other aspects that are involved with school.