All students will face the terror of entering college, a place that will rip you away from the familiarity you had before. It is a place with an atmosphere so different from what you’re used to that you’ll feel it before you walk on that campus. But don’t run away just yet, there’ve been other’s who’ve felt troubled with doubt and fear about their abilities to succeed as a student in college. In the article “Conquering the Freshman Fear of Failure” author David L. Kirp implores that “students can acquire ways of thinking that helps them thrive” (1). In comparison, to Kirp’s article, the protagonist in “Make Your Home among Strangers” by Jennine Capo Crucet, also manages to overcome her doubt on her ability to succeed as a student. Students need to learn to face their fears in order to have the desired life that is filled with happiness and prosperity. First generation students constantly struggle with …show more content…
Liz had managed to overcome her fear once she had gained the necessary confidence she needed so as to no longer question her ability to fit in, at Rawlings. She had started to socialize with those from Rawlings by attending gatherings and conversing with her roommate Jillian. Lizet had even started studying things that she didn’t understand in order to fit in with the other students. This all enabled Lizet to start seeing that she was smart enough to succeed at Rawlings and it was all confirmed once she had gotten her first grades. From Kirp’s article the fear of failure hits students hard hut he implores that students who learn from their upperclassmen’s experience would be “more likely to be drawn into campus life, seek out academic help” (Kirp 3) and find confidence in themselves. Lizet purged herself of her insecurities by becoming part of Rawlings society instead of cowering into her insecurities like she did in the
The Dangers of Fear Irish Playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.” Inhumanity is mankind’s worst attribute. Every so often, ordinary humans are driven to the point where they have no choice but to think of themselves. One of the most famous examples used today is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night demonstrates how fear is a debilitating force that causes people to lose sight of who they once were.
Chapter two begins with a more then competent college student named Eva, who describes her first semester English class as completely nerve wrecking, terrifying, and extremely intimidating. Hence the title “The Student Fear Factor.” "The Student Fear Factor,” gives an insight of student’s fears, doubts, stress, and anxieties they endure while attending college. For example, Melanie who is a recent High School graduate compare the difference between High School vrs. College. She also makes a valid point about how important it is to becoming responsible, independent, and serious when it comes to college. For the mere fact that college is no joking matter and nobody is going to care about your GPA besides you.
Most first generation college students are significantly older than the average, approximately 24 year of age (Pascarella et. al 2004). The surrounding low-income environments that many of these students are raised around can explain this late age. This financial pressure can also explain another category of first generation students, preparation (Chen & Carroll, 2005). These students are often less prepared to enter the college life. They have not been exposed to the necessary preparation needed to succeed on college admissions tests and furthermore don’t meet the performance requirements that universities and institutions require. Analyzing the prefaces that surround the environment of first generation college students aids in understanding current problems faced in college as well as assist in proposing solutions for this subset of
Specifically, Cox argues that “ The many students who seriously doubted their ability to succeed, however, were anxiously waiting for their shortcomings to be exposed, at which point they would be stopped from pursuing their goals. Fragile and fearful, these students expressed their concern in several ways: in reference to college professors, particular courses or subject matter, and the entire notion of college itself-whether at the two- or the four- year level. At the core of different expressions of fear, however, were the same feelings of dread and the apprehension that success in college would prove to be an unrealizable dream.” ( 25-26). Although some believe that fear shouldn’t be an excuse to failure, whatever shape or form fear come in, the students who attend college should be grown enough to control it and not let
Aristotle once said, “Men are swayed more by fear than by reverence.” It’s generally known that fear is quite a motivator in any given situation. This is apparent in many real life situations such as the Red Scare or the Salem Witch Trials of 1962. Arthur Miller was a playwright victimized by McCarthyism in the Second Red Scare who related his experience to the Salem Witch trials. He was oppressed because he had Communist sympathies. In the midst of this oppression, he looked into the Salem Witch Trials and saw similarities to the Red Scare. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller shows his belief that humanity is driven by fear and self-preservation, often resulting in people abandoning their morals.
The term ‘college’ is very hard to define. One can define it as a Utopia of knowledge, where learning is appreciated and it will become useful throughout one’s entire life. Some may also tell that living in a harsh world, ‘college’ is just a place where students enter with an exorbitant amount of money learning things that will not be applied in real life. Consider a hypothetical character John who exemplifies the majority of new students in United States: he feels enthralled and excited to start college, hoping to get a degree at the end of the day. However, John quickly came to a realization that he is not performing at the first few weeks of class. Disillusioned with his bad grades, he simply quit college – and never went back. A fraction of college students also share the same experience as John, with only 30 percent of the entering students actually graduated from a two-year public college (Raley 4). The college dropouts have elevated concern among the government. Despite choosing a cheap alternative, many students still stumble upon studying at community college
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.
With an increased demand for skilled labors, many students nowadays find themselves needing to complete some form of higher education at college to ensure their success in the workplace and for their future career goals. Although many people enter college with high ambitions and goals, many eventually drop out of college. Why does that happen? In an ever-changing, more competitive environment, the demanding expectations on/of college students now soar at unprecedented heights, creating stressful and unpleasant experiences for many of them, which often lead to serious health issues as they try to keep up with all the burdens inflicted upon them. In the film Cheaters and writings by sociologist Dr. Christine B. Whelan and professional writers like Alfie Kohn, Richard Rodriquez, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Scott Jaschik, Matt Richtel, and Alfonzo Porter, they explore and illustrate some of the challenges that students are now struggling with today. Although there are multiple factors that contribute to this huge category, some of the main problems that students encounter in their freshman year in college include problems with technology, teachers, and environmental stress (adjustment to college/ to the environment).
Throughout our whole high school career, the topic of college is compelled onto us. Individually, we inherit this depiction of an impeccable campus with an abundance of opportunity and no struggles. However, this is just a cropped version of the picture. The unabridged image is four to six years of stress, suicidal thoughts, financial struggles and endless issues corresponding to bullying and harassment. From generation to generation, countless students attend college on the grounds that they accept it will surpass their chances in the future. Despite this, several of them did nothing other than waste time and money to major in a career they probably never wanted in the first place.
After years of research, Dr. Ryan Padgett and Megan Johnson (2012) found that first generation students lack interpersonal skills when entering college because they are unfamiliar on how to interact with individuals who have a postsecondary education. By demonstrating a certain lack of skills before entering college, Jennifer Guerra of the National Public Radio extends the findings of Padgett et al. by stating first-generation students feel out of place when assimilating to their college campus. When I began college I had a small group of friends, but when I was trying to introduce myself to new people it came as a surprise for them that my parents did not attend college. After the conversations ended, I felt uncomfortable on how to act or think because I had a feeling of misplacement when talking with my fellow peers. I began to lose the confidence that I belonged in school and how I could not be the “savior” for my family without
When entering college freshman students face difficulties by not knowing how to adjust to the new expectations college brings. A freshman student tends to approach college with the same mentality used throughout their high school years. But as the first semester start, they encounter a variety of challenges, including having to change their study habits and knowing how to wisely manage their time. The book “The Elements of Learning” by B. Banner, Jr., and C. Cannon, introduces the elements a student must possess in order be successful in college. The research made by my team, “Collin’s Angels”, will determine important factors for freshman success, and the changes that a student makes in order to succeed through the first year of college.
Death it is something we all must face at one point in our lives or another. It is either a death of a loved one, friend or co-worker. Sometimes it’s the devastation from a natural disaster. No matter what makes us face the idea of death it is how we handle this realization that truly matters. When Gilgamesh is faced with the horrendous loss of his dear friend and comrade Enkidu he begins to fear death. In Gilgamesh’s youth he is proud without fear of death, it is not until he watches his friend die that his own mortality becomes a fear.
College for an incoming freshman is exciting, however, it is often focused on the social aspect such as the connections that can be attained through Greek life, parties and independence. Due to the social interactions, freshmen tend to drop out of college after their first year. Focusing on what college is meant for can prevent these situations. The pressures of college such as impressing parents, and maintain a high standard GPA-wise can lead to stress and freeze a student from achieving the proper academic performance. During the mid 1900s, college was considered more of a luxury than anything; people would attend college exclusively to acquire knowledge in hopes of obtaining a career after graduation. People in the twenty-first century, however, attend college to get away from home and enjoy freedom at parties. Education is taken lightly, and those who feel that education isn’t the main focus of college should not apply for sakes of the greater good.
At first college seemed like a scary word. I would ask teachers if college was difficult, they would answer it includes a lot of hard work. What does that even mean? Then it just gave me chills, I pay thousands of dollars on college I am definitely not going to fail. Then the first few weeks I just kept myself I should not fail. I should have focused on learning, rather than worry about failing. I learned that I should replace the word failing with the word learning. When we fall short or make mistakes, we have not failed; it is the way of learning. I need to that learning can also allow mistakes
Changing can be the biggest obstacle many student will have to face while attending a University. Students will have to learn how to be on their own, and on top of that learn around what people to associate them self with. In Alfred Lubrano essay “The Shock of Education: How College Corrupts”, he explains how many students struggle with parents and friends while attending college. However, Lubrano goes on to say that depending on cultural ethnicity will determine how the years at college will change a person. Parents have spent about 18 years to mold their children the way they want, but the moment they enter college it seems to deteriorate into pieces, because of all the new material the students are learning.