The world is full of obstacles and pressures. For a college student like me though, these pressures can seem impossible to survive, the trick lies in the ability to overcome them. I cannot make college pressures disappear, but what I can do is make financially savvy decisions, prioritizing what I invest my time in, and keep myself motivated ultimately taking charge of my life.
William Zinsser, in the article “College Pressures” (1979), explains that college students face four major pressures in college, but suffer the most from the shackles they place themselves in limiting their ability to make mistakes or explore new ideas. Zinsser supports his explanation by illustrating the types of pressures college students face with extended examples of each drawn from his own professional observations and encounters, as well as the reasoning why they occur. The author’s purpose is to delineate pressures college students encounter, and also to convince them to change their thinking, so that students will learn to be empowered rather than debilitated by their need to follow a blueprint. The author writes in a concerned tone for high achieving college students in demanding colleges to heed his advice, and to enjoy their time in college discovering not only the world, but also more importantly, themselves.
Despite my, at times crippling concern over money, I have learned how to tailor my education to fit my budget. It cannot be argued that the current financial climate is a cause for major anxiety for college students. Steven Bushong in “Campus Counseling Centers React to Recession-Related Stress Among Students” documents a survey conducted by the American Psychology Association where “18 to 29-year-olds felt that the economy ...
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In fact, “a determined student, even encountering hardships in his/her life while attending college full time, will succeed” (Culpepper 330). Also, many professionals successfully graduated college while dealing with hardships such as “raising children alone, working in multiple jobs, and caring for sick relatives” (Culpepper 330). They showed commitment by staying focused on what they wanted to achieve in their lives. An overloaded student accomplishes his/her tasks by organizing his/her daily schedule, not allowing more than one activity developing in the same hour. Also, the student has to allow for himself/herself recreational time as a reward, for that will balance his/her overwhelmed lifestyle.
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
Wang, S.‑K., & Han, S. (2001). Six c�s of motivation. In M. Orey (Ed.), Learning, teaching, & technology. Retrieved September 15, 2002, from University of Georgia, Dept. of Instructional Technology Web site: http://itstudio.coe.uga.edu/ebook/6csmotivation.htm
The authors statements in his essay are ones every student coming into college age should hear. Though it is widely known that our economy has been through hard times, it is great to hear the prospective of a college student learning valuable life lessons. The motivation to use this first hand knowledge and see its potential to motivate himself through his studies is a lesson for all students.
In “College Pressures” from The Seagull Reader: Essays, William Zinsser examines the societal ideology of obtaining a degree from a university being the only path to financial and social success. Zinsser also discloses to his audience the encumbrances that college students face while enrolled in a higher education facility. The author’s main point is that college students should not be heavily pressured throughout their college career, for college is a time to relish the educational experience that comes with higher education. In his referential essay that is developed by description, William Zinsser effectively uses emotional appeal and rhetorical questions.
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.
In Caroline Bird’s “College is A Waste of Time and Money”, it’s argued that there are many college students who would be better off if they were to begin working after high school graduation. Colleges and universities can no longer ensure that one will go on to get a better job, getting paid more than they would have without a higher education. However, high school seniors still stress about where they will be attending college, how they’re going to pay for it and what they’re going to study for the next four years. Bird points out how college has changed over the past few decades and how, in turn, it has set many young adults up for disappointment, if nothing else.
With tuition rising every year, students face the challenge paying the debt achieving a college degree comes with. “Student debt surpassed credit-card debt in June 2010 for the first time in history, rising to about $830 billion — or nearly 6 percent of the nation 's annual economic output”(Clemmitt, Marcia). Not everyone has a ton of money just laying around. Being that financial trouble is the biggest problem for students, they begin to question whether college is worth it or not. In recent years, students have taken out loans to help with expenses. Most students choose to attend a community and junior college to help minimize the debt. Even after graduating with a degree, students still face the struggle of finding a job in this economic time. For higher class families this may not be a problem to them. But for the middle class and low income families, they face tougher times being that they don 't have the financial help like higher class families do. For the middle class and low income families, it makes more sense attending a community and junior college rather than a four year university.
Steve Cohen shows the disparity between the rising cost of college and a family’s capability to afford it. Cohen explains “Tuition has risen almost 1,200 percent in the last 35 years, and the sticker price for many four-year private colleges and out-of-state public universities exceeds $250,000.” Moreover, he goes on to say that even at public universities, it is about $80,000 for four years for tuition and other college related expenses. Later in his article, Cohen explains how this leaves middle-class families in a very uncomfortable situation. The parents or other money-making entities in the household want their student to go to college and earn a degree, but now there can be an element of stress in figuring out how the fees will be paid for. Furth...
As the high school chapter is coming to a close, many students have to make a decision that will affect the rest of their lives. Hopefully, for many that decision is to enroll in a college and attain a higher education. However, as tuition costs rise, students have to take a second look at their options for a better future. A community college is that second look for many because it is the less expensive option. From 2007-2009, enrollment for community colleges has increased by 24 percent (“College costs and the CPI”). Students aren’t choosing a college for educational purposes because they are overwhelmed by financial issues. They are attending community colleges so they will be able to graduate with a lower debt. Some seniors have wanted to attend a certain university all their life and they work toward that goal through grade school; however, they are hindered by soaring tuition for that college. Students should be able to attend a private university if they mee...
Keller, John M. (2006). What Are the Elements of Learner Motivation? Retrieved July 4, 2011
Every member of this class, this university, this collegiate atmosphere, has most likely accumulated debt to achieve higher education. I certainly had the feeling that entering into the University of Massachusetts as a freshmen this year would involve relatively little debt which I would pay off upon graduation–a simple affair in which I received an education for a fair price. Yet, looking even at the comparatively “small” expenditures I have to deal with, examples of educators, students, and parents all paint a portrait of the devastating and deceiving nature of debt involved in the collegiate system in this country. Systemically, culturally, and personally, the system of debt associated with virtually every modern college experience of all but the highest socioeconomic echelon wrings the resources of the average college student dry.
Many students are struggling in college. According to the New York Times Web site, only 33 percent of the college students are graduating in six years. Obviously students still need much help to succeed in order to get where they want to go. Although college can be challenging, I am going to succeed by using advice from experts, by developing strategies and ideas, and by taking advantage of the benefits offered by my college.
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.