Most individuals in today's society believe that going to college directly after attending high school is necessary. If not, you are labeled as lazy, incompetent, and sometimes even stupid. The problem with this theory is that not everyone knows the full story to an individual. After attending high school, I too believed college was the right step to accompany my future. I was all but packed and one foot out the door of my home. But then my world came to a halt when my mother broke the news to me that as of that moment college would not be a possibility for the first semester. Many thoughts streamed through my head as to what I would do next. My family was struggling at the time with finding a new house and having new payments to be made …show more content…
It is evident that it was up to my own free will to decide to stay home and help support my family. I decided that my family had to come first so college would just have to go on the back burner. It is clear that individuals in today's society look down upon other individuals that do not attend college right away, let alone at all. This of course is known as a social norm. College for me was always in my life plan whether it was a couple months away or a couple years away. Either way, I decided that college was an essential part of life and a necessity in order to maintain a successful and stable life and career. If I had let society decide what was right and wrong for me and allowed their social norms to influence I would not be where I am today. I would not be at the college of my dreams, advancing to my future and to a better life for …show more content…
Individuals are so quick to jump to conclusions or dismiss a person when that person does not fit into their categories of social norms. Social norm is defined in the textbook as principles or rules of social life that everyone is expected to observe. For example attending college is a must to society. If an individual does not they are labeled and most times incorrectly so. As soon as I had made the decision to not attend my first semester people began to question me. Everywhere I would go and everyone I would meet would always ask the most pressing question, “what college do you attend” and I would have to follow that with the response, “oh I don't go anywhere as of this moment”. Almost immediately after sharing that information, I would receive a look of concern and confusion. I could see in their face that they were judging me based on the values and norms that were instilled in them throughout their life. I then would proceed to give a little more information as to why I'm not attending. Agency was a major factor in my decision. I knew I would get socially ridiculed almost any chance anyone could do so. If I had gone the route of structure I would socially be accepted and not looked down upon. Everyone would believe I made the right decision and am a sound minded person. What they don't know is that if I had made that decision my
In recent discussions of education, a controversial issue has been whether or not to go to college after high school. On the one hand, some argue that starting your career after high school is the smart thing to do. On the other hand, however, others argue that the smarter decision would be to continue your schooling by going to college to get a degree. In sum, then, the issue is whether or not college is the right decision for you. My own view is that you should go to college because it helps you build character, start a tradition, and gives you experience.
... a lot of pressure on high school graduates by parents and employers to get a degree if they want to make something of themselves. After being in the workforce over twenty-five years, I have experience well as qualifications that should make me more desirable than the twenty-two year old with little work experience. If he has a diploma, he will get the job before me almost every single time. That is why I am back in college after all these years. Attending college is a choice that anyone can make with their loved ones advice. Sit down with someone who knows you and write down your dreams and desires. Figure out what you would like to accomplish in life and investigate if you have a case for or against college.
The debate on whether or not students should attend college after achieving a high school degree is one that many would like to consider two-sided; Debra Humphreys says that “going to college is clearly better than not going,” but Claire Potter mentions the opposite side, quoting an unnamed professor who says that “the vast majority of people who end up in our community college system don’t belong in college at all.” I would argue that the issue is not two-sided, and that there are more complexities to the issue than are always printed in media; to say that all college students should go to college or that all should not attempt to place a variety of different cases into a single group. Perhaps a better option is to say that college (in the traditional sense, with boarding and special liberal arts programs) should be recognized as an option for students immediately after their high school graduation, but other options, including the choice to go to vocational school or entrance straight into the workforce, should be considered.
Social Norms in America They hold us together as a culture, while separating us as unique individuals at the same time. Folkways, which are based more on custom and etiquette, are the most broken of all norms. This can be explained because in the worst case scenario our only reprimand may be someone staring or talking about us. Mores, while a little more serious than folkways, still don’t have a very serious punishment, just maybe a little more than weird looks, double takes and bad mouthing.
I began to look at college as a fresh start of life. I had the opportunity to change anything I want about myself. However, the day before leaving, I wanted to change my mind, I no longer wanted to leave everything that I have known for my entire life. But, I refused to show my new feelings because I knew it was a common feeling among other college bound freshman. After some tears and deep breathes, I realized I always wanted to go away to school and if I backed out, I would regret my decision for the rest of my life.
The feeling of being accepted is a feeling that everyone wants to feel and everyone goes throughout life in order to feel accepted by others. Nobody wants to feel like they are “on the outs” in life and nobody wants to feel as if others don’t approve of them, as that can be extremely detrimental to anybody’s’ self-esteem. I learned from this assignment that in life people often conform their beliefs in order to seem consistent with social norms. As I experienced when I didn’t conform to the “acceptable” and “normal” behaviors in society, people were extremely quick to judge me and it was very easy to observe that I was viewed as “weird” and “crazy” simply because I broke what was expected of me in society. During a critical analysis of the treatment of people who are different, break social norms, or march to the beat of their own drummer I was able to discover that conformity, compliance, and obedience is almost expected in society. It is expected that our behavior, perception, and opinions conform to social norms and when someone’s behaviors or opinions don’t conform to what’s normal it makes others around them uncomfortable and causes them to view that person as an outcast or part of an outgroup simply because someone isn’t living up to society’s expectations. In order to stay “accepted” in society we believe that
Every person has different life experiences that make their opinions of college and all related topics quite differentiated. In the end, the only right answer is what makes sense for their situation. For some, a college education is practical and it makes sense based on who they are, and what they are aiming to achieve. For others college simply is not in their plan, and we as a society need to realize that that an alternative path is just as useful and significant as a college education. In the end, the path one chooses is only up to the
All the examples of ‘norm violations’ observed throughout the past weeks and the content of the text book have made me come to a conclusion that we are afraid to be different. Different is viewed as bad putting us on the other side of the crowd where people are judged and misunderstood for what they believe. We are so used to seeing things being ‘correct’ we are afraid to come out of our shells and be something that could become great because society might say otherwise. Sometimes you have to think outside the box and live outside the norms although it a little difficult to some more than
Social norms refer to the way that members of a society are expected to act and behave. These norms provide structure and conformity for individuals within a society. They also provide a sense of “normalcy” amongst individuals within a society. In a society, “we tend to follow our own cultural norms without questioning them, because we regard them as the ‘norm’.” (Henslin,2012). To intentionally break a cultural norm, takes some thought and effort to consciously go against our inbred “culture within us.” When pondering about social norms that I could break and the reactions of others, I began brainstorming various social norms. One in particular norm came to mind. In American society there is a social norm that if you use the drive thru window
One question that comes to mind when graduating high school is, “should I attend college?” For many graduates this question have a very obvious answer. A high school graduate may state that, “college is the best option if one is trying to get a higher level of education, and will help one compete for a higher paying job.” However, in my opinion most graduates do not consider the fact that going to college is a very big decision to make and that the schoolwork will not be easy. Going to college is not the best choice for every high school graduate because many students cannot handle college, colleges’ lower standards, and not all jobs require a college degree.
There are many things that influence our behavior from internal influences to social norms. Social norms are implicit or explicit rules that govern how we behave in society (Maluso, class notes). Social norms influence our behavior more than any of us realize but we all notice when a norm has been broken. Breaking a social norm is not an easy task and often leads us feeling uncomfortable whether we broke the norm ourselves or witnessed someone else breaking it. Sometimes however, you just have to break a norm to see what happens.
In our society, a college education is no longer an option or privilege, but rather a necessity. The main reason people go to college is not because they want to, but because they have to. Guidance counselors and parents pressure most high school seniors to go to college because it is “the right thing to do.” Our society has it in our mind that if a person does not go to college they will not become successful. Exactly one year ago I was in high school, and being a senior was probably the most stressful year. Most seniors worried about filling out college applications and deciding what major to do. Inputting all your grades and knowing that you were not the best student is especially stressful. For most people, going to college seems
In the reading “Who Goes to College” written by Cecilia Rodriguez Milanes I was able to see myself in her situation. When she was a senior she had no idea what she was going to do her following year, all she knew was that her parents wanted her to attend college. She always wanted to work, she liked being able to provide for herself but her parents always told her that college would come first. She had no clue of how college worked, what classes she would take or what she would do there. After all the confusion she had of what college truly is, she began to love it. I believe that Cecilia Rodriguez chose the right path, even though she was not completely sure of what she wanted to do she always worked hard and never let any obstacle put her
I believe that it’s easier for people who are not concerned with others’ perceptions of them to break certain norms such as eating standing up or walking around the city with no bra on than others who would rather break a norm similar to mine where people aren’t really judging you as much. I believe this all stems down to peoples’ personalities and what they’re comfortable with doing. I feel that this assignment taught me how relevant social norms are. I didn’t realize it but they’re everywhere in everything that people do.
Due to the condescending looks I got from several individuals, I can say that I felt judged immediately based on my “act” itself, even if people did not show their negative reactions first hand. On my part, it was not the best feeling in the world, and with this I know how some members in society feel on a daily basis just because they do not comply with certain norms held today. At times, I also felt uncomfortable because I was aware on the impression I was getting across, and this is where Charles Cooley’s “the looking glass self” comes into play. I believe his sociological concept is the reason on why I felt that way – basically because I cared about what people thought of me based on my look and my actions. However, based on my experience I can say that the concept of defying a norm has evolved throughout the years.