From the time students reach junior high, they’re constantly told that they’re supposed to know what their plan is after high school. Many students who don’t have a plan, are constantly reminded that they need to have their whole life figured out before they graduate high school. In “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, the author brings the issues of education systems to light and the unintended stress being brought upon students as a result. Having a deeper insight into his students academic fears, Zinsser uses this to his advantage by connecting to his readers. To better articulate the pressures put onto students, the essay transitions into letters of hopeless students slipped under the dean’s door at 4 A.M. Students who have papers, assignments, and tests all due the next day are full of fear and anxiety that their grades won’t be what they’ve imagined. As the master of one of twelve residential colleges at Yale, Zinsser describes many of …show more content…
Being a parent, they’ll do anything they can to make sure their child is successful. Even though it is meant with good intentions, is that always a good thing? The author answers this question by relaying a former students fear, seeking advice. The student has been accepted into Yale medical school. When asked if they want to be a doctor, they reply unenthusiastically “Well, my parents want me to be a doctor. They’re paying all this money and…”(Zinsser 439). Economic and Parental pressure works hand in hand. From experience, I know that I look at potential colleges from a financial standpoint because I don’t feel as if my parents should pay a lot of money for school. I also want them to be happy with how I’m using their money at college. Hence, teenagers are more prone to start out in a field that doesn’t truly make them happy because the economic and parental pressures are too much, they might as well give
According to “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, there are four varieties of pressures: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. As I was reading the text I kept a minor self-discussion trying to acknowledge what types of pressures I relate most to least. Unsurprisingly, I felt mostly related to both the connection of peer and self-induced pressure. As a student, I have experienced in multiple occasions where I’m in a classroom and the instructor is getting understandable feedback from my peers, and I’m the only one who is puzzled even though I had good grades. However, it did not stop there… I began to give into my anxiety and became psychologically depressed because I kept doubting my own
In his essay “College Pressures”, William Zinsser discusses the pressures that college students faced in the 1970’s. He starts by stating that there are four kinds of pressure that a student can face; the economic pressure, the parental pressure, the peer pressure and the self-induced pressure. He also explains how students shouldn’t worry too much about their future and that’s there is not a “right” way to get ahead. He explains how pressure can affect them negatively by using his professional experience and the expertise of other professionals. First of all, Zinsser demonstrates the effects of pressure on students with his experience as the master of Branford College.
In William Zinsser’s article, “College Pressures”, he discusses how college students are growing up in a brutal environment that is caused by numerous pressures they are going through. He states that there are four major pressures that effect students. These pressures include economic, parental, peer, and self-induced. Zinsser successfully explains how each of these pressures negatively influences the student experience, and does an exceptional job of explaining how the four pressures are deterrents to a student’s success. The examples he provides are both realistic and relatable to a college student, which increases the value of the article.
In the article, “College Pressures,” William Zinsser discusses the many struggles college students face while trying to focus on their studying. He convinces the reader of his point by using different types of rhetorical strategies. Zinsser’s usage of the rhetorical strategies such as getting straight to the point, quoting, paragraphing, the use of word pictures, and choosing a title was effectively done in his article to persuade his reader of the struggles faced by college students. The author did not waste anytime getting to the main point in his article, which is effective because it makes me interested in what he had to say.
“3 Reasons College Still Matters” by Andrew Delbanco 3) “Surely, every American college ought to defend this waning possibility, whatever we call it. And an American college is only true to itself when it opens its doors to all - the rich, the middle, and the poor - who have the capacity to embrace the precious chance to think and reflect before life engulfs them. If we are all serious about democracy, that means everyone.” 4) In this part of the writing Andrew Delbanco tries to persuade his audience by using the pattern of logic that agrees with the overall argument but also considers another striking point of view to strengthen the argument (While these arguments are convincing, they must also consider…).
While the ever increasing pressures and cost of a college education seem to be a recent event, they problems have persisted for many decades. In 1979, William Zinsser wrote “College Pressures” in order to portray the daily struggles of college students and argue how students see college differently in the modern era. Zinsser stresses how college has changed from being an institute purely focused on higher learning to one of almost strictly vocational purposes. He argues that modern students equate college degrees more with higher paying jobs than as a symbol of knowledge in a specific field, and that these pressures to succeed greatly impact the student’s health. Through my own college experiences, I can certainly verify that college is more
Parents play a big role in their child’s lives because they provide a sense of direction for them. It is natural for a child to look up to his/her mom or dad. If a young adult doesn’t have the help from their parents who have already experienced college then they are already behind the kids who are able to use their parents as a resource. A quote by Nijay Williams in the article says, “My mom stopped school in the ninth grade; my dad stopped in the fourth grade … It makes it harder for me, [and] most of the people I graduated with are not in college, but that’s what I see myself doing; I want to go to college.
Loans allow receiving a college education seem like a smoother process considering that such a hefty amount to pay is divided so that it can be paid for in moderation. Despite the fact that it’s split into many payments, it’s still a large quantity all in all so unless indebted students aim for high income jobs, there would many years of difficulty to come after college. For this reason, undergraduates make it their goal to go after jobs which would prevent them from being constantly pressured to pay off debt. Thus, student debt is both a crisis and a reason to encourage persistence towards greater ambitions (Hillman, 41). It is a tremendous thing when a student seeks to be financially comfortable or even rich in the future but not when it is for the wrong reasons.
A rising issue in today’s society is deciding whether or not college is worth the cost. There is an extreme amount of pressure that is forced upon high school students by parents, teachers, and peers to further their education and attend college. However, there is research that challenges the thought that college is the best possible path for a person to take. College may be a great investment for some people, but it is not meant for everyone. This is supported by the arguments that colleges are expensive, jobs do not always require a college degree, and students are forced to choose a lifestyle before being exposed to the real world.
If a person’s parent or guardian drilled the idea of college into your head, or if they told you ‘do what you want’ or ‘I don 't care’, or ‘You’re not going’. While college is great, there are other means of education. The value of college is a low because there are people who do not qualify for a college education, and also because there are other ways of post-secondary education other than college. College is not valuable because many people will not make it into a 2 or 4-year college, much less graduate from one. To support this, in the article Why College Isn 't For Everyone, it says, “As a general rule, I would use graduates in the top quarter of their class at a high-quality high school should go on to a four-year degree program, while those in the bottom quarter of their classes at a high school with a mediocre educational reputation should not.”
List of challenges for students in their freshman year in college is remarkably long (see Clark, 2005). To name just a few, in their first year at college students must negotiate: a new level and kinds of academic demands (e.g., large lecture classes in huge auditoriums, large-scale projects rather than
In “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, leader of one of the residential colleges at Yale University, the author describes the different amount of pressures that students struggle with in college. Because of his position at the university, he constantly noticed the students around him and the anxiety that was radiating off them. He believes that economic pressures cause students to feel anxious about paying back student loans after college. However, parental pressure leads students to make decisions that their parents would be happy with because of the feeling of guilt and wanting to please them.
Recent studies on adults who didn’t attend college show that ”Two-thirds of those who do not end up enrolling college believed during high school that college was in their futures, but realities like the high price of college often impeded this goal”(Rebecca Klein). In other words tuition costs, low GPAs, and the fear of college being to difficult, petrifies high school seniors into not even applying for colleges. Therefore colleges would benefit those scared to apply by lowering tuition costs and/or lowering standards. Regardless of your excuses to not go to college, you should want to better yourself and in doing that find college alternatives. In order to have a higher paying job, have your dream career, and have more job opportunities ,you should attend a college that you would benefit from.
It can be one of the best experiences in a person’s life, but it is a major adjustment from the life that most people live prior to it. With this adjustment comes many types of stress that a college student will face. Whether it is taking out a loan, trying to make my parents proud, or relearning how to make friends, there will always be some sort of stress that comes along with being a college student. The stress that the average college student will endure can seem to be overwhelming at times, but these stresses are part of the learning experience of college and overcoming them will teach us valuable lessons that will help us in whatever we
Thus, stressors affecting students can be categorized as academic, financial, time or health related, and self- imposed (Goodman, 1993). Academic stressors include the student’s perception of the extensive knowledge base required and the perception of an inadequate time to develop it ((Carveth et al, 1996). Students report experiencing academic stress at predictable times each semester with the greatest sources of academic stress resulting from taking and studying for exams, grade competition, andthe large amount of content to master in a small amount of time (Abouserie, 1994). College students have many obstacles to overcome in order to achieve their optimal academic performance. It takes a lot more than just studying to achieve a successful college career.