Summary Of William Zinsser College Pressures

When college attainment improves, the tax base increases, reliance on social welfare programs declines, and civic and political engagement increases” (White). Even though it may seem obvious, in most cases it truly is very important to have a degree to be able to become successful. Despite some arguing against this, it comes down to the basics. A degree from higher education automatically gives that person an advantage in life. Whether it helps with job applications, housing, or just relief from worrying about money, an education is not just beneficial but becoming almost a necessity.

Recently, many have begun to attack and degrade higher education in the United States. In the book How College Works, authors Daniel Chambliss and Christopher Takacs claim, “As state support has eroded, and as more students attend college in an increasingly desperate attempt to find viable jobs, the price to students of attending an institution of higher education has gone up, especially at more selective institutions” (172). So is college even worth it? Caroline Bird’s excerpt from her book Case Against College “Where College Fails Us” is an adequately written article that agrees with those who question whether college is a good investment. Bird argues that although some students would benefit from college and succeed, many fall short, wasting

The essay of Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s by Brent Staples clearly mimics a problem solution essay that is very heavily focused on the problem. Staples takes a very assertive standpoint in insisting that over inflation of grades due to particular pressure on adjunct professors are devaluing degrees from collegiate institutions. Staples is convincing in this assertion as he uses generalized facts, “In some cases, campus wide averages have crept up from a C just 10 years ago, to a B-plus today.” This alarming quotation is used as evidence that supports Staples’ claim of a major problem facing collegiate institutions nationwide. The solution that Staples proposes, is a new grade point average formula.

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

As a college student who is currently spending thousands of dollars to further my education and achieve a career goal, it was, at first, disheartening to read Caroline Bird ’s essay “College is a Waste of Time and Money”. However, after thoroughly examining her points, I now see that her essay is illogical. In her piece “College is a Waste of Time and Money”, Caroline Bird argues against the idea that “college is the best place for all high-school graduates” (1); in other words, college isn’t for everyone. Throughout her writing, Bird supplies her readers with evidence that explains how, for some individuals, college is a waste of not only time and money, but of intellectual effort, as well.

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 his Essay “Are too many people going to college,” first published in a 2008 issue of AEI, Charles Murray explores many insights onto the topic of furthering education as well as exploring various other options to pursue after high school. Who exactly would think that too many people are going to college? Well with more and more students flooding campuses at the end of every school year and less and less going into trade schools, a shift in the job market is just beginning to be seen on the horizon. Charles Murray’s essay “Are too many people going to college” shows that not only are there other avenues to pursue a potential life long career, but that much of the time pursuing these avenues may offer better results for some wanting to go to college.

A college degree is a sought after goal for many Americans today; however, college has taken on a stigma that is created by the upper class students. College is seen as the best time of one’s life without the worry of educational outcome and a place to experiment with sexual relations and drugs. The upper class has created the illusion that college is easy and does not need to be the main focus. Many upper class students are not aiming at a college degree for the same reason as the other students. Students who come from less privileged backgrounds often are in college looking for upward mobility when they are go into college.

In the story “College Pressures” written by William Zinsser, is about all the pressure, changes, and the feeling that come with college. In the story Zinsser, talks about how things that used to not be as important are some of the most important thing now, such as a transcript can make or break you when you are going up against a different students. Zinsser also talks about how people think that colleges act like villains with all of the prices and all of the things they make you buy, but really they are not villains in this equation, we are all just victims. Zinsser also captors all the pressures you put on yourself including peers, financial, and parents. He talks about how we can let our peers get to us, so we work too hard and forget

College is excessively romanticized until the cost and workload is understood. There has been an abundant amount of evidence

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.

Many people may argue that the financial burden of college is not worth it, yet paying for college teaches responsibility and accountability. There are many fields in the job industry that doesn’t require a college degree. However, when the facts are presented about why college is important it is very clear the the financial burden of college is worth it. A college education helps shapes the economy into a brighter future. Students who put in the time and effort with paying for college, they find a whole new world that opened up to them with job opportunities.

Ultimately, colleges put higher education on a pedestal, which in turn makes job requirements steeper. This raises the price of supposed “basic” education, while not increasing pay for jobs. With a focus on specialized education for low-paying jobs, and consequently less income with more debt, colleges cause long-term financial problems, showing a complete disregard for the actual well-being of the student and their future, which is why students should examine other possibilities to secure their

The authors go ahead and present statistical data that relates to how people have been employed in previous years to various jobs depending on their levels of education. From their data presentation, it is clear that those who have college or university education are in decent jobs. Robbins (1994) observes that once a person has the conviction that a certain aspect will help him or her in life, he or she comes up with a strategy on how to put the aspect into effect. The students will, therefore, plan well on how to achieve the higher education. They will also be motivated to realize that the jobs are also well-paying (Kyllonen,

Due to the exceedingly high fees of their preferred major, students have been compelled to choose a field that they are disinterested and impassionate about. Research organized by the National Education Opportunities Network (Neon) demonstrates that if fees were reduced to a lower budget, 45% of respondents would choose a different path. Moreover, this decision not only affects them during their college education but follows them throughout their entire life career. After graduation, students are then driven into jobs they are dissatisfied with, and unfortunately, due to their discontentment, they jump from one job offering to another, never building a solid foundation to develop upon. This can lead to great disappointment and deep regret over the course of their