Collegiate Eases In “College Pressures,” from The Seagull Reader: Essays, William Zinsser explains the stress and obstacles college students face, he was a master at Branford College and was exposed to college student’s breakdowns. In the essay Zinsser explains that college students face four different types of pressures: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. Zinsser is master of Branford College and he uses his first hand experiences with students to explain how the four types of pressures effect students. College students are too worried about their future and obsess over grades that they miss out on experiencing college to the fullest degree. His key point is that, although many students are motivated learners, students rarely pursue their passion, and this creates a joyless and poor environment for students. In his essay, Zinsser successfully uses irony to express the severity of self-induced pressures college students experience, and he effectively uses a metaphor to show the greatest weakness American education faces. Zinsser’s essay is effective as the author uses an ironic story to convey that students induce …show more content…
Zinsser shows the poor environment and attitudes students are effected by and exposed to. Students need to abandon the mindset of viewing college as a competition for jobs and a direct gateway to a specific occupation. Students need to think outside of looking the best on their transcripts. Self-induced pressure needs to be reduced if a student wants to enjoy their college experience. Zinsser wants the principle of being an individual to be more present in students’ lives than the collective control that imitating other students can create. Students need to reconnect with their passions before they are thrown into the working world to receive the most out of their
As I look back on my journey to college, I faced many different problems and disadvantages even before taking my first steps on campus. In Linda Banks-Santilli’s “Guilt is one of the biggest struggles first-generation college students face” many first generation students view being the first one in the family as a major flaw before entering college (Banks-Santilli, 2015, Par. 4 &7). The lack of self-respect makes it difficult for students to achieve success without help or motivation. The students have to change their viewpoint about being the first to go to college in their family as a weakness and make it a strength to help motivate them to be better students.
“College in America” Caroline Bird thinks that a college education may not be the best choice for all high school students because college education does not bring about social equality, it does not benefit them financially, and it is not guaranteed that college will lead them to an elite profession. First of all, high school students are expected to bring about social equality through four rigorous years in college. However, college is an expensive way to categorize the highs and lows in society. It is pressuring to younger students to pursue a higher education that only a few could achieve, and is also difficult for them to established an identity in society. Second, a college education does not benefit the youth financially because it is
Martha Nussbaum, then reminds the reader that these types of colleges are very active in class and to stay afloat in them, it’s highly recommended that you participate in class, no longer can just relax and look out of the class’s windows and expect to pass, “is its characteristic emphasis on the active participation of the child in inquiry and questioning.” This relates back to what Ronald Barnett wrote about. Both writers are trying to convince their readers that college is no place to fool around. If you plan on succeeding you must push yourself, ask questions, participate in classes and do hours of library work that might just lead you nowhere. College is a time to grow and isn’t always
Sacrificing their individuality and creativity is just a step in the right direction towards their version of success. Even though sacricinfing one’s true self is great, they are willing to do so if it brings them profit in their own lives. Ultimately, the selfish need for success outweighs the corruption and negativity it brings to the overall system, and in that respect, restricts itself from progressing towards change. Because a generic system like a college can not cater to every individual, there are always concrete flaws, one of which is the pressure to confrom.
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.
The stresses and strains that are put on young adults today is getting out of hand. Between the work that school demands from students to the cost it takes to put one self through school is unreasonable. The dignity of students is at stake. Students are not only stressed and constantly worried about the work it takes to pass classes and graduate, but they are also stressed with the cost it takes to simply stay enrolled in their field of study if they are in college or maintain a scholarship. With the great power of education comes great responsibility.
“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…).
Schlack sums up the issue in three key words, “status, economics and competition”. By identifying these three factors, schack strengthens his appeal towards the reader by letting them know that he understands what is false about their ideas of going to college. Additionally, Schlack gives an example of a student who is brainwashed by parents and teachers who push them towards going to college. “ college is like your life. If you don 't go to college… you can 't live a successful life”.
Throughout the essay, Charles Murray stresses the idea that college is the wonderland of finding oneself and to find the career that one would want to follow for the rest of their lives. “College is seen as the open sesame to a good job and a desirable way for adolescents to transition to adulthood. Neither reason is as persuasive as it first appears.” Murray, C (2008) Practically spoken, this is not normally the case. College is a fair amount of work, much more work than one would normally acquire through any course of a high school or secondary school setting.
Do you ever wonder what college students fears might be? Do you ever wonder what is going through their mind? In the article “The Student Fear Factor” by Rebecca Cox, it explains many different factors that a college student might be going through. The article gives many point of views from other students and what their thoughts about college was. There are some students who either are incoming high school students or are returning which can be a big fear for them the most because they don’t know what to expect from the campus vibe or even what their teacher can be like.
The most beneficial thing in life is to study something that interests you. When students are choosing what college to further their studies they consider: the cost, the social status of the school, and the programs the college carries. Professor Mark Edmunson gives his message on what students should consider in his article "Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?", published on August 22nd 2011 in Issue 74 in The Oxford American. This essay is about Edmundson's viewpoint on education and that it is hard to get one. But if you do something you enjoy doing and work hard at it you will become successful.
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.
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
Students face various challenges throughout their college career. Thus, the problems that students have can range from balance, new lifestyle, to financial problems. Therefore, finding a balance between being a student, possibly working, and keeping up with their social life is a necessity. Similarly, others are away from home for the first time thus, they have a new responsibility with being on their own and findings ways to deal with homesickness. Likewise, being exposed to new financial situations is yet another challenge college students will need to learn how to cope with.
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.