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William Zinsser College Pressures Summary

498 Words2 Pages

In the “College Pressures” essay, made by William Zinsser, he shows the reader the struggles that college students have while they are in school. Within the essay he brings up the four pressures that college students face: economic, parental, peer, and self-induced. Zinsser makes his essay easy to understand by not being extravagant with his words and very straightforward. He also likes to transition from relatable topics and how he views them into interesting examples.
The beginning of his essay can be a bit hard to comprehend to some readers. It all begins with random texts appearing to be journal entries written by a stressed out man named Carlos. If taken into proper context, the reader will understand that Carlos is leaving messages appearing …show more content…

He explains how other kids are working harder and getting almost perfect grades, which sets the bar too high for some kids, making their lives seem not as successful as their peers. He uses these situations like these as firm examples to represent his logos. It all doesn’t just end with peer or parental pressures either. Economical pressures and self induced pressures play a huge role in the stress of a student as well. The writer states that we are without a doubt, living in a brutal economy and that it seems that colleges are getting rich off of their students. To further back up his logos, he states that Tuition covers only 60% of what it costs to give a student education, and that the remainder of funds comes from what colleges receive in endowments, grants, and gifts. The cost of basically everything has spiked up resulting in higher costs of living. Just the thought of this debt that the kids will have to pay after college is thought to cause stress.
It may appear that throughout the essay, Zinsser views the students lives in a completely negative way. He catches himself doing this and plainly states it to the reader. He tells the parents, “I have painted too drab a portrait of today s students, making them seem a solemn lot (246).” This isn t his purpose at

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