Critical Reading, Math, Writing...Sanity?
Well, it has been quite some time since my last post. Almost a year, it seems.
I have to be honest and admit that I forgot about this blog even after I had started with such a vivid picture of its evolution and growth in my head. But as we all know, these days it's more than easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. I've been thinking for a while about what topic, if I started this again, I would start with. I didn't want to be too dark, too deep, too overwhelming right off the bat.. so I though I would focus on the exact reason why this blog halted in the first place: 21st century student life.
I chose to restrict the topic to students because I myself cannot qualify adult life and therefore I cannot write a true-to-life introduction or prompt for the discussion.
It is my opinion that these days, teens are expected more and more to be, in a way, "perfect". That is not to say that society wants us all to be able to sing opera while doing gymnastics and revolutionizing the free world with our individual terms in the White House... but both the academic and extracurricular lives of students seem to become more competitive and more intensive with every year. With what goal in mind? College. It's all about college. Get into college and you're golden, it seems, because post-secondary education is the key to a good starting salary, they say. Do I disagree? No. I agree that college is important and that practicality and career planning are important. But there's more to it than that. Heck, I'm excited for college personally, but not for the application process. I believe that the process of getting in often overshadows college's true importance. I believe that college is a chance to explore the world to an extent unknown to high school students. Out on your own, you're being independent for maybe the first time in your life. Here you are in this huge, new place, filled with people that don't necessarily think, talk, look, believe, eat, or live like you. They don't know what it's like where you're from. They don't know life on your side of the fence...but here you are all the same, presented with the chance to really learn from those around you. What's more, you have options galore for what you want to study. College is not just a time to explore a career.. but a time to explore something you know won't be your career. It's a time to say, well hey I've always been interested in this but I don't know much about it... so I guess I'll find out now? Always wanted to see what it takes to be a playwright? Take a playwriting course. The world really is your oyster. Intimidating? Yes. Scary? Yes. But absolutely worth it? Yes.
Maybe it's for those reasons that everyone has a "dream school" and puts so much weight on the college process. I know it is for me. It's a "if I don't get in, I might not be as happy at another school." But I often think statistics take place of standards in the eyes of many incoming freshman. I'm generalizing, of course, but I don't know how many times I've heard the words "2nd Tier School" or "Ivy League" or "one of the New Ivies" or "Divison III." I admit that yes, these phrases have affected a part of the process for me. If you don't get into a good school, how will that affect your career? Will you be happy at any other place? But there's the buzz word.. "good". Define good school. How do we define it these days? By how the glove fits? Or is it a question of how good the glove looks. If you don't get in, will you disappointed because that truly was the perfect place for you or because all your other schools weren't as "good." As a result, many students seem to drive themselves to the point of being burnt out because they want to create a safety net for themselves... a transcript that'll make any college want them. But is it worth it? Is this healthy? I don't think so. I don't mean to deride hard work. I think it's all very important.. but when do we cross the line? When does a lot become too much? When does our defintion of "good school" start to become skewed?
It may be a little incoherent and rambley... what have you...but there it is, the prompt.
Opinions?
I have to be honest and admit that I forgot about this blog even after I had started with such a vivid picture of its evolution and growth in my head. But as we all know, these days it's more than easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. I've been thinking for a while about what topic, if I started this again, I would start with. I didn't want to be too dark, too deep, too overwhelming right off the bat.. so I though I would focus on the exact reason why this blog halted in the first place: 21st century student life.
I chose to restrict the topic to students because I myself cannot qualify adult life and therefore I cannot write a true-to-life introduction or prompt for the discussion.
It is my opinion that these days, teens are expected more and more to be, in a way, "perfect". That is not to say that society wants us all to be able to sing opera while doing gymnastics and revolutionizing the free world with our individual terms in the White House... but both the academic and extracurricular lives of students seem to become more competitive and more intensive with every year. With what goal in mind? College. It's all about college. Get into college and you're golden, it seems, because post-secondary education is the key to a good starting salary, they say. Do I disagree? No. I agree that college is important and that practicality and career planning are important. But there's more to it than that. Heck, I'm excited for college personally, but not for the application process. I believe that the process of getting in often overshadows college's true importance. I believe that college is a chance to explore the world to an extent unknown to high school students. Out on your own, you're being independent for maybe the first time in your life. Here you are in this huge, new place, filled with people that don't necessarily think, talk, look, believe, eat, or live like you. They don't know what it's like where you're from. They don't know life on your side of the fence...but here you are all the same, presented with the chance to really learn from those around you. What's more, you have options galore for what you want to study. College is not just a time to explore a career.. but a time to explore something you know won't be your career. It's a time to say, well hey I've always been interested in this but I don't know much about it... so I guess I'll find out now? Always wanted to see what it takes to be a playwright? Take a playwriting course. The world really is your oyster. Intimidating? Yes. Scary? Yes. But absolutely worth it? Yes.
Maybe it's for those reasons that everyone has a "dream school" and puts so much weight on the college process. I know it is for me. It's a "if I don't get in, I might not be as happy at another school." But I often think statistics take place of standards in the eyes of many incoming freshman. I'm generalizing, of course, but I don't know how many times I've heard the words "2nd Tier School" or "Ivy League" or "one of the New Ivies" or "Divison III." I admit that yes, these phrases have affected a part of the process for me. If you don't get into a good school, how will that affect your career? Will you be happy at any other place? But there's the buzz word.. "good". Define good school. How do we define it these days? By how the glove fits? Or is it a question of how good the glove looks. If you don't get in, will you disappointed because that truly was the perfect place for you or because all your other schools weren't as "good." As a result, many students seem to drive themselves to the point of being burnt out because they want to create a safety net for themselves... a transcript that'll make any college want them. But is it worth it? Is this healthy? I don't think so. I don't mean to deride hard work. I think it's all very important.. but when do we cross the line? When does a lot become too much? When does our defintion of "good school" start to become skewed?
It may be a little incoherent and rambley... what have you...but there it is, the prompt.
Opinions?
posted by Wannabe-Socrates | 8:40 PM
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5 comments
