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
5 Comments:
I agree with much of what you're saying. Today, as soon as a student hits junior year, college is the only focus. We can say all we want that we are just trying to be kids, but subconciously we need to be accepted by that reach school. We need to prove ourselves to our piers and our parents. And to not strive for such a goal is looked down upon. The student who claims he or she doesn't care about college is considered a bad influence and a nobody. I personally don't have a strong definition of a good school. Ivy Leagues don't interest me, even if I could get in. But whenever I mention a smaller school like Eugene Lang or New College, my parents get especially distraught. "I've never heard of this school. The book only gives it three academic stars." I, a rebellious youth, forcefully oppose such phrases. But other more easily influenced kids will fall victim to the opinions of others. This will probably sound cliched, but the best school is not always the "best" school. Finding a good college is a test to understand yourself, not others' perception of you. It's a learning experience and not a contest. I know I will be happy anywhere I go... except Wheaton, haha. But I'll admit that the stress has gotten to me, and I've had my panic moments. But as you reach the end of junior year, as I have, you look back and realize, "Hey, maybe I did alright after all."
you know. this is interesting. i agree. i read an article a couple of weeks ago in the Times about something along these lines. it's ridiculous how we bust our asses for what? to please ourselves? to please our parents? the latter more likely. sometimes pleasing ourselves. rebellion? i think so. how many times have you done something that your parents didn't want you to. i certainly have. for me that was theatre. my parents weren't thrilled. they wanted me to play sports and i did that, but i also did the theatre thing cause i enjoyed it and had fun. that's what's important. us having fun. i dunno i'm probably rambing again. oh well. my opinion on your very appropriately timed post!
I would say it's how the glove fits. but there is really no need to worry; everyone winds up where they should. I would say that yes it is wrong for your parents to shoot down certain schools because they are not high enough in the rankings. however, perhaps what would would be best is to find a large list of schools like those to look at, and then decide from there, so everyone gets their input but you get the final decision. I would say, just let it fall into place, get the apps in on time, keep a written list that you update as you visit, and remember: your safety school is someone else's reach school.
hope that helps.
I personally consider myself lucky. To be completely honest, the prospect of college...really GOING to college...didn't click with me until the beginning of senior year. Until then I took my classes, did my work, got my grade and simply moved on.
When senior year started and it really hit me, I began to regret all of my past work - which is a shame because I had worked hard and I had done what I was supposed to do and I had made it that far already. But even all of that, all of those research papers and lab reports and DBQs and exams that I did well on, didn't seem like enough.
Every college I looked into, every college that I liked in the least bit, was covered with statistics that I didn't match. Numbers that exceeded my own and it WAS discouraging. I am not the scholar of my class. I am not the athlete. I am not a perfect, well-rounded student. And all of these things killed me. Sure, I can sing and act a little, but the pressure of having to audition to get into a school just made the situation worse.
To get to the point, everything about the college application process is unfair. When it comes down to it, it's all apples and oranges. In other words, it's all about what the person reading your application wants or thinks is important.
My advice: It is one of the hardest and roughest times of high school. Applications are a LOT of work. But when you think about it, essays are essays, and numbers are just numbers. They are something you did, not something you are. If you don't get into the school of your dreams, it's that school's loss. And to be honest, you can always try again. Please. Please please please. Don't let this crush you.
Tay and whoever antihero is have it right on. With students applying to more and more colleges, the competition has become crazzzy! How well can a college get to know each individual when they have thousands of applicants?? Never judge yourself based on what some stranger from so-and-so college thinks of you b/c "you" to them is an SAT score, a transcript, a 500 word essay, or a state on the map that they want represented at their school. I know you know this, but it's important to remember!
Anyway, my college process was pretty interesting. My parents and my voice teacher all thought I should start off by looking at the most well known conservatories-Eastman, Oberlin, Boston, New England, even Juilliard (kind of a reach...). A part of me wanted to audition at these schools all so I could say to the world, "hey, look!" I wanted to prove to people that I could get into such prestigious schools.
But, what I realized is that if I did get into one of these schools and decided to go there, I would be miserable. I'm not at all a competitive person, I don't want to be in that kind of atmosphere. I want to feel at home when I'm at college. I want to be happy.
Why was I trying to be someone I knew I wasn't? I think honestly I just didn't want to get that look, that look that I get now when I tell people where I'm going to college. It's that "ummm, where? Does that school even exist?" look. What it all boils down to is you have to shut out the rest of the world when you look for a college that's right for you. I love the school I'm going to; it's prefect for me! At first I thought that by going to this seemingly non-existant music school I'd be disappointing people. But when I told people where I was going, it didn't matter. They could see how excited I was, and because of that, they were excited too.
So, long story short, never worry about what others think when you're applying to colleges. This isn't to say that those name sucks all SUCK haha. I'm really glad that I did look into those schools because they made what I didn't want out of a college pretty clear.
Know yourself, be true to yourself, and trust me, you'll be fine :)
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