College Pressures By William Zinsser

Going to college is the first step to jump into the society, learning how to communicate with others, get more advanced information, acknowledge and share ideas with friends. However, many students are getting into trouble, which not related with education. In the essay, "College Pressure," William Zinsser focuses on four main types of pressure that college student experiences, which are economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. Zinsser writes about the pressures and gives examples on each one by writing scenarios or giving a personal experience when he witnessed college students struggling with anxiety. The essay gives a good amount of information and details to back up the

“College Pressures” and “College Is A Waste Of Time And Money” can be compared on the grounds that both use the

“College Pressures” discusses types of pressure college students will more than likely face: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. Students are trying to pay for school. Parents are trying to steer their kids towards degrees that lead to a good future. Everyone is trying to do more, and work harder than their classmates in order to stand out

Statistics exhibit that majority of people are unable to pay for their further education. Pew Social and Demographic Trends state, “A majority of Americans (57%) say the higher education system in the United States fails to provide students with a good value for the money they and their families spend.” Tuition rates for colleges hyperbolizes its values comparatively to the money families spend. It also proclaims, “An even larger majority- 75%- says college is too expensive for most Americans to afford.” College snatch away the money of American families at a value too high and too much for the average family to spend. Not only does college seize the money many family don’t have to begin with, but it forces families to go into debt. Working extreme hours and trying to pay for college wearies the family’s way of living. According to Pew Social and Demographic Trends, “A record share of students are leaving college with a substantial debt burden… about half say that paying off that debt made it harder to pay other bills… about a quarter say it has had an impact on their career choices.” Debts triggers a person to change their profession and causes hardships to their life in the future. High tuition rates and debts stir students away from college and jobs that they truly want. College acquire families money at an

We have to take in consideration that William Zinsser wrote the essay “College Pressures” in 1978, almost thirty years ago. In the modern society today, I believe that we have even more pressure than the students in the seventies. The author listed four main pressures: economic, parental, peer, and self-induced pressures, beside those listed there are other pressures that we could face. First time students can have problems with homesickness and new responsibilities. Some of new students never washed the dishes, cleaned the room or cooked food. So, it could be very stressful to adjust to completely new lifestyle in addition to all academic requirements. Also, immigrant student may encounter pressure to overcome cultural shock that conflict

College Pressures lingers William Zinsser is not only a American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher, but also a keen observer. In the late 1970’s, William Zinsser bought up the long-lasting issue – college pressure – in his essay “College Pressure”. Zinsser, once as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, was the master of Branford College at the time he wrote such article. Zinsser’s views appear to me, a student struggles in the first year of college, to be intelligent, insightful, foresighted and —perhaps most importantly—well worth pondering.

A lot of people will argue, that college is too expensive. Not everyone can go to college, for financial reasons. Also, they may get into college, but end up having to leave because they cannot afford the remaining balances; or, they received financial aid, but end up having to take out loans they are going to be paying back forever. It is like once they graduate they will be working mostly to pay off their student loan debt. This also discourages some students. In some cases, they will not even take the initiative to try because it is so costly. I do not understand why it cost so much to want to better yourself, and possibly put us in debt for the rest of our life just to receive a higher education. Not only has the cost of college risen over a period of time, but it continues to go up. Yes, they have alternatives for paying student debts, but what if you do not qualify? Lastly, you are not guaranteed a job just because you graduate and have a college degree(s).

College is a dream that almost every American wants to come true, however, with the extreme rise in the costs of tuition it is a dream that has quickly turned into a nightmare. “Tuition at a private university is now roughly three times as expensive as it was in 1974, costing an average of $31,000 a year; public tuition, at $9,000, has risen nearly four times,” (Davidson). “For the average American household that doesn 't receive a lot of financial aid, higher education is simply out of reach,” (Davidson). That is why many students have begun questioning the worth of a college degree and if the amount of debt that is received upon exiting college is all for the better. And considering that costs have risen much faster than the rate of inflation, many are starting to believe that college just isn 't necessary any more. However, according to White, economically, the answer would still be a yes. “While unemployment rates for new grads and experienced workers alike have fluctuated throughout the recession and recovery, the earnings premium that college-and advanced-degree holders enjoy over their peers who didn 't attend college has remained relatively stable, and in some instances, grown, according to the report that was released this week,” (White). A study was shown that many college grads are able to get earnings that are significantly higher than those who did not get enough education or only hold a high school diploma (White). Even

The article, “College Pressures”, written by William Zinsser, explores the pressures associated with college and its reflection on student work and attitude. In 1979, the time this work was published, Zinsser was the head of a residential college at Yale University (Zinsser, 437). Emerged in campus life, Zinsser examines the student behavior affiliated with the four sources of pressure he identifies as the symptoms of attending college. After reviewing Zinsser’s article, I can relate certain aspects of economic and parental pressures, as well as peer and self-induced pressures, in my lifestyle as a student attending Columbus State Community College.

Have you attended college? If the answer is yes how long did it take you to pay off your student loans? If you didn't go did your decision to not get an education have to do with money? Many people did not attend college because it was too expensive and they could not find a way to pay for an education. Many student today are struggling to pay their way through school creating a higher dropout rate. On top of paying for tuition many students also worry about how to pay for their dinner that night or how to pay for either dorms or a house at the beginning of the year. College tuition is becoming way too expensive for the average family to afford putting their kid or kids through school it has turned into more of a hassle for many families rather than an opportunity to prepare young adults for their future.

Student debt is at an all-time high. Many college students and recent graduates may find themselves asking: "what's the point?" Why go to college if there is no guarantee of a great job, but you are almost certainly guaranteed to graduate with high levels of debt? But take a careful look at the statistics. While the unemployment rate for recent four year college graduates is 6.8%, the unemployment rate for recent high school graduates is nearly 24% (Webley 2012). Of course, there are many other reasons to go to college, such as personal fulfillment. But for those who are considering not going to college because of economic concerns, I advise you to think in the 'long term.'

College pressures dominate our lives. They begin to levitate around us and slowly derail our lives. William Zinsser elaborates about the college pressures that modern generations are facing. He reveals multiple commonalities that the typical college student encounters on a daily basis. Zinsser states, “They want a map-right now-that they can follow unswervingly to career security, financial security, social security, and presumably, a prepaid grave” (12). He is spot on, the pressures demand my attention and won’t take no for an answer. So far I’ve gone head to head with these pressures every day since I started my freshman year in college. For the time that I’ve been here, my mind is overwhelmed and distraught with the amount of stress that gets piled on top of me every single day. I drown in these unrealistic expectations written in those faulty suggestion bars about how to be successful in college and college 101 tips. College pressures surround me like a dull gray cloud. It showers me with expectations and unfinished checklists. College itself is similar to carpooling to hell and back, but with no actual guarantee with a ride back.

Families are now aiming low when it comes to college- or are simply not going at all. Money could play a huge part in this decision- after all, the cost of college has skyrocketed over the years, and so has the amount of student loan debt. This is something even Leonhardt admits, stating that, because of this, only about 33 percent of young adults get a four-year college degree today, while another 10 percent receive a two-year degree (Leonhardt). And even though many colleges offer financial aid packages, that money may soon be cut and the cost of college will continue to grow. It is true that, in my personal experience, just because a student is awarded financial aid does not mean they have a golden ticket to University. This leaves many desperate students the only option of taking out as many loans as they think they can handle- often more than they should. Debt is not a new issue for America, but it is still a problem. Although David Autor, an M.I.T. economist, laments: “not sending [young adults] to college would be a disaster”, no one can ignore the rising rates of loan defaults, and some think it

Stress is unavoidable, no matter the situation, location, or time; stress is always present. Stress is found in higher levels during the duration in which students attend college. It is predictably higher among college students, freshmans in particular, because of the extreme expectations set upon them by their parents and, of course, society. The need to please their parents, longing for success in life, and being able to sustain a reasonable income in the future, all of which falls into the hands of college students who are making critical decisions which may decide the outcome for a large portion of their lives. If these students end up hating their future jobs, the stress of having to go back into college to study for a new career

Stress is no new phenomenon. It’s been around as long as man and has captivated scholars and physicians alike. With the growing demand for degrees in the professional world comes the growth of the number of college students. The relationship between stress and college students has become the subject of on-going research. Several studies show that stress in college students is increasing with time and the authors of those studies are attributing this to an increased number of students. Other research seems to indicate that it isn’t necessarily the stress that is increasing but the awareness of it. Increased awareness of stress, and its unique toll on individuals, allows colleges and students to recognize