Young adults, or adolescents, begin their last four grades of statutory education in a place called high school. The purpose of this arduous journey is to teach a large range of prosperous skills, information, and knowledge that will aid students throughout college and ultimately the real world. In the society we live in today, however, people never question the pressure this quantitative form of education imposes upon students. This crushing, mortifying stress plummets the mental and physical health of pupils—sometimes to the point of no return. Colleges contribute greatly to this injustice as well: tuition fees and acceptance rates result being the primary concerns of families across the nation. Today’s society should not endorse the over pressurization of college, as that in return results in the declination of health of high school students.
¬Stress plagues almost every high school student, and while miniscule amounts may not result in negative consequences, excessive amounts will (Palmer). “Pressure by parents and schools to achieve top scores has created stress levels among students—beginning as early as elementary school—that are so high that some educators regard it as a health epidemic,” stated Denise Clark Pope, a lecturer in the School of Education and author of Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic and Miseducated Students. Societal pressure about achieving high quality grades originates as far back as elementary school,
This illustrates that students are pushed to excel academically and in extracurricular activities to secure admission, impacting students' well-being. Furthermore, the intense pressure students face competing for college admission reveals a concerning trend where academic pursuits often overshadow essential aspects of childhood like social development. Thus, the stress young individuals endure for college admissions is unhealthy, underscoring the need for a more balanced approach. Others may argue that everyone should attend college due to the transformative impact it provides. In the article, “The Chance And The Choice That Changed My Life: The Power of A College Promise”, Chike Aguh views college as the key to “unlocking the American Dream for students across the country and the world” (Aguh).
High school graduation marks the start of young adults’ lives, a time where they are expected to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Many young adults are pressured into attending college, whether they have determined their goal or not, but is it necessary? “The Case Against College,” an article written by Linda Lee, a mother who has questioned the former belief that college equals success, claims that “not everyone needs a higher education.” College, though beneficial to many, is not for everyone and should not determine an individual’s life.
Student stress seems to be a major theme throughout the novel, The Overachievers: the secret lives of driven kids. The author establishes this theme by providing examples of the stress caused from academics to parental pressure. The cause of each overachiever’s problems seem to be stress. They stress over not being good enough even though they are all extremely knowledgeable and self-driven. Whether it’s not getting all As or not meeting your parents goals, each student in this novel suffers an incredibly unhealthy amount of stress, then they should.
In the New York Times article, “College’s High Cost, Before You Even Apply,” Tara Parker-Pope argues that the high-stress atmosphere of college application season experienced by high achieving students is detrimental to many aspects of student’s lives. Tara weaves the impressive argument that for many students, college admissions; especially to selective universities, may seem to hold a golden ticket at a terrible expense. Health, happiness and mental stability to name a few. These detrimental issues brought on by higher education woes are problems that escape J.D. Salinger’s protagonist in his most famous novel, Catcher in the Rye. In a sharp contrast to Holden Caulfield, The New York Times article features high-achieving students rushing into adulthood through a high education medium and are convinced that college acceptance is a precursor to a fulfilled career and a successful
Rather than associating it with financial woes and four more years of backpacks and tests, further education should be credited with helping the development of one's social skills, personal growth, and becoming a well rounded and prepared member of society. One of the most prevalent issues with sending one to college is cost. Although the majority of Americans say higher education “fails to provide students with good value for the money they and their families spend”, 86%, the majority of GRADUATES say that personally, college was the best choice (Source F). On a student to student basis, stepping out of the present and looking at the bigger picture may be the
The drastic and exponential rise in college tuition and fees has thousands of Americans questioning if the education is worth the high costs. Knowing that a college education may open doors and allow for career opportunities that would not be there without a college degree, many feel pressured to attend. High school seniors specifically feel this pressure as the topic of whether or not they want to attend college and where comes into question. Not only do students have to be concerned about if the college they wish to attend has particular degrees, but also the cost of the secondary education. As a senior in high school I personally understand the frustration in considering the cost of college when choosing the right college to attend. Student
College students across the nation suppress a shudder when the phrase is uttered. They try to push it to the back of their mind, to save the problem for another day. Sadly, it cannot be ignored forever. Student loans over the United States have been becoming more frequent and increasing in size for years. According to M. Swig, Hickey, and S. Swig, there are now 41 million Americans burdened with having to pay student loans back. While one may question if taking out a student loan in the thousands is worth it, one should consider today 's society. To most people, college is the only option. Parents, families, and neighbors almost force it upon the young adults because they believe it’s the only way for them to be successful. Much of the nation views a higher education as the key component in an individual 's future job, wealth, and therefore general happiness. It is almost to the point where not attending would be comparable to breaking a social norm.
There has been a moment in everyone’s life where they have dug too deep to jump back out and abandon the end goal. Students across the country that begin their junior year of high school are thinking about which choice of colleges they have in mind. One of the major problems that keeps a student back like solid steel chain is the tuition it cost for University admission. Students working their hardest throughout their high school career and having the ever conscious situation of financial problems stress them out. Students become discouraged when one of the main reasons for being unable to attend their dream college, is their inability to afford the yearly tuition cost of attendance. Students are then forced to face reality, in the sense that,
All over the United States, young adults are planning their future and preparing themselves for college. College is the next level education that the majority of the high school population thrive for. Yet two things are always a factor in the decisions made, which is cost and debt. These two things have become two of the most common reasons many students either drop out, or don’t attend a public university at all. According to Imagine America Foundation, the cost of college and the debt it can leave behind are two of the top 5 reasons people don’t go to college. With that being said, these two factors have become a problem to students as well their families. These problems need to be fixed for the community and by the community. The will have to work together
It is a well known fact but there are many people including counselors, parents, teachers, and friends who resist saying it out loud for fear it will sound like discouragement and negativity: college is definitely not for everyone. The pressure on high schools students, especially those that excel, to attend a college or university is enormous. And in the case of a bright, industrious and motivated high school student, attending a college or university is an obvious career choice. For those students, it's only a matter of what university to attend, whether one's SAT score is high enough, and the availability of the money. Then there are the millions of high school students who are not really personally motivated but are being pressured by their counselors, teachers and parents should they attend college if they really don't care? This paper examines those issues.
Alfie Kohn’s Article “How Not to get into College” analyses many key factors of how the current school system does not work and how we as members of society need to work together extensively to remodel the system to ensure the success of future students by valuing education over grades. By looking at how students only join clubs and and worship numerical grades only to impress colleges; students facing pressure from parents, teachers, and society to get good grades and succeed in life; and how students live through many mental health implications due to a multitude of factors surrounding their educational life, we can determine that systemic factors of this society have turned students of this generation into grade grubbers.
More people than ever are going to college, however, authors Andrea Venezia and Laura Jaeger argue that many high school students enter college without the basic knowledge, skills, or habits of mind to get through college. Venezia and Jaeger look at the college readiness of high school students, the programs in place to help with the transition, and the efforts to improve those transitions. One of the main social problems the authors’ mention is the disparity between students in poverty, and students that are more privileged. Another problem that the authors note is the peer influences and parental expectations for their child. Finally, they mention the differences between how high schools educate and what colleges expect.
The transition from high school to college is a dynamic time in one’s life that parallels the change from childhood to adulthood. Both of these changes are dramatic and, as a result, feelings are difficult to put down into words. A messy combination of emotions fills the heart, surfacing in strange ways. Confident high school seniors go right back to the bottom of the chain when entering college as freshmen. These students start all over, just like entering grade school or high school for the first time. The move up from high school to college signals the switch from dependence to self-sufficiency. From a personal point of view, going through the experience of graduating high school and transferring to a residential college campus at STLCOP, made me realize I was no longer a kid and capable of making my own decisions.
The target population for this study will be high school students between the ages of 14 and 18. The goal is to survey participants from each of the five federally designated counties in poverty in NH (Coos, Strafford, Grafton, Cheshire and Carroll) and identify to what extend does living in rural poverty impact student engagement in school (United States Census Bureau, 2011). In order to identify and recruit potential participants representing all grades in high schools and a majority of high schools in the identified counties in poverty this study will use data provided by three federally funded TRIO programs; UNH Upward Bound, UNH Educational Talent Search and Keene State College Upward Bound. These three TRIO programs are federally funded and serve low-income, potential first generation college students. They all serve high school students who fall below 150% of the national poverty threshold and whose parents did not receive a four-year postsecondary degree. The three programs that would supply the data represent 25 high schools in the target areas. All students whose income was below 150% of the National Poverty Level and who participate in these programs would be invited to participate in the study (roughly 500 students). We would invite students to participate in the study both through their program e-mails and letters home. If a student responded as interested to the e-mail, a letter would be sent to their parents/guardians that would describe the study and would
Most high school and college students are required to take an art course in order to graduate. However this idea should be forced because not all majors have something to do with art; for example, a doctor, lawyer, math teacher, etc. don’t need any type of art in order to accomplish what they want to do. Instead they should skip the art course of get an additional class that will help them with their future career. Some people that don’t have any interest in art may find the art course difficult because they are interested in it and therefore won’t put as much effort than does who are interested. “The Goals 2000 Educate America Act” was passed in 1994 and in declared that all schools should teach arts programs.(Fran Smith). However, this regulation shouldn’t have been done because, there may be some students really interested in art and looking forward for a career in any type of arts and the rest of the students that aren’t as interested as the others would distract the students and not allow them to acknowledge what they are suppose to learn.