William Zinsser. “College Pressures.” (orig. pub. 1979).
A classic essay on the pressures students experience.
What are the four different kinds of pressure Zinsser says college students experience? William Zinsser wrote this essay over 30 years ago (when college tuition was $7,000!). Write a few paragraphs describing, with examples, how you think these pressures have changed or why you think college students are still under similar stress today.
After reading the article, I have settled on the conclusion that all of the pressures that Zinsser describes are still completely valid today; if not even more intense and influential on the student population than they were in the late 70s. The economic pressure that college imposes is probably the one that has changed most dramatically, due in part not only to economic inflation, but educational inflation as well. The monetary value of knowledge and a college degree has skyrocketed in the past twenty years; to think that in the early eighties the tuition to a branch of Yale University was only $7,000 is nearly inconceivable to me. Yale’s estimate for their tuition this year is $63,250, including room and board and book costs. That’s over nine times what the price of tuition was thirty years ago. Students are graduating with tens of thousands of dollars in debt; which, in my opinion, puts even more pressure on the students to go into high paying professions and further undermines the importance of choosing a less lucrative career path that undergraduates would be much happier in.
ReplyDeleteI think that this goal and money-based mindset is impressed upon us at a very early age. Parental pressure shows in the form of our parents steering us away from the humanities even as children. “Don’t be an artists- you’ll never make a living off of it, even if your art is good.” Instead of being encouraged by our parents to develop our talents, even before college was even in sight, we were being directed towards interests that would increase our chances of success in professions that would be profitable, but not necessarily enjoyable.
Zinsser’s explanation of peer pressure and “grade-fever” is highly applicable to our current college generation. With a higher education becoming accessible to more of the population, academic excellence and uniqueness has become a prerequisite to success in high school, college, and beyond. It is no longer acceptable to be a B average student, or even a straigh A+ student. Perfect SAT scores are an asset, yes, but even a 4.0 GPA and a 2400 SAT score won’t guarantee you an Ivy League acceptance letter anymore. Students are scrambling to discover their token asset, relentlessly searching to ensure their success later in life, while never pausing to enjoy their youth, freedom, and the possibilities that they have as young adults.
I have experienced first hand that self-induced pressure is rampant in our generation, to a point where it is no longer an impetus to achieve, but a burden to the aspiring youth of the 21st century. Students have become perfectionists, who must go above and beyond the expectations and set the bar ever higher for not just themselves, but their fellow students as well. Zinsser observed that the intentional over-exertion of students is unfortunately an effective way of ensuring that those students meet the requirements of each assignment, but also “ups the ante” for the expectations of other students as well. The demand for academic superiority has led to an inflated standard of excellence, so that even hard-working students cannot hope to achieve exceptional grades unless they dedicate every moment of their lives to their work. It is a competition for success that has been blown so out of proportion, that our entire lives and culture have been centered on the chimerical expectation of absolute perfection. -Kat Kleeman
Zinsser says that the four kinds of pressure are economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. After I had finished reading the essay I was surprised that it was written so long ago. I feel as though it is very similar to how students feel now. I know that the pressures have not lessened, and I believe it would not be unrealistic to say that they have become much greater.
ReplyDeleteAs a student, I personally face pressures everyday from all four of the sources mentioned. The largest source for me is my parents. I strive to make them proud and do the best for them. I know that they are only looking out for my best interests, and that is why I push myself for them. As time goes by I do not see this pressure going away for students. Parents have been and always will be a large factor in students choices. Students will always look up to their parents and respect their opinions so they will always have that added pressure from them.
Economic pressure is also a very big pressure for students now. You often hear about students who graduated with degrees and could not find a job in time to pay their loans, and they are now working the same job as someone without a degree, but they have the debt looming over their head. This is a fear of every student, and that is something that has not changed. Although, now it is understandable to think that the fear is higher because the cost of college tuition has sky-rocketed since this article was written. Now the debt students are facing leaving college is so much higher, the fear and stress to get the best job is higher.
Also, mentioned was the fact that being a "good" student is not good enough anymore, and that just as the rest of the article, still remains true. Now, not only do you have to have high grades, test scores, but you also have to be involved and even hold down a job. There are so many things that you have to keep up with and maintain, while keeping up with your academics. It is very difficult to balance because you have to have high grades and be involved. However, you tend to stay away from being involved to keep up your grades. It is a hard circle to fulfill and the added stresses of it all can be unbearable on students.
While reading through this article I caught myself nodding my head several times agreeing with what Zinsser is saying. He brings up the pressures of your parents, your peers, yourself and the economy in the article and I have come to the conclusion that all of these are still very alive today. The last week before moving into my dorm I felt all four of them begin to consume my mind. “How am I going to pay for this? Will my parents, friends, and I be proud of what I end up doing? Will I even end up getting the job I’m studying for?” are just a few questions I asked myself. Four weeks into school and these are still questions I ponder on for several minutes up to hour.
ReplyDeleteThe economy issue is probably the one that’s most heard about and the one I worry about the most. Since the amount of money to go to college has increased dramatically over the years, past students are struggling to keep up with their debt. A lot of graduates don’t get the jobs they want and most of the time those jobs don’t pay a sufficient amount to pay off your loans. There’s always a haunting thought in the back of my mind that there’s a possibility I’m going to end up studying for a job I’ll never get.
The pressure from your parents, peers and yourself are experienced by everyone in some sort of way. Everyone strives to be the best, to be seen as the best, and to do their best. But sometimes doing the best you can do as a student doesn't cut it. Just like Zinsser said, a good student isn’t always enough. You can have the highest grades, the best test scores, and still not get to the success you’re working so hard for.
Zinsser says that the four kinds of pressure college students experience are economic, parental, peer, and self- induced pressure. When I was finished reading this article it took me by shock that it was published and written long ago. In my opinion I feel that the pressures still exist to this day with college students and that some of them have grown a great amount.
ReplyDeleteI believe that almost everyone has heard or experienced economic pressure in the world because it is a big problem for some people. Many people hear that graduated students cannot find a career that will help them pay off their loan or in time for them to pay it off. Also, those same people sometimes will get a job that people without degrees will have. The reason is that their loans will be stuck in their head that they still need to pay them off and will be stuck there until they do. I think that this unease feeling every college student knows about and I personally think that it has not changed through out the years. The reason why could be that over the years sine this article was written the tuition went up a huge amount in colleges and universities. The number of college students being more stressed about their debt after they graduate and being able to find a good enough job was increased.
Being a first year student I do feel or think about some of these pressures mentioned but some more than others depending on the day. I guess one of them is the parental one because my mom and dad want the best for me and I feel like if I fail here at college that I will be failing them too. Since my parents have and still tell me that they are very proud of me and believe that I can get through anything that gets in my way it helps me a little to know that I am not failing them. Also knowing that my parents care and are just trying to do what is right for me keeps me on my feet and assists me in choosing the right options and trying to do my best when the hardest comes up and to keep on trucking through work even though I could be out having fun. Sometimes I do not always listen to them because it is just to much pressure and I need to have some fun but just having the pressure from them does not always help work in my experience because it will just worsen the feeling or mood. I had some of the pressure as a high school student and it did not go away and it is back again for college. I think that it might go away a little by little as time goes on but not all the way for ever.
The four pressure stated in the article are economic, parental, peer and self-induced pressure. These pressure still exist even today. For example since the cost of college tuition has gone up students struggle economically to pay for college. Since financial aid doesn't really gives out as much money students have to take out loans and can't manage to pay it back after leaving school.
ReplyDeleteParental pressure happens when you try so hard to please a parent and sometimes students tends to take on more than the can handle especially when a parent is on your back 24/7.
Even though the article was written so long ago it still relates in today's society. Students can learn a lot about the where there stress is coming from after reading this article.
The four different type of pressure is economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. All four of these pressures still exist today but we see them in slightly different forms. The economic pressure is basically the same. No one wants loans and everyone wants to be able to find a job after graduating.
ReplyDeleteThe parental pressure has slightly changed for the better. You hear less people saying that they are going to school to become a teacher because it pays well or because their parents told them to. You hear more of; I am going to school to become a teacher because I have a passion for teaching. I will say that, a lot of students want to fulfil their parent’s expectations. So every now and then they will go their parents for advice on certain things but definitely not for everything.
The peer pressure has definitely changed for the worst. The peer pressure that the author has described I feel like is way better than the current peer pressure. The peer pressure that happens now is when a friend is pressuring you to go out when you should really be doing homework. When we see someone doing better than us that does not push us to work harder. We see that person as someone we can go to when things get challenging.
The four different types of pressure that the writer lists are economic, parental, peer, and self-induced pressure. These pressure all definitely exist in today's schools. As a student, I experience all four of these stresses on a daily basis, and I see the same themes occurring in my peers.
ReplyDeleteI actually believe that half of these stresses begin to occur in high school. Similar to college, in high school we were constantly fretting over the future. Instead of worrying about what kind of job we have, we're worrying about where we want to receive our education, where we want to live for the nest four-plus years, where we can actually AFFORD to live for those years. We were cramming in endless hours of study in hopes of keeping straight A's and getting into our dream schools.
The peer pressure, I feel, has remained mostly the same. I do feel pressured to keep up with my Honors-level roommate, but sometimes I know that just isn't reasonable for me. However, this pressure from peers has changed in the way that my friends seem to constantly expect me to be out and about, roaming around campus for some new fun activity. In reality, I'd much rather be in my room studying so I can hold onto my GPA.
Economic pressure is worse than ever in today's undergraduate society. I remember the crushing moment when after being accepted to my dream school after struggling to keep good grades all four hears of high school, the financial aid office flat out told my mother that I couldn't attend the school because we could afford it and weren't approved for ParentPlus. Yeah. Ouch. Now I'm at Rosemont mostly on scholarships and and grants which I have to work my butt off to keep.
The pressure is real!
College students are still suffering from the same stress that Zinsser observed in 1978. Mostly from things we do not have control over. Economic pressure interferes with student's academics because we are constantly worrying about students loans. We go through four years of school knowing that we will be paying student loans off after we graduate.
ReplyDeleteSelf Induced pressure can be both beneficial and hindering at times. Sometimes self induced pressure can give you motivation through the more challenge tasks in college. But if self induced pressure can also turn one to be too hard on themselves and be stressful. This also connects to parental pressure. The constant task of having to rise to your parents standards can weigh heavy on a college student.
Peer pressure is a constant battle for college students. Choices that college students quickly become familiar with. Sleeping in and coming late are already hard to fight as a full time students. But if a peer, pressures you into turning it into a habit. It can negatively effect your stress levels.
Pressure is a part of human nature. Every person has to go through some type of pressure in life that they have to deal with. This especially goes for college students. College students have to deal with many aspects of stress such as economic, parental, peer, and self-induced.
ReplyDeleteThe economy is very difficult on a college student. Back in the day, a nickel could get a person into the theaters, so seven thousand dollars was a lot of money back in the day. Most students would work a continuous amount of hours to pay off the seven thousand. Now, scholarships are handed out like slices of pizza. As well, the government also helps chip in to help college students. Students now are much more privileged in today’s society.
There are also the people who help pay for our college finances; parents. They have been there for student since day one. But, parents can be overbearing and try to control what students should become. Students now are much more free to become what they want because the working society much more well-paying jobs in each field of study. So, parents have become much more lenient in what their children want to become.
Not only are one’s parents a part of stress; the people around the campus are another factor. All the students in the school are competition to get the highest grade. It is stressful to have to compete with the people closest with one’s self. such as the story with “Linda and her roommate”. But school had become much easier with the invention of the internet and the help of SASC to help when I need tutoring.
On top all the stress about the people and places in college, there is a major factor to college that tops all others; one’s self. The student has to be able to take care of him/her self. A part of that stress is finding out what you want to do. Back then; finding a job was not as easy it is today. Today, there are many job positions out there and people can take a quiz to find out what is best suited to become in the future. Back then, people has chose
economic, parental, peer, and self-induced pressure still plays a role in student's lives today. Economic wise students have pressure because they have so many loans out that they must pay back after they graduate college. That plays a huge role on the economic level. Parental pressure can come from trying so hard to please them. For example, knowing that your mother and father are expecting great from you at all times can make you nervous and give you the feeling of pressure. Peer pressure can come past so easily and you wont even notice it like if your friends want to go to a party and keep inviting you but you know you need to do a project. Last self induced pressure comes from your own self, constantly worrying about messing up on things can cause you to make simple mistakes on things.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article, the four kinds of pressures that college students face include economic, parental, peer, and self-induced pressure. In more recent years, economic pressure has dramatically increased due to the sharp rise in college tuition. When this article was written, tuition was approximately $7,000. Now, that is the same as the cost of room and board with tuition costing at least $30,000 at private institutions. An increase in parental pressure goes along with economic pressure because parents will push their kids hard in order to maximize their college learning. They could also be economically supporting their kid in college which will lead to further pressure as they will expect a certain academic standard for paying for their kid's college. I feel that peer pressure is largely the same because students feel the same pressure from one another from competing for grades, going to parties, and maintaining social connections. Self-induced pressure will have increased due to the higher stakes of college education. Most students know what the cost is of obtaining an education past high school and will want to meet challenge of succeeding in college
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