In the article, “College Pressures,” William Zinsser discusses the many struggles college students face while trying to focus on their studying. He convinces the reader of his point by using different types of rhetorical strategies. Zinsser’s usage of the rhetorical strategies such as getting straight to the point, quoting, paragraphing, the use of word pictures, and choosing a title was effectively done in his article to persuade his reader of the struggles faced by college students. The author did not waste anytime getting to the main point in his article, which is effective because it makes me interested in what he had to say.
In the story “College Pressures” written by William Zinsser, is about all the pressure, changes, and the feeling that come with college. In the story Zinsser, talks about how things that used to not be as important are some of the most important thing now, such as a transcript can make or break you when you are going up against a different students. Zinsser also talks about how people think that colleges act like villains with all of the prices and all of the things they make you buy, but really they are not villains in this equation, we are all just victims. Zinsser also captors all the pressures you put on yourself including peers, financial, and parents. He talks about how we can let our peers get to us, so we work too hard and forget
External forces and the environment play a very big role in the success of students. The environment that a student is placed in and the people that surround them will put them into a certain state of mind that can either impact them in a good way or a bad way. In the short story “I Just Wanna Be Average” by Mike Rose he addresses how greatly external forces and the environment impact a student’s efforts in school and their want to succeed. In the reading “The Accordion Family: Boomerang Kids, Anxious Parents, and the Private Toll of Global Competition”, Katherine S. Newman showcases the impact of the upcoming world-wide acceptance of living at home during college and how that environment can either make or break an individual’s future. Newman
Pressure The book, The Young Elites, by Marie Lu is a page turning story that tells about how pressure can affect our everyday lives. In the story Adelina Amouteru is living in a world ravaged by a horrible fever. Some who had it are marked with different colored hair, or scars on their body. The government calls those people malfettos.
While the ever increasing pressures and cost of a college education seem to be a recent event, they problems have persisted for many decades. In 1979, William Zinsser wrote “College Pressures” in order to portray the daily struggles of college students and argue how students see college differently in the modern era. Zinsser stresses how college has changed from being an institute purely focused on higher learning to one of almost strictly vocational purposes. He argues that modern students equate college degrees more with higher paying jobs than as a symbol of knowledge in a specific field, and that these pressures to succeed greatly impact the student’s health. Through my own college experiences, I can certainly verify that college is more
The Pursuit of Grades Over Happiness There are many accomplishments that we have achieved, yet many to achieve, and the race towards them never seems to stop. Well, this is the case for many students because the race towards achieving high grades never comes to an end. Grades are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, as they do not control the rest of your life, but yet are still overly looked upon and can affect a student’s life drastically. However, a poet once said, “Life is not a race, but a journey, to be savored each step of the way” (Nancye Sims).
Sacrificing their individuality and creativity is just a step in the right direction towards their version of success. Even though sacricinfing one’s true self is great, they are willing to do so if it brings them profit in their own lives. Ultimately, the selfish need for success outweighs the corruption and negativity it brings to the overall system, and in that respect, restricts itself from progressing towards change. Because a generic system like a college can not cater to every individual, there are always concrete flaws, one of which is the pressure to confrom.
As I look back on my journey to college, I faced many different problems and disadvantages even before taking my first steps on campus. In Linda Banks-Santilli’s “Guilt is one of the biggest struggles first-generation college students face” many first generation students view being the first one in the family as a major flaw before entering college (Banks-Santilli, 2015, Par. 4 &7). The lack of self-respect makes it difficult for students to achieve success without help or motivation. The students have to change their viewpoint about being the first to go to college in their family as a weakness and make it a strength to help motivate them to be better students.
In “ College Pressures” by William Zinsser, he discusses four important pressures that college students tend to deal with negatively on a regular day basis. According to Zinsser, the four important pressures that college students face are economic, parental, peer, and self-induced pressure. Zinsser presents great examples of college students stressing over the different kinds of pressures that he talks about. He shows how the pressures are affecting the students negatively. The students are surrounded by pressures all the time in college that it reflects them trying to beat their own pressure.
In “College Pressures” by William Zinsser, leader of one of the residential colleges at Yale University, the author describes the different amount of pressures that students struggle with in college. Because of his position at the university, he constantly noticed the students around him and the anxiety that was radiating off them. He believes that economic pressures cause students to feel anxious about paying back student loans after college. However, parental pressure leads students to make decisions that their parents would be happy with because of the feeling of guilt and wanting to please them.
Ryan English SOC 1 Dr. Stabler 3 May 2023 Freshman Year in the Eyes of a Conflict Theorist vs. a Functionalist Freshman year of college is a unique experience for every student. There are a wide range of socio-economic factors that contribute to every student’s individual experiences that directly affect the course of their first year of higher education. College has often been referred to as a breeding ground for mental stress, social overload, and a place that truly highlights income inequality in the United States. When discussing how sociological factors affect a student’s freshman experience, it is important to look at multiple perspectives in order to truly grasp how society affects students. These two perspectives are often seen as
The idea of teenagers of being pressured to going into college is highly debated. This because of the things that have come from teenagers who failed to make it into college and burned out from all the stress of high school. Then there's the other side of the argument who says these false and doesn’t happen and there's not enough pressure. The idea of teenagers being pressured to go college is from the society around them. First off society requires a degree of some sort just to have a job that isn’t flipping burgers.
College is a time when young adults are given more freedom and more independence. In high school, one has some independence, however at the end of the day parents make the final decision. In college students have the option to explore, try new things, and make decisions on their own. College students are required to make difficult decisions every single day: “Should I go out to that party, or should I start my five-page paper that’s due tomorrow?”, or “Should I drink this alcohol even though it’s against the law?” With the freedom of college comes both positive and negative consequences.
It can be one of the best experiences in a person’s life, but it is a major adjustment from the life that most people live prior to it. With this adjustment comes many types of stress that a college student will face. Whether it is taking out a loan, trying to make my parents proud, or relearning how to make friends, there will always be some sort of stress that comes along with being a college student. The stress that the average college student will endure can seem to be overwhelming at times, but these stresses are part of the learning experience of college and overcoming them will teach us valuable lessons that will help us in whatever we
Students face various challenges throughout their college career. Thus, the problems that students have can range from balance, new lifestyle, to financial problems. Therefore, finding a balance between being a student, possibly working, and keeping up with their social life is a necessity. Similarly, others are away from home for the first time thus, they have a new responsibility with being on their own and findings ways to deal with homesickness. Likewise, being exposed to new financial situations is yet another challenge college students will need to learn how to cope with.
