Of course college is a source of stress. Last week we discussed in class the rush to go to elite schools, specifically Stanford, and this week we are discussing stress in our community. But I don't feel as if we have connected the two very well. I found an article from U.S. News about the changes of college admissions that our generation faces. It's a long article, so reading the whole thing may not prove very productive, but there are three sections that stick out to me because of what we have been discussing the past two weeks. The sections are titled "More Students," "More Stress," and "More Status." These three sections fit together to form a possibility as to why students in this area are more stressed. We know that our generation, in terms of its population, is much bigger than past generations, leading to an increased competition for spots in colleges. This pressures students into taking advanced classes and piling on a larger workload, both in and out of school. All this added work translates into "More Stress." You might ask, "But Stephen, can't students just settle for less prestigious schools and skip the stresses that come from trying to go to Yale?" And I would then tell you to read the "More Status" part of the article. It claims that college degrees are becoming less significant because so many people have them. Now, it's about who has the degree from the most prestigious schools. So yes, people can settle for less prestigious schools and may have a much more fulfilling time their, but only during that time, because afterwards, employers mainly look for prestigious degrees, regardless of education quality. I think these factors are really apparent at schools in the Silicon Valley, one of which being Gunn. In class, Emily mentioned how stress comes from an accumulation of things, and I think that the competition for college acceptance is a major contributor to this accumulation.
Here is the article: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/09/22/is-the-college-admissions-bubble-about-to-burst
Provocative post Stephen. That's great that you were able to find a source that melded the articles and class discussions together. I could not agree more college driving the stress of students directly and indirectly. The immense pressure to get high SAT/ACT scores I have experienced and seen drive students crazy and get them super stressed out. As you said Stephen, the pressure to get into a good college caused students, especially around this area, to pile on AP classes to beef up their GPA and course load. Since AP and regular classes alike have their demands and workload, this generates more stress, causing college to be the indirect source of stress academically. While other factors, such as social and home life, play a part in a student's stress, there is no doubt that the academic stress mainly due to college weighs the most heavily in our community.
ReplyDeleteUgh just reading this post gets me stressed out! I agree with you and Lauren, living in the Silicon Valley definitely contributes to stress and encourages the need to meet higher standards and academic achievement. Like you addressed in your post, now it may not even matter if you receive a college degree because by the time we are looking for jobs, employers may only hire people who previously went to ivy leagues! The academic and professional world is changing and it's scary to think that after all this hard work, stress, and gray hairs, it might turn out that it was all in vain.
ReplyDeleteUgh just reading this post gets me stressed out! I agree with you and Lauren, living in the Silicon Valley definitely contributes to stress and encourages the need to meet higher standards and academic achievement. Like you addressed in your post, now it may not even matter if you receive a college degree because by the time we are looking for jobs, employers may only hire people who previously went to ivy leagues! The academic and professional world is changing and it's scary to think that after all this hard work, stress, and gray hairs, it might turn out that it was all in vain.
ReplyDeleteI think that things like this are only stressful if you make them stressful. An important part of stress is that you can choose to feel it - as you can chose to feel happy or sad (unless you are clinically depressed or manic). Although adults and other do put emphasis on going to college or doing well on tests, I think that many students don't see it correctly. In the end, your scores or your college don't have as much of an impact as people think. And if you're too busy worrying, then you will miss out on fun or useful opportunities.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your claim that people can choose to be joyful regardless of their situation. But in terms of trying to understand the "stress epidemic" of Gunn high school and the tragic suicides, the increasing competition in the job market can trickle down into high school. How people cope with it is on them, but this is what is happening.
DeleteI definitely feel that college is a source of stress. Having an older sister who has already gone through the college process, I could see the effect it had on her and my parents. From about late December to the days the letters came in, there was a weird sort of tension within our house. It reached its peak when the Ivy Schools came in, and she subsequently got rejected by all of them. It's always a stressful situation when your fate is not in your own hands.
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