Blog #4 "College Pressures"

There is a wide range of pressures put on students at the college level.  I think that the amount and type of pressure depends on the person, but I think that all of us can relate that we are affected by it in some way.  The biggest pressure I feel like I’m facing right now is work pressure.  I work at a golf course and right now is a really busy time for a golf course. Through the summer I work 40 hours a week, but when school starts, that doesn’t back down much until around October and November when the weather starts to die down.  Holding 30-40 hours a week on top of a full school load gets to be hard to manage at times.  I am allowed to bring my homework to work, which is a huge plus.  That is usually what keeps me going; otherwise I would be completely bogged down in school work.  I have my moments where I want to quit my job, but I eventually get through it.

I think another pressure that college students get wrapped up in, in a lot of cases, is peer and societal pressure.  At the college level especially, you are getting to the age where there is a lot more to do and friends are turning legal.  A lot more distractions from your school work are brought up.  Students have to learn how to balance their school work and their social lives.  I know firsthand how hard this can be, especially during your first year of college.  You gain so much more freedom, being able to move out of the house, it feels as though you don’t have anyone to answer to.  This sometimes can get students in too trouble.

I believe societal pressures can sometimes be overwhelming too.  If you think about it, today there is a lot of pressure put on students to get a degree and to make sure you get a degree in something that is going to make you money.  I agree with Zinsser, in the essay when he talks about how college these days is so geared towards society, and making sure that you will have that safety net when you get out of college that way you know you can get a job.  Kids are no longer choosing routes that would allow them to do what they love.  For example, being a musician, an artist, or even a writer.  This ties in with parental pressures also.  Parents these days are not helping the situation because they want their child to be just as successful, and would rather they choose the business route or the medical route, for intense.

I think as you get older you learn to handle these pressures in a more mature way, and are able to cope a little easier.  Some of these pressures I think will carry with you all through your life, and it’s up to you to learn how to manage them and how you are going to let them affect your lifestyle.