It's that time of year; the college rush is beginning. we all know the massive amount of stress and work that lays ahead. There is so much to do with all the applications to fill out, tests to do and essays to write. When the acceptance letters finally come we are all going to be dead tired from the ridiculous amount of work it takes to apply.
Although the application process is all about getting the acceptance letter at the end, it seems to me that with all the chaos of the applications, tests and essays, the destination is somewhat twisted by the journey.
Think about how crazy the application process has become; I am sure that you are all aware of it. I am sure that you are also aware of the business that the college application process has become. First there are the tests which each cost an entrance fee. And then there are the application fees that can cost up to a hundred dollars a school.In the past few years, another layer of money spending possibilities has come into the mix. Now there are tutors that can cost hundreds of dollars who are supposed to help students through the process. there are also study books and essay writing books that will all add up. this economic factor of the college process is becoming, I think, a little ridiculous. It all seems like such a game. We all spend so much time calculating and scheming to try and get an edge on our essay and application so that we will get into that one perfect school.
But, what I think what we all need to remember is not to lose our heads and play the game as best we can. Those acceptance letters are the main part of this process so keep that destination in sight....
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College seems to be the main focus of seniors now simply because it will decide how their lives would be in the future. There are so many possibilities in the "college game". Should you go out of state? East coast? West coast? Dorm? Rent apartment? With these options, seniors get excited with the future of a college life with no rules and no parents. With this vision in mind, they work really hard on those college apps to get into the colleges that they want to go to. This creates an enormous amount of stress on the individual along with the looming thought of getting rejected. The "college game" is based on the individual's ability to remain positive and optimistic about the outcome. This way, if they are rejected from their first college, they can readily accept going to their 2nd choice.
I think that the whole process of getting into college has become so lengthy and blown out of proportion that college is now synonymous with "perfection". It seems that to get into a "good" school you have to be the M.V.P. of the sports team, valedictorian, club president, written an award-winning novel published in not one but a 100 different languages, cured AIDS in Africa, and in your "spare" time earned a 2400 on the SAT. So much emphasis is placed on getting accepted into that "perfect" school with the great reputation that students forget that where you go to college DOESN'T make or break you for the rest of your life. Whether you go to Harvard or decide not to go to college at all, life goes on. Yes, college is important , but is sacrificing the life you want just to get into that "perfect" school really worth it?
It is a challenge to be a senior while under the spotlight of college entrance exams and hopeful parents. The "college business" has expanded within the past five years by increasing student fees and the spaces for extra curricular activities on college applications. However, growing amounts of incoming college students force colleges to either take in less students or increase fees. There is no doubt that we are experiencing a little bit of both. Though increased competition may add to the already stressful high school life, it is the necessary evil to ensure societal growth and technological advancement in the future. As seen through current capitalist economies, competition between businesses ensure quality products and increased consumer spending. In the end, college is just one step in life. The only thing that matters is how smoothly we can approach the next one.
Last year my end of the year paper was on the difference between present day Affirmative Action and economic gaps that exsist. This plays into the picture perfectly, it is no longer just what ethnicity or gender one is, but the financial access that the student has. That optional "what ethnicity do you consider yourself" section needs to be followed by your income because it is no longer enough for colleges not to take it into consideration when they are determining to accept you or not. An individual who can afford tutors, books, and personal help has reached their potential while one who has done everything on their own has not. Flat out, Economic Action needs to be the next thing on society's mind. The rich old white men who come up with these things need to recognize that "Redneck hillbillies" are not the only white people without money.
As big of an obstacle money seems to be today when it comes to colleges, I feel that there are other ways to get around. Yes schools costs have shot up, but there are so many scholarships now. There are ones for minorities, such as tongans, latinos, blacks, or any other ethnic group you can think of. There are scholarships in the arts, sciences, and mathematics too for those exceptually gifted as well. It seems that there's a new scholarship available every week at school heard over the announcements. And people don't have to leave California or go to a non-state school to get a wonderful educcation. Smaller, less extravagant schools can offer so much to an individual. And then there are those who don't even need to go to school. Many people can go out and find a job or build their lives up with their street smarts and resources. Such fields as carpentry, the arts, or bookkeeping don't require a college degree to make one successful. You can have any successful career if you have the right connections or street smarts.
I think that even worse than not getting into college would be to get accepted, do the "post high school college game" which is really just "high school part 2 minus parents" for four years, and then have no idea what to do with your life. People get so focused on getting in that they forget that, at most, it could be like 10 years of their lives, and thats it. That may seem like a lot now, but we're only teenagers. We're gonna live for another 70 years or more, with medical advances or whatever. College would just be a waste of money with no purpose if someone applied to a whole bunch of "safe" schools that they didn't like. The money issue is a big deal, but it's kind of a Catch-22 situation, since you need money to go to college but you need a college education to get a good job today. So I don't worry about it. It's what Joseph Heller would do.
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