Overachievers Analysis

Marano then concludes that this state of mind is common due to the lack of “emotional regulation and generationally bred on the immediacy of having needs met” (Marano 65). This opinion is then backed by the expertise of director of campus counseling and professor of psychology at Georgetown University, Philip Meilman. He too has noticed the change in direction from developmental issues to the urgency of potentially harmful issues that college students currently struggle with. Statistics on the issue are then throw in for added cushion on the argument; the facts are where Marano gains the majority of her ground. Marano acclimates this change due “psychic sleight” (66). She never analyzes whether Alyssa’s heartbroken Facebook post justified or if a little dramatism is a part of the healing processes. Nor does she acknowledge the how the ability of a student to challenge their psyche can lead to self-awareness which opens accesses to their emotions. Then comes the regulation of said emotions. All of the statistics are based on the amount of students who realize they have an issue and are strong enough to recognize they need help. If anything, it just proves that this generation is becoming more emotionally inclined compared to their stone-faced

Every fall millions of American adolescents gear up to apply for the thousands of colleges and universities across the nation. For many students this process is a simple-natural progression through a linear educational track in which no extra preparation, beyond a paper application, is required. However, for many students college preparation can begin as early as conception. Alexandria Robbins follows the stories of nine students from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. Whitman is known for and could be summarized by a simple term in which Robbins’ book is also titled: Overachievers. The author explores the hectic nature of helicopter parenting, bureaucratic admission processes, the culture of Ivy (a term describing the upper

Chapter 14: Chapter fourteen focuses on ADD and two commonly prescribed ADD medications: ritalin and adderall. Apparently, many non-ADD students are using other people's prescriptions to get a competitive edge at school, especially during testing periods or finals. Even more shocking is that some parents actually push for their non-ADD children to be diagnosed so that they can get them drugs. They will shop around for doctors and go through visit after visit until they find someone willing or prescribe. In the lives of the students, as SAT scores come out, one of the kids Robbins was following describes the different types of “score weasels” at her school – kids who spend all their time comparing and trying to find out each other's scores. Another student reacts angrily when her mother talks to other parents about the students score report. This “age of comparison” phenomenon extends to students' choices of schools where they apply – they are constantly asked where they've applied, where they've been accepted, and they feel as though they are being

In one instance, the speaker claims the students “sweat the final in the park”, read “disorganized essays”, and when the bell rings everyone “zigzags” in the streets. Although it is humorous how he mocks the students’ tendencies, Collins belittles his students, thus leading the audience to conclude that Collins’ has a negative portrayal of his students. Similarly, Collins’ diction is specifically chosen to criticize his one failure of a student who “brushes her hair like a machine”, implying she has no emotion. Collins even mocks the students who enjoyed creative writing, for their interest in school did not assist them to find a purpose in life and have resulted to playing the “lute”.

Throughout the entire novel, she utilizes numerous anecdotes from her characters – allowing the reader to relate to Joy, Regan, Whitney, etc. Robbins knew that by implementing a relatable element, such as high school, she could grab her audience’s full attention. Additionally, she dedicated a section “31 Tips for Students, Parents, Teachers, and Schools” that thoroughly indicates what to do to “set things right and reclaim their schools” (Robbins, 379). For students, she suggests that they consider what is best for them; for parents, she suggests that they consider what is best for their child; and for schools, Robbins suggests that they consider everyone of equal status, harbor connections rather than awkward friendships, and promote creativity rather than conformity. Easier said than done, Robbins’ call to action would only take effect if all three parties were to put effort and educate themselves on the

Journalist Alexandra Robbins ventures back to her old high school to examine the competitive efforts students are having to take to compete on the battlefield that is the education system in her book, The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids. Robbins explores the lives of multiple students who are stressed and pressured to maintain good grades and get into an Ivy League college. This text allows for intriguing insight on how the educational system has “spiraled out of control” and displays the different measures students must now take to be the best. Robbins’ The Overachievers is an eye-opening bestseller which exposes the social pressures and anxieties students must overcome in their high school lives as they attempt to impress and prove to colleges they are worthy of acceptance.

My high school years, unlike the past years of steady achievements, felt much more like a sine graph with ups and downs. To begin with, I conquered my freshman year in a breeze. My easily achievable classes not only earned myself confidence, but also admiration and respect from my classmates and teachers. As a result, I comfortably acclimated myself to the status of a star student.

Psst... What's the answer to number four?” High school students hear things such as this all too much.“We live in the Age of Comparison. Too often, we deem our own achievements worthless if they fall short of others' standards. Our best isn't good enough if it's not as good as someone else's best” Alexandra Robbins, The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids. It is this type of elitist thinking that compels so many young students to copy work from pers or “cheat”. It is my belief that all work requires original thoughts to complete it.

In the novel, Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids, author, Alexandra Robbins conveys the message that today’s society, including school systems, parents, friends, and students themselves, puts so much pressure on students to succeed (which means doing well well on standardized tests having high GPAs/class ranks, and being accepted into prestigious schools and universities.) This extreme amount of pressure can result in students not learning as much while at school, as well as unhappiness and other issues. Robbins conveys this message throughout the novel by following multiple students around school at Walt Whitman High to discover what the “perfect” overachiever secretly goes through in order to be successful.

Liz Murray is an influential student because she sets an example for students with struggling homes by pushing herself to live a better life and by going out to speak out and encourage other struggling students to live a better life. While Liz Murray could have done nothing to improve her life, she pushed herself to improve her awful life. For instance, according to reporter Rebecca O’Brien, Liz Murray “completed high school in two years, all while living on the street—rather than with an abusive grandfather who housed her sister—and occasionally spending the night with friends or in the subway”( O’Brien N.P.). This demonstrate that Liz worked hard in school, completing high school in half the time than most people.

Overachievers, by Alexandra Robbins, is an exposé about the lives of driven high school students at Walt Whitman High School in Maryland. Throughout the book Robbins argues the point that college admission expectations have made high school a very cut-throat environment, leading students who try to meet these expectations to have deteriorating mental and physical health.

Journalist Alexandra Robbins, in her book, The Overachievers, follows the lives of various high school students in order to demonstrate that students today are under extensive pressure from sports, standardized tests, the college application process, and school itself. Robbins effectively argues that the overachiever culture in America and throughout the world is severely detrimental to students and society as a whole. First, she uses logos and examples to prove her point. Her use of many anecdotes of varied characters from different areas of the country portrays the widespread effects of overachiever society.

In the novel, “A Hope in the Unseen” written by Ron Suskind explains the journey of Cedric Jennings from the Inner City to the Ivy League. Throughout his journey Cedric Jennings has had to navigate many challenges first at Ballou High School, then MIT in the summer, and finally at Brown University. During his High school career at Ballou he received many backlash from his peers because of his devotion to his studies. In Ballou High School, “the school’s dropout/transfer rate at nearly 50 percent, it’s understandable that kids at Ballou act as though they’re just passing through”(Suskind 3) but not Cedric. He had a determination like no other to succeed academically where he would often stay after to finish his homework and work on SAT practice

Angela Hawthorne is a typical AP student in her senior year of high school. She's rushing to finish her summer assignments while simultaneously running cross country, applying to college, trying to maintain her spot as valedictorian. In "The Admissions" by Meg Mitchell Moore, the use of interior monologue, point of view and narrative distance help characterize Angela as a believable AP student at the start of her senior year of high school. One way in which Moore characterizes Angela as a believable student is through the use of her interior monologue. Moore uses Angela's interior monologue to add on her thoughts and show Angela's personality.

In the book “David and Goliath Underdogs, Misfits, And the Art of Battling Giants”, written by Malcolm Gladwell, Gladwell depicts a story of Caroline Sacks’ college experience. To enumerate, Caroline Sacks was an intelligent student who was in love with science and whose dream college institution was to attend the Ivy League, Brown University. However, due to the fact that Brown is a very prestigious and very selective school, she applied to the University of Maryland as well; she considered Maryland as her back up plan. She was accepted to Brown, than began struggling academically at Brown. She began giving up her dreams of science because she was struggling in her organic chemist class. Alternately, she could’ve got an A in the class instead of a –B than dropping it; it’s several things she could’ve took into consideration instead of dropping the class, and giving up on being a scientist. Regardless of all of the statistics that Gladwell shares in the book that proves that this behavior of relative deprivation is far too normal, she could have surpassed this feeling if she would’ve actually took the time to reflect on what she could do to improve her grade instead of just stressing out, than dropping the class all together.