The Effect Of College Preparation On High School Students

These expectations are set in hopes that they will help students get into prestigious colleges. An NPR report featured teenagers Tom Poulis and Chelsea Halprin, who shared their thoughts on stress related to high school schedules. Poulis says, “the stress level is very high” due to taking four AP classes, standardized tests, and participating in various after school activities to enhance his college applications. Halprin hoped to attend an Ivy League school. Her schedule included time for homework, class president duties, team sports, mentoring young students, and helping at her synagogue. Despite her impressive schedule, Halprin worried that it would not be enough to meet her goals. The idea that students must overwork themselves and excel in every area has become an emotional and mental burden on teenagers, rather than be a guide to a successful

Seniors have a tendency of taking their last year of high school for granted. They do not realize that the relaxed classes and fun filled weekends with their best friends will all soon come to a devastating end. They have applied for college, bought miniature refrigerators, and sent in their housing applications, but none of them have really thought about college in the way that they should. When asked about college most high school seniors image the huge parties, attractive people, and freedom; however, college is much more than that and, in a way, much less. College and high school are completely different when it comes to a student’s actual lifestyle, but they have many of the same traits that most high school seniors do not see coming.

According to Lupien, McEwan, Gunnar, and Heim (2009), going off to college involves significant adjustments to their daily routines; sleeping and eating habits, time-management skills, and stress levels will be altered in one way or another. First-year students have to adjust to the new school environment, different social settings, and new schedules, all without the help and guidance from their parents, who have been there for them for eighteen years. Over 30% of college freshman report that they feel overwhelmed (Klainberg, Ewing, & Ryan, 2010), where some students even opt to work as they juggle their class and work schedules. Some students work at a job or study harder than others, but they are all trying to get degrees so maybe one day they will have meaningful and significant lives. It is a constant struggle for everyone who is trying desperately to make him or herself into a success. And every college student wants to be involved in society in a positive manner, allowing contribution of their ideals and values to others.

Being admitted into college is a difficult process, one that requires students to be diligent in their studies, engage in a number of extracurricular activities, and overcome the everyday pressures and challenges that high-schoolers face across the country. Admittedly, not everyone in the United States is born with the same opportunities as socioeconomic factors as well as historic injustices have contributed to a society in which some people are far more likely to achieve upward mobility – of which, obtaining a college degree is a necessary part – than others. While there is need to rectify this reality,

College pressures dominate our lives. They begin to levitate around us and slowly derail our lives. William Zinsser elaborates about the college pressures that modern generations are facing. He reveals multiple commonalities that the typical college student encounters on a daily basis. Zinsser states, “They want a map-right now-that they can follow unswervingly to career security, financial security, social security, and presumably, a prepaid grave” (12). He is spot on, the pressures demand my attention and won’t take no for an answer. So far I’ve gone head to head with these pressures every day since I started my freshman year in college. For the time that I’ve been here, my mind is overwhelmed and distraught with the amount of stress that gets piled on top of me every single day. I drown in these unrealistic expectations written in those faulty suggestion bars about how to be successful in college and college 101 tips. College pressures surround me like a dull gray cloud. It showers me with expectations and unfinished checklists. College itself is similar to carpooling to hell and back, but with no actual guarantee with a ride back.

Many people think college is a carefree place, full of fun and games for students. In reality ,the majority of students are bogged down in school work rushing to meet their deadlines for homework assignments projects,and even cramming study time for exams and quizzes. On top of that , college can be pretty costly. Therefore, this is normally a highly stressful period for most people in their lives. In the essay “College Pressures”, the author William Zinsser mentions how students go through so much stress and pressure from different aspects of college. He discusses the pressures that college students faced in the late 1970’s that are still happening now in today's society . Zinsser focuses on four main pressures that students face as they enter the college realm, which includes economic, parental, peer, and self-induced pressures. It's not only the pressure but In the essay “College Is a Waste of Time and Money” by Caroline Bird , the author attempts to persuade her readers that colleges are overflowing with students who don't belong there and that college education is a useless endeavor that is often forced on students. Between the money it costs, the time it takes,and all the pressures from the different aspects of college it can be pretty overwhelming to think about. The question is how could we reduces the struggle and tension that college brings upon students.

With the increasing trend of students attending college after high school, the number of college students are increasing rapidly as well as expectations to do well in every aspect of it. In the article by Amy Yao “Never Let Them See You Sweat: The Myth of Effortless Perfection”, she describes how students are being put more and more pressure to be “perfect” in all aspects that are important in college, especially females. Her claims and use of quotes bring about a perspective of how students may be overworked by the many complicated aspects that go into being a successful student, but it can be looked at with a new perspective of stress builds character.

High School Struggles High school can be very stressful, especially junior year. It is very evident that in the book “Overachievers: the Secret Lives of Driven Kids” by Alexandra Robbins, the students are very driven to be successful and often find themselves stressing out. Junior year is often known as the most important year of high school because students start worrying about ACT/SAT scores and they finally start looking at colleges. “But he had been told that junior year was the most stressful in high school. This was the year he had to start thinking about colleges.”

The transition from high school to college is a notoriously daunting experience for students entering, arguably, the most important years in their lives. Everything that a student has come to know about academics, for the most part, are to be radically challenged. Many different factors go into the change, and any particular one can be enough to overwhelm any given student into becoming an emotional wreck. Whether it be living on one's own for the first time, drastic schedule changes, or becoming socially involved, these responsibilities are just three examples, among the seeming hundreds. However, a perfect balance between these responsibilities is a major key in not allowing the stressors to take one captive.

Transitioning from high school to college is a very important stage in a young adults life. It is an exciting, nerve racking, and sometimes frightening experience leaving home for the first time and essentially living on your own. Not having your immediate family around you for months at a time definitely affects students differently. Some students embrace the opportunity and strive while others do not make it past the first semester. However, research shows there are factors that increase the likelihood of becoming the student that strives rather than the student that does poorly. Factors

In “High School Students are Stressed Out About College Admissions; The Reality of Burning Out Before College,” Olsen (2015) discusses about how on-coming college students experience stress prior to college, and the means to be the best at everything so that colleges accept

With the switch from high school to college, students will be changed for the better or worse. An article titled “Your First Year of College: 25 Strategies and Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year and Beyond” written by Randall S. Hansen, a retired professor, explains that college does not need to be complex as most make it out to be. In college, the first week is essential to all students “It is during this time that you make critical decisions that will have an effect on the rest of your life.” (Hansen 1). Many kids drop out of college early due to their participation in the party scene. Students who are dedicated to their education receive the true college experience. Hansen explains that scholars should relax and participate

“College readiness is not an ISD problem. It’s not an HCC problem. It’s our problem as a community,” stated Catherine O’Brien, HCC’s Assistant Vice Chancellor for College Readiness.

Throughout history, college has been a staple for people in America. Young high school graduates continuing their education to guarantee themselves a successful future in a career they feel passionate about. College helps build and expands one’s mind. Not only do students learn more in classes, the build social skills and critical thinking. Students attending college grow in all aspects of the mind. For most students in the 21st century, it has become somewhat of a norm to apply and continue education after high school. Every student wants to push themselves to achieve greatness. The rush of college applications includes a lot such as: writing essays, applying for scholarships, and taking the SATs. The SAT is a worldwide recognized test that

With an increased demand for skilled labors, many students nowadays find themselves needing to complete some form of higher education at college to ensure their success in the workplace and their future career goals. Although freshmen students often enter college with high expectations and ambitions, many eventually drop out of college. Why does that happen? In an ever-changing and more competitive environment, the demanding expectations on college students now soar at unprecedented heights, creating stressful and unpleasant experiences for many of them as they try to keep up with all the burdens inflicted upon them. In their writings, Dr. Christine B. Whelan, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alan Schwartz, and Nisha Ramachandran explore and illustrate some of the stress-creating challenges that freshmen struggle with today. Even though many factors contribute to the huge list of problems for first-year students, many of the problems that create stress for college freshmen fall under the categories of academic factors, (what adverb to add) teachers, and personal-life conflicts.