College Rigor: How the Challenges of College are Affecting Students a Literary Review

Abstract

College has been around for a very long time, and it was never free. No matter the situation, people will have problems with what they are paying for. It almost seems like it is in our nature. College is a whole new experience, you move out of the house, you are responsible for yourself, and there is a lot more work. The hope is that when you leave college you are prepared for the world as a smarter, better person ready to earn a career and live your life to the fullest. You can see then why people are upset when their college graduate comes back to live with mom and dad for ten years while working at McDonald’s. Herein lies the issue, people are upset with the education that their children are receiving. If the college is too easy people complain that they did not get their money’s worth; if the college is too hard people complain that their child dropped out and won’t get an education. Hopefully this essay will shed some light on the college experience and help clarify some of the issues people have been having.

College Rigor: How the Challenges of College are Affecting Students a Literary Review

There is a lot of debate about whether or not colleges are worth what people are paying for. There are some that say college is too easy, and then there are some that say it is too hard. The people saying college is too easy are complaining that they are not getting their money’s worth, and the people saying it is too hard are facing a brick wall when it comes to the future. This paper will hopefully shed some light on how colleges are challenging students and what the students face on a day to day basis. Hopefully this explanation will extend to the people paying for the college to see if their money is money well spent.

What One Should Expect

Speaking on a personal level, college is not easy. In the first 2 weeks, more essays were written than all of high school put together. Not to mention that fact that the grading is harder and the material is more advanced. For some people, this is just a small step; they do not see it as that big of a challenge. For others, however, this change is mind-boggling. The amount of work is overwhelming, plus the constant seduction of freedom. When in high school, one was forced to do work by their parents. Not in college, there are no parents here. With the subtraction of parents from the picture, all of the responsibility falls on the student. There is always that thought of “Oh I’ll do it tomorrow,” or “I have plenty of time.” The biggest mistake a student can make is thinking they have more time. Another big factor emphasizing a student’s academic career is the party. Parties happen almost every night and can last up to a few hours. These parties are not study groups. No one brings their homework and studies. These parties are full of loud, obnoxious music, alcohol, and drugs. If a student parties all night and has a hangover the next day, when does work get done? If one is going to succeed in college they either need to avoid parties altogether or at least find a middle ground.

Do not let these facts deter you. There are those who are here for an education. The point of college is to broaden your academic career and to further advance towards your future career. To quote “They Say, I Say,” “college should be a cultural journey, an intellectual expedition, a voyage confronting new ideas and information” (Hacker & Dreifus, p. 188).  College is all about challenging yourself and learning new things along the way. If you know what you want to do then you will be put into classes pertaining to that. These classes all have something to do with your future career and are meant to help you along the way. There is not a teacher out there whose goal in life is to fail you. All teachers are here to help and will do everything in their power to do so. Going back to parties and free time, “Improvement in thinking and writing skills requires academic engagement; simply hanging out on a college campus for multiple years isn't enough” (Arum, R., & Roksa, J. 2011). A college education must be earned; colleges do not give diplomas and degrees out. Arum and Roksa also state “At many schools, students can choose from a menu of easy programs and classes that allow them to graduate without having received a rigorous college education.” (Arum, R., & Roksa, J. 2011). I do not fully agree with this statement. Yes it is true that some colleges require and expect less from their students, but unless you are undeclared and have not taken any placement tests, your classes can still pertain to what you may want to do. Classes and programs are not easy, even intelligent students struggle at some point.

The overall message is that college is something that should not be taken lightly. On an academic level, almost every college is worth paying for.

How College Affects Us

As mentioned before, the point of college is to prepare one for a future career. This is done by declaring a major. Your major will determine which classes you take. For example, my major is criminal justice; I am going into law enforcement. Obviously I take a criminal justice class, plus sociology, U.S government, application of statistics and (probably my favorite) writing I. I have noticed that a lot of aspects from every class I take have been mentioned in my criminal justice class. I am fortunate to know what I want to do so early. I have actually wanted to be a police officer since sophomore year of high school. However there are some who do not know what they want to do. These people are undeclared. If someone is undeclared they usually take gen-eds (general education). These are classes such as math, science, history, etc. These students still need to take placement tests to see how they fare academically. College is more than learning though. It is an experience that almost everyone must go through in order to advance in the world. “David Foster Wallace, in a commencement address, speaks to the importance of college as an opportunity to learn self-understanding and critical awareness.” (Hacker & Dreifus, p. 178). This quote is stating that college helps people find who they are and helps define their future self. College presents an opportunity to define who you will eventually be. Not so many people are optimistic however, “As this year's crop of college graduates leaves school, burdened with high levels of debt and entering a severely depressed job market” (Arum, R., & Roksa, J. 2011). Yes, today’s economy is tough but it is infinitely easier to get a promising career if one has a college education. Employers are now making a college degree a requirement. Depending on the school you go to depends on the amount of debt you will be in. a student attending Harvard, for example, will find that they have a higher amount of debt than someone who went to Fitchburg State. This can be offset by the career one achieves. Usually people who attend Harvard achieve higher paying careers, usually brought about by the mere fact that they went to Harvard.

If one simply peers through the fog surrounding the future they will see that college is a much better route to go than no college. Not only does it further our education, but it opens up passages that may not have been available had we skipped college. In terms of the future, college is a worthy investment.

What can be Done?

Despite all of the good things I have said about college, there is always room for improvement. Nobody is perfect and nothing is perfect. Teachers and programs can always find room for improvement (except certain English teachers) and students, speaking from a personal level, can always improve. Sometimes change is not the easiest thing to bring about, especially when it comes to education. I know that my teachers are always available to help me, either through email or personal visit. However, there are always exceptions. One way to put it is “Colleges should demand good teaching. They must become conscientious, caring, and attentive to every corner of their classrooms.” (Hacker & Dreifus, p. 180). Basically it becomes necessary for teachers to be omniscient. They need to be everywhere at once and have a solution to everything. Obviously this is near-impossible. What teachers can do, however, is become more student-oriented and help-friendly. For example, my sociology teacher sees emails as a guarantee to come see him and discuss the problem then. This is not always the easiest thing due to busy schedules and planned or un-planned events. He will accept and respond to emails, but the problem will not be fixed. Teachers need to be self-less in regards to their students, but also be reasonable. I know that my teachers are human beings too and I recognize the fact that they cannot spend every waking moment helping us. Another thing that can be done is “Faculty must also take responsibility individually and collectively to define and ensure program quality and academic standards.” (Arum, R., & Roksa, J. 2011). By addressing problems on both a student and class basis, the teacher can determine where the problem areas are. Certain problems require an addressing of the whole class while others are on a more personal level. It is this discretion that teachers must learn to adapt and use in the classroom.

My Personal Response

With what I have seen, learned, and experienced in the semester I have been here I can definitively say that college was worth every penny. I am learning so much that I would have missed out on had I not gone to college. The main reason I came here was because I heard that the criminal justice program was amazing, and I whole-heartedly agree. My professors are very knowledgeable in regards to their respective fields. When it comes to the actual experience, I am finding that much of what I do can help me later in life. I must get used to setting my own schedule, attending meetings and class on my own, and most importantly doing my own laundry. Yes it is challenging, but I embrace the challenge and am trying my best to overcome it. To me, college was worth it.

Conclusion

With all of the information laid out one can see that college is indeed worth it. There will always be nay-sayers and there will always be room for improvement. College is a conduit through which we flow. Once on the other side we are true adults. We are college grads ready to take on the world.

References

Lynch, D. J. (2008). CONFRONTING CHALLENGES: MOTIVATIONAL BELIEFS AND LEARNING STRATEGIES IN DIFFICULT COLLEGE COURSES. College Student Journal, 42(2), 416-421.

Arum, R., & Roksa, J. (2011). College, too easy for its own good. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/print/2011/jun/02/opinion/la-oe-arum-college-20110602 

Hacker, A., Dreifus, C. Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?. They Say I Say, 179-189.