Blog #4 "College Pressures"

I think it’s safe to say that most Freshman’s number one fear walking on campus is “Am I going to find the right classroom on time.” Starting off with my first year of college, and getting use to the campus and classroom environment, I can’t really say that I encountered a lot of pressures. If anything, it would be societal pressures. There’s always that fear of making new friends. How friendly campus students are, what group you fit in with, from athletics to sororities/fraternities, etc.

Sophomore year of college, I’ve gotten a better understanding of how much money is involved with college. Financial aid gets reimbursed (if you qualify), more loans are taken out, room and board is paid, and books are purchased. All these requirements for starting a new school year require the help of parents. My parents have always been there to support me. However, I’ve grown up and have been able to support myself for the most part (i.e. gas in the car, money for food, setting up necessary appointments, etc.). College has opened up my eyes to making sure I earn the grades I need so all this money is well spent.

Now that I’m in my junior year of college, you have to start buckling down and setting priorities to earning that degree you’ve always dreamed about receiving. I will be applying for nursing school this Fall and have to make sure my grades are where they need to be so my chances of being accepted are good. This is the time where social activities are lessened each day, and more time is being dedicated to school work and study time. Parent’s words are more meaningful to you, which adds more pressure to you to want to succeed. Peer pressure is very high because they still want you to go out and have fun, but you have to stay strong and get your priorities right.

Looking back on the two years that I have completed in college, I would now say that all four of these pressures are in some way put on you from the first day. With the economy the way it is, it is more cruitial than ever to have a college degree, which is added pressure. It is very difficult for the middle class families to put their children through college, because they make too much money to qualify for grants, however, with the expense of college, it is hard to pay for it and still make a living. So typically, the only choice is to become indebted with student loans. I believe that peer and societal pressures could be intertwined together because you want to hang out with your friends, however, you also need to do well in class in order to graduate, find a good job and eventually do well in society.