Hey Guys, SerenityAmour here. This is an article I submitted to an online ezine that I write for, http://www.honeysthatwrite.com, a few months back. I would love to get some feedback from you all. Please let me know what you think!
You Should Have Chosen A Good School
Autumn is a single Mom of two young men, and she has been in college for quite some time. She has had to work extremely hard to simultaneously put herself through school, maintain a good job, and be a good mother. This is a task that many either underestimate, or cannot manage to fulfill.
Autumn explained to me that the school from which she earned her Bachelor’s degree is not considered a very good school. “They don’t receive a lot of funding, so enrollment rates are low.” As a result, people tend to “look at her in disbelief”, whenever she tells them where she went to earn her undergrad degree.
Over time, Autumn has gotten into the habit of trying to avoid telling others what college she graduated from unless it is absolutely necessary. She fears that people will give her the disapproving look she has grown very familiar with and immediately categorize her as someone who has simply “beat the system”, but is not necessarily on the same intellectual or professional level as others who have graduated from “the good schools.”
I sympathized with Ms. Autumn in ways that one could not even fathom. Everyday she battles against a cruel, judgmental, and condescending society that disregards her integrity and equates her with a group of unsuccessful individuals who do not deserve the least bit of recognition for attempting to go further than life’s limits.
Unfortunately, Autumn’s case is just one of a million cases with the utmost similarity. Since I have been in college, I have seen first-hand how people will ask you what school you attend and either sincerely applaud you or twist their noses up at you depending on what they think of your answer.
What kind of encouragement is this for young men and women who are putting forth their absolute best efforts in school? What message does this send to a student who is already debating on whether or not it is worth it for her to stay in school despite her many at-home issues?
When a student makes the decision to further their educational studies at a college or university, the decision should be one worthy of much appraisal. That person needs support and encouragement from all around to go through with what can be an apprehensive process. Regardless to where one is in their college journey, it is easy to become discouraged by the many challenges that coincide with post-secondary education.
So why is it that so many people maliciously discourage students who aspire to go above and beyond in life and tackle the task of earning a degree? Why do people so ignorantly convey their ideas of what success is and is not onto others; others who take in these negative ideas and allow them clash with the positive routes in which they were moving in life? It is reprehensible the way people foolishly shatter the high hopes of those working to make something of themselves with insignificant critiques and stereotypes about different schools.
Indeed, there are schools that do not hold the greatest reputations due to factors such as funding, retention rates, admission requirements, and even location. However, do these factors make it acceptable to frown upon these schools’ attendees or graduates? Do the students at these institutions not all have to put forth the work and time required to earn the same degrees that students at any other Universities earn?
Every college student is different. There are those students who have been challenged by intense learning programs since as early as preschool, students whose parents would allow nothing less of them than to bring home straight “As”, and students that had to attend learning camps every summer until their senior year of high school. As a result, these students are equipped to handle the work load, fast pace, and independency that is offered with schools such as Harvard or Yale.
On the other hand, there are students that did not even come to realize the value of education until after embracing certain experiences in their adult life. These students may not be financially equipped to attend 45,000 dollar institutions. These students may have families that conflict with them leaving home to go to top-notch colleges. These students may simply need schools that are not so much intense, but help you to learn and prosper through one-on-one, student-teacher attention.
At the end of the day, does it make an individual any less of a student when they’ve put forth the two, four, six, eight, or even twelve years required to earn a particular degree, but they didn’t go to one of the top ten world renown Universities to get it? Does it mean that a student did not learn, grow, work hard, and sacrifice just because he did not do it through one of the Ivy-leagues?
Every college student deserves a pat on the back, especially after dealing with some of the pretentious societal paradigms that most have to face at one point or another. College is an accomplishment. For every student there is out there, like myself, pressing their way through the negativity, I applaud you. Despite what society might try to make you think about your achievement, your hard work is not in vain. Keep studying, keep working, keep sacrificing, and most importantly, keep your heads up.
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