Christopher Gilchrist
ENG1101
23 October 2017
“Today’s college student is…”
The term “college student” on the surface is the same as its always been. It meant you were a student attending a college or university. The meaning behind college student has become much deeper since its original creation. Colleges were created starting in the 1600’s and were made for people to learn about the world. They were not critical to the progression of an individual’s life like it is in modern day society. A college student felt enlightened and pursued what they desired and what they wanted to be. Current college students specifically in the US have adopted a new meaning of the word “college students”. Being a college student in modern day …show more content…
Students are uninspired because their goals in life usually have nothing to do with their personal aspirations. Instead they are entirely based on the money. As a child you might have been inspired to be things such as a police officer or a fire fighter. This is perfectly fine, if you’re a child. As soon as your older to make rational decisions you do not only realize but are told that firefighting is probably not the best career option. Why? Because the salary is relatively low compared to other graduate options. Money is what drives students through college. UCLA surveys shows that students more than ever choose their colleges and degrees based on job opportunity and pay. “In the minds of today's college students, getting a better job continues to be the most prevalent reason to go to college” (Wyer 1). Different majors now fit in different categories. Liberal Art majors are separated from STEM majors, which are even classified as the five most valuable majors overall. Students are almost forced into narrowing their options to one of the majors that supposedly will net you the most success. There is not as much “dreaming” or inspiration to be something that your heart can truly blend in with. This type of thinking can go as far as forcing someone who initially did not feel they needed to pursue further education attend college simply because they believe they would be …show more content…
All the sweat, blood and tears of your hard work is all for the finish line at the end of the race. This finish line is often so large that students are not paying attention to the race on the way down. College is a great experience that is only given once and is one you should savor and take in while you’re there. I can personally relate to this idea. I realized throughout my academic career my mind has been at the end when it really should be where I am currently standing. Time flies by and I feel that I have not been appreciating the environment I am put in. This is most likely the one time in life where people are put amongst other people that share similar and different ideas about so many different concepts. You have access to an immense amount of knowledge and the tools to explore whatever you want right at your disposal. Sure, all of these amenities come with a price, but that should be even more motivation to use it. College is expensive for a reason. There are clubs, activities, study abroad programs and tons of other things that are there to explore. Students just need to be able to slow down and take it all