Neha at Wanderlust uses her fingers on the subject of college entrance
What is it exactly that gets the students into college these days? Nothing short of cut-throat competition. Talk about living in a dog-eat-dog world. If AP classes, SAT’s, college prep courses, high profile grades, co-curricular activities and the admission essay weren’t enough, now students have to start thinking about spending their summers in the most exotic locale possible, suffering to the highest degree possible by working in a wheat field in Vietnam, and developing a 10 unit lesson plan at least a year before they apply to college.
And talk about Cindy wanting to get it done as quickly as possible.
Its not just a matter of getting it done as quickly as possible, it came down to what was going to work the best for me. My option isn’t the best for everyone, which I quickly learned from Coonce-Ewing, but at this point in my life it’s what I need to do.
But isn’t this only a factor in the elitist universities? Surely state colleges and the “cheaper” but excellent learning institutions don’t have such grueling requirements.
And as an aside, “dog-eat-dog” is good practice for the real world of business and career these days.
Only elitist universities? I’m afraid not. Everywhere, schools and teachers are trying to instill the “cutting-edge” philosophy into students. Stay ahead of the game, they say. Well, what exactly is the darn game and where does the edge cease or begin? What is the edge anyway? Do the students walk out having developed critical thinking, analytical, and transferable work skills or do they just simply set themselves up for a heart attack or a nervous breakdown by the time they’re 35? When you break them down, prestige and fame are just words – symbols for communicating an idea that possibly doesn’t even exist. (This is what Derrida does to me).
Actually, Neha and I are having a good discussion on this back at her blog.
Yes, getting through school (is it something you get through?) and in how much time is different for every individual. Cindy’s method doesn’t work for me yet it’s going to work for her.
As for all the tests and essays and applications and such, they are out there and I don’t believe in most of it, but then again, I’m not in the admissions office.