Current Issues of 2017

     Going through high school my classmates and I were faced to make many decisions quickly that would effect our futures. The decisions started as soon as we entered as freshman with choosing a “career pathway” to take as our elective, that way we would be “career ready” by the time graduation came around. Next it would be when we would start taking the ACT, what we needed to study in order to meet the standards, and what colleges or university's would we send our scores to. The by our junior year, there was a high chance the teachers and faculty would be pressuring us to choose a school and know exactly what our major would be. Not once were we asked if we wanted to attend college or what we truly wanted to accomplish after high school.I was not warned of these decisions I would have to make. Of course, I knew one day I would have to decide wether college was the best option for me, but I was never warned how much pressure I would be put under to make that decision so quickly. Before scheduling my freshman year classes, my parents told me to pick an elective that I would enjoy, join clubs, and enjoy myself, but it seems that school systems have other things in mind. Teenagers are being put under more pressure today than ever before. The continuous stress that is put on teenagers can set themselves for failure in their health and financially, and their happiness with their overall life is much more likely to decrease.  

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     According to School Stress Takes a Toll on Health, Teens and Parents Say, “Almost 40 percent of parents say their high-schooler is experiencing a lot of stress from school, according to a new NPR poll conducted with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health” (Neighmond).Many of you may be asking, what or how can this pressure cause health problems in teenagers? According to The Pressure to Succeed: Teens and Education Today, “Digestive issues, higher blood pressure at an early age and anxiety issues can all result from pressure to perform academically” and “Teenagers under excessive duress are more prone to addiction including drug use, sexual behavior and psychological disabilities such as eating and nervous  disorders” (Troubled Teens). Personally, I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder; however, this disorder genetically runs in my family so I can not blame the development of my disorder on the pressure I was put under at school, but I do believe the pressure was part of what triggered my anxiety to occur. However, anyone who develops anxiety will be different from anyone else's case.  Anxiety, digestive problems, and even high blood pressure can be maintained or even treated by medication, but eating and nervous disorders can not be treated my medication, but only by intense therapy.  This type of stress/ pressure should not occur in a young persons life while they should be enjoying their lives before they are thrown into the real world.  

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     The National Center for Educational Statistics states “For the 2014-15 academic year, average annual current dollar prices for. Undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board were estimated to be $16,188 at public institutions, $41,970 at private nonprofit institutions, and $23,372 at profit for-profit institutions” (“Fast Facts”). If we were to assume that the common student attends a public institution over a private institution and follow a four year degree plan, that students debt after graduation is estimated to be around $64,752. Although, in high schools staff are to push us to succeed academically I'm order for their students to receive academic scholarships. However, without almost a perfect ACT or SAT score, it is almost impossible to eliminate all costs of college. The stress and pressure students are put under during high school, will not compare to  the stress they will experience while attempting to pay off their student debt, If the student did not have an interest in attending college during high school but was strongly pushed and made to attend, could have avoided the debt in the first place, if they could have been able to make the decision on their own.     

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     Lastly, when students are pressured to the point they feel as if they are being forced to attend college, their happiness with their overall life will decrease significantly due to them not being able to pursue the life they have longed for. In the article, Why Parents Shouldn’t Force Their Child to Go to College Right Away. “There are 5 reasons why you should never force your child into attending college against their will:…It runs the risk of them never finding their true life’s passion” and “ It could cause them to use up federal or state benefits in a field they are not passionate about” (Robinson).  We are told to “find our calling” but it is hard to do this if we aren’t able to take the path and experience things in order to find what we want to do for the rest of our lives. Just like being forced to play a sport, join a club, or to get a job,  when it’s forced, it is simply very hard to enjoy. From personal experience, being forced into doing something that you do not have a genuine want to do, makes you very miserable with almost everything that is going on in your life.  

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     One can not assume that every teenager that is forced into college will be unhappy, for some it could be the best opportunity they are given. They may go to college and instantly find their calling and love their lives, but the chances of this happening is very rare. We also can’t assume that every teenager that does decide to go to college will be in debt like other college students. With the right ACT score or a sports capability, often some teenagers can go to college for free, but one must keep in mind that not every single teenager will be able to accomplish this. Also, not every student that is put under a large amount of pressure will develop health issues because of it, but the risks are higher. Maybe some teenagers can be forced into going to college but for most, they will drop out before they graduate. In fact, Statistics of the College Drop-out says thirty three percent of students will drop out and forty percent of them will not get a degree. According to the Statistics of the College Drop-out also lists finances, failure, and pressure as three of their top twenty reasons students drop out.  

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     The world we live in is changing every day. The importance of a college degree is increasing in order for one to live a financially stable life, but since the importance of a college degree is increasing, the pressure put on teenagers to attend and graduate college is increasing as well. Although to most parents, their child attending college is important, they must also understand that their child has to make the decision based upon what they want and need or they will not be happy with what they are doing. Teenage years are about having fun, exploring new things, and finding what interests you, that shouldn't be taken away because of something they do not want.  

 

 

Works Cited 

"Primary Menu." College Advisor Advice for Students and Educators ClassesandCareerscom. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017. <http://blog.classesandcareers.com/advisor/statistics-of-the-college-drop-out/>. 

 

Robinson, Devin. "Why Parents Shouldn't Force Their Child to Go To College Right Away -." The Good Men Project. N.p., 17 July 2014. Web. 02 May 2017. <https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/parents-shouldnt-force-child-go-college-right-away-wrd/>. 

 

Fast Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017. <https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=76>. 

 

Neighmond, Patti. "School Stress Takes A Toll On Health, Teens And Parents Say." NPR. NPR, 02 Dec. 2013. Web. 02 May 2017. <http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/12/02/246599742/school-stress-takes-a-toll-on-health-teens-and-parents-say>. 

 

"School Pressure in Teens." Troubled Teens. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2017. <http://www.troubledteens.com/parenting-resources/common-teen-issues/school-pressure-in-teens.html>.