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The Wake-Up Call Before the Chaos

3 min readdecember 21, 2021

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The Wake-Up Call Before the Chaos

Life is so busy that sometimes there is a need for a wake up call, or someone who understands how you feel within the chaos of being a student. Every year, it seems as if students are held at a higher standard than the year before. The chatter of parents hearing other students that are taking more AP classes forces others to feel as if they should also take more AP classes. I hear of the college talks, and the need to achieve a specific SAT score in order to apply to a certain school. It is as if parents will never stop comparing their children to other children until they become doctors and engineers and lawyers. We all experience the frustration that is driven by parents who believe they know everything about college, yet their perceptions of college are warped.

Who set these standards? How are we supposed to know what is best for us? Most parents who care for their child’s education, also care for their child’s future and journey towards success in life. But do they know who we really are? Do they know what we want?

Are you doing this for yourself or for your parents?

In the mess of the talk of college, scores, grades, extracurriculars, and the like, we should all take a step back and truly consider what we want to do with our lives, and what we want for ourselves. We are not attending college for the sake of our parents. This may be the case for some people, yet most of us are motivated enough to attend college because we want to be successful in the long run. Essentially, we are attending college for ourselves, and we deserve to choose the colleges that appeal to us, not our parents. For those who are aiming for higher ranked schools, consider the reason why you would love to attend that particular school. If you value the school simply because of its name and reputation, the school is not for you. There needs to be a genuine reason as to why you would like to attend a school, whether it be for a specific program within the school, or professors that you would like to learn from. You must understand that attending an Ivy League college or a highly ranked school does not mean that you will be wealthy, and successful in all that you do. If you do not make use of the resources that are provided to you, all you will gain will be experience, respect, and a good reputation. What matters is how you hold yourself, and how you apply yourself in your everyday lives. This is not to say that you should not aim for the best college possible. This is to remind students that college is not about the name, and reputation of the school. It is about what is right for you, and how you will apply yourself.

What Really Matters

Although all of this may sound like a broken record, teachers and parents are constantly drilling misconceptions into students’ heads. Society has set a standard that all students are pressured to surpass, and unfortunately, that is how life is.

Consider what you think really matters in life, and think about how you can best make use of the gift that you were given at 0 years old: life. Life is a privilege, and we should all cherish our friends and family. Every experience, no matter what it is, is valuable. Despite all the stress from school, and the pressure to excel in school, don’t forget to enjoy life, and to be thankful that you have survived another day. There are other students and children in this world that fear for their lives daily, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have to worry about my education, rather than for my life. We all need to open our eyes to what is important, then life will be simple from there. All we need to do is be kind to others, and produce the best work possible. Although we all know that it does not sound as simple as that, in reality, we make our lives much more complicated than it needs to be. (Photo courtesy of wallpaperstock.)

The Wake-Up Call Before the Chaos

3 min readdecember 21, 2021

V

Vera C

V

Vera C

The Wake-Up Call Before the Chaos

Life is so busy that sometimes there is a need for a wake up call, or someone who understands how you feel within the chaos of being a student. Every year, it seems as if students are held at a higher standard than the year before. The chatter of parents hearing other students that are taking more AP classes forces others to feel as if they should also take more AP classes. I hear of the college talks, and the need to achieve a specific SAT score in order to apply to a certain school. It is as if parents will never stop comparing their children to other children until they become doctors and engineers and lawyers. We all experience the frustration that is driven by parents who believe they know everything about college, yet their perceptions of college are warped.

Who set these standards? How are we supposed to know what is best for us? Most parents who care for their child’s education, also care for their child’s future and journey towards success in life. But do they know who we really are? Do they know what we want?

Are you doing this for yourself or for your parents?

In the mess of the talk of college, scores, grades, extracurriculars, and the like, we should all take a step back and truly consider what we want to do with our lives, and what we want for ourselves. We are not attending college for the sake of our parents. This may be the case for some people, yet most of us are motivated enough to attend college because we want to be successful in the long run. Essentially, we are attending college for ourselves, and we deserve to choose the colleges that appeal to us, not our parents. For those who are aiming for higher ranked schools, consider the reason why you would love to attend that particular school. If you value the school simply because of its name and reputation, the school is not for you. There needs to be a genuine reason as to why you would like to attend a school, whether it be for a specific program within the school, or professors that you would like to learn from. You must understand that attending an Ivy League college or a highly ranked school does not mean that you will be wealthy, and successful in all that you do. If you do not make use of the resources that are provided to you, all you will gain will be experience, respect, and a good reputation. What matters is how you hold yourself, and how you apply yourself in your everyday lives. This is not to say that you should not aim for the best college possible. This is to remind students that college is not about the name, and reputation of the school. It is about what is right for you, and how you will apply yourself.

What Really Matters

Although all of this may sound like a broken record, teachers and parents are constantly drilling misconceptions into students’ heads. Society has set a standard that all students are pressured to surpass, and unfortunately, that is how life is.

Consider what you think really matters in life, and think about how you can best make use of the gift that you were given at 0 years old: life. Life is a privilege, and we should all cherish our friends and family. Every experience, no matter what it is, is valuable. Despite all the stress from school, and the pressure to excel in school, don’t forget to enjoy life, and to be thankful that you have survived another day. There are other students and children in this world that fear for their lives daily, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have to worry about my education, rather than for my life. We all need to open our eyes to what is important, then life will be simple from there. All we need to do is be kind to others, and produce the best work possible. Although we all know that it does not sound as simple as that, in reality, we make our lives much more complicated than it needs to be. (Photo courtesy of wallpaperstock.)



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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.