The Expectations Of Modern University Students
University, by definition, is the institution for higher education that awards academic degrees to successful students. However, University is much more complex than its definition. To me, University is a place to learn about life's most pressing questions and immerse in your studies, but it is also a place where a person can learn more about themselves and grow as an individual. Students should have a healthy balance between academics, social life, and personal life. In today's society, students place too much emphasis on their grades, resumes, and intelligence, and not enough on their character, individuality, and dedication.
Today, students are faced with an immense amount of pressure. They feel as though achieving high marks and having an impressive resume is the most important part of university. This mentality comes from their parents and the pressure they are putting on them. In a Ted Talk done by Deborah Gilboa, a family doctor and parent, the high expectations that parents are setting for their children are discussed. Today, parents value achievement over good character and place an intense focus on a student’s achievement. Because students need to aim for the highest marks, they don't have time to do other important things to build their character. Parents even recognize this and Students are under tremendous pressure, and as a result, parents pay for their alcohol and drugs, university presidents excuse plagiarism, we make excuses for students behaviourIt's the little things like “taking out the garbage” that will build character and at the end, make students better prepared for the real world.
Today’s modern students want to find the purpose of their life, what they want to do and who they want to be. They are always looking forward and not living in the present day. Many students in university place too much emphasis on their grades. The numbers that they receive on their final transcript are more valuable than their journey and the lessons that university provided. Students experience pressure from their parents to achieve great things and strive for nothing but success. Because of this need for academic success, building character and social success is being pushed to the side. The purpose of education is to expand one's horizons academically and personally, however we are putting too much emphasis on one's achievements and successes rather than their learning experience and character. Student need to take a step back and learn how to deal with real world situations before they can begin to achieve great things. Parents help their kids face their obstacle – “We solve every problem. We bulldoze over every obstacle, and kids accept this as the natural order of things”.
Students deserve more accountability and respect. As a society, we are allowing students to take the path of least resistance towards successWe wrongly perceive failure as an obstacle to success. When students have problems, parents and adults help in any way possible but that doesn’t build character. So whether you study microbiology or sociology, having a university experience is a valuable thing and it is much more than a piece of paper. No matter your achievement and the look of your resume, character is what matters the most.
Works Cited
Gilboa, Deborah, speaker. The Expectation Gap | Deborah Gilboa | TEDxCMU. TedxTalks, 10 May 2016, www. youtube. com/watch?v=v2eNZ1OwZPY
