I agree with a lot of what Julian has said, especially in regard to the generalizations that the senior editors are making about a wide variety of people. However, I also think that some points were missed.
First, the article mentions very little about the "social scene" in a college. What this does is create a list of things wrong with our current social norms, without anything to compare it to. I hope you realize that there are "loud obnoxious boys" at any college you wish to attend.
This article seems to assume that once you reach college: 1. you will not be spending most of your time in/studying for/going to classes. 2. you enter a world where everyone is mature and will immediately shame those who aren't. 3. you will not have anyone who can be a security blanket for you, such as Ms. Kovacs is now.
1. The editors say that Uni takes up most of our time. IN THEORY, college should do this as well. Classes, homework, sports, plays, going to school events: they all happen at college, and while some people choose not to make it as important in college as it was in high school, one could reasonably spend most of their time devoted to school related activites.
2. I have practically lived on college campuses all my life, and I'm not talking exclusively about the U of I. Every college/university I've visited, spent time at, or even just walked around on, I've seen and heard loud obnoxious people. Maturity is not something that magically arrives when you turn 18. Nor should it be expected to magically appear for every student at a particular campus. The editors make it sound as if Uni's atmosphere encourages this immaturity, thus screwing us all over for "the real world." If this is the main idea, I would suggest looking around a college campus, or an office building. Immaturity exists everywhere.
I also have a problem believing that it is simply our school that "mutates a student's idea of what is acceptable behavior." I strongly believe that other high schools and even colleges do this too. When is it EVER appropriate to scream obscenities about people that you don't know, and hate on principle simply because they're not from the same place as you? The answer is any college football game. It is simply not true to say that Uni is the only place that offers a different outlook on "appropriate behavior."
3. While it is true that we will no longer have Ms. Kovacs to go to bat for us in college, the editors say that we will lose that security forever, as soon as we arrive in our dorm with our bags. Again, this is not true. If Ms. Kovacs is the only person at school that you feel can help you when you need it, then I don't think you know your teachers well enough. At your desired college, you will meet other people: professors, counselors, and others whose desire is to help you make it. College in general is not a hateful environment where teachers' sole goal is to fail you. While at larger schools you may not be able to have all of your problems fixed for you, there are still people who are willing to help you.
Which reminds me, I find it difficult to believe that the student editors have so little faith in their peers, fellow seniors, to solve their own problems. Contrary to this article, I highly doubt that every senior at this school is unable to cope with their own problems. We are on the whole, bright, responisble, capable people. This should help, not hinder our ability to make it on our own, and the editors' disregard for this is horrifying for me. I simply cannot believe that the editors are saying that no one is capable enough to have a thought, make a change, and control their own environment.
To all the seniors who read this, and immediately felt as though their life would ultimately fail after Uni (and also to the editors):
Please take the time to realize that at any college you go to there will be people there to help you make the adjustment from high school to college. They are not as different as I feel the editors made them out to be. School will still be the most important thing in your life, and while there may be more opportunities for social failure, there are also more opportunities for social success, something that a larger munber of people guarantees, and something that was not mentioned in the article.
In conclusion, I do not think that because we attend Uni, we are ill-prepared for the road ahead, and I wish that my peers, the senior editors, felt the same way.
I agree with a lot of what
I agree with a lot of what Julian has said, especially in regard to the generalizations that the senior editors are making about a wide variety of people. However, I also think that some points were missed.
First, the article mentions very little about the "social scene" in a college. What this does is create a list of things wrong with our current social norms, without anything to compare it to. I hope you realize that there are "loud obnoxious boys" at any college you wish to attend.
This article seems to assume that once you reach college: 1. you will not be spending most of your time in/studying for/going to classes. 2. you enter a world where everyone is mature and will immediately shame those who aren't. 3. you will not have anyone who can be a security blanket for you, such as Ms. Kovacs is now.
1. The editors say that Uni takes up most of our time. IN THEORY, college should do this as well. Classes, homework, sports, plays, going to school events: they all happen at college, and while some people choose not to make it as important in college as it was in high school, one could reasonably spend most of their time devoted to school related activites.
2. I have practically lived on college campuses all my life, and I'm not talking exclusively about the U of I. Every college/university I've visited, spent time at, or even just walked around on, I've seen and heard loud obnoxious people. Maturity is not something that magically arrives when you turn 18. Nor should it be expected to magically appear for every student at a particular campus. The editors make it sound as if Uni's atmosphere encourages this immaturity, thus screwing us all over for "the real world." If this is the main idea, I would suggest looking around a college campus, or an office building. Immaturity exists everywhere.
I also have a problem believing that it is simply our school that "mutates a student's idea of what is acceptable behavior." I strongly believe that other high schools and even colleges do this too. When is it EVER appropriate to scream obscenities about people that you don't know, and hate on principle simply because they're not from the same place as you? The answer is any college football game. It is simply not true to say that Uni is the only place that offers a different outlook on "appropriate behavior."
3. While it is true that we will no longer have Ms. Kovacs to go to bat for us in college, the editors say that we will lose that security forever, as soon as we arrive in our dorm with our bags. Again, this is not true. If Ms. Kovacs is the only person at school that you feel can help you when you need it, then I don't think you know your teachers well enough. At your desired college, you will meet other people: professors, counselors, and others whose desire is to help you make it. College in general is not a hateful environment where teachers' sole goal is to fail you. While at larger schools you may not be able to have all of your problems fixed for you, there are still people who are willing to help you.
Which reminds me, I find it difficult to believe that the student editors have so little faith in their peers, fellow seniors, to solve their own problems. Contrary to this article, I highly doubt that every senior at this school is unable to cope with their own problems. We are on the whole, bright, responisble, capable people. This should help, not hinder our ability to make it on our own, and the editors' disregard for this is horrifying for me. I simply cannot believe that the editors are saying that no one is capable enough to have a thought, make a change, and control their own environment.
To all the seniors who read this, and immediately felt as though their life would ultimately fail after Uni (and also to the editors):
Please take the time to realize that at any college you go to there will be people there to help you make the adjustment from high school to college. They are not as different as I feel the editors made them out to be. School will still be the most important thing in your life, and while there may be more opportunities for social failure, there are also more opportunities for social success, something that a larger munber of people guarantees, and something that was not mentioned in the article.
In conclusion, I do not think that because we attend Uni, we are ill-prepared for the road ahead, and I wish that my peers, the senior editors, felt the same way.