The college years are a time of significant growth and change in the life of students. However, college is not an easy way in students’ lives because they have to deal with a lot of pressure during their period of study. College pressure is something that happens in school every day. It comes from different sources like parents, friends, teachers, boyfriends, girlfriends and finally from students themselves. For instance, Cheryl wanted to fit in and she was 19 old, a junior in college, Maggie her classmate had invited her to a party at her house. When Maggie opened the door, the party was already under way Cheryl blushed when Bill, a center on the basketball team smiled at her. He had a can of beer in his hand, “Hi,” he said, “would you like a beer?” No, she thought, she wouldn’t like a beer. However, she desperately wanted Bill, Maggie, and everybody at this wonderful party to like her. College pressure can be as simple as that a mild suggestion from somebody you want to like you. In fact, college pressures are present in students lives and without a doubt, parental pressure and peer pressures are the most common of these.
Parental pressure is always present on college students. Since most students are having their college tuition by their parents, they feel the pressure to “please” mom and dad often relinquishing their own goals in the process. In “College Pressure”, Zinsser (1970) observes, “Along with economic pressures goes parental pressure. Inevitably the two are deeply intertwined.” As an American educator he knows very well how economic pressure and parental pressure are related. Zinsser (2004) points out that the two kinds of pressure are deeply intertwined because parents put their money to support their children. As a result, students are not allowed to choose their professions. I follow his arguments in the way that since the parents are the principal economic supporter to the students they feel obligated to carry out their parents expectations because they do not want to lose parents’ support. The author address much deeper the issue related to parental pressure and uses a beautiful observation. He says “ I see many students taking pre-medical courses with joyless tenacity. They go off to their labs as if they were going to the dentist.”(Zinsser, 1970) As educator he gives the scenario that tells us how sad and miserable the students feel because they cannot choose what they want to be since their parents do. Also, he argues that their son and daughters want to choose different major than their parents want. He says, “Poor students, poor parents.”(Zinsser, 1970). His arguments are valid because the pressure that comes from parents can be almost unbearable to a college student and this makes people who act in this issue affected by social pressure
Do parents of college students put too much pressure on their children? The students probably say yes, and the parents would probably say no. Most of the time, parents argue that they just want the best for their children, but though this “good cause” sometimes leads into disaster when parents take it too far. When the parents concentrate on grade alone, they become like a dictator and not a friend. Consequently, they do not care about anything else such as social problems and sports (BBCnews, 1999} this cause to young people feel under too much pressure because they think that the only way they can get the affection and respect of their parents is to bring home good grades. At this point, anything that does not deal with grades or academics is worthless to the college students, and furthermore the student does not care (BBCnew, 1999). The authors view is completely accurate they argues the meaning that shows parental pressure at college, and how this excessive pressure on their children to perform well at college could be putting them at greater risk of attempting failure. They also say that boys are more at risk than girls because they are less likely to admit their fears and worries since they are seeing it as a sign of weakness. (BBCnew, 1999).
Parents can also place pressure on their children even when praising their good grades and efforts. For instance, when a student does extremely well in one subject, the parents become happy and praises the student. However if the student is doing poorly on another subject but he/she is just afraid to tell his/her parents because it might make them upset. (Rubin pg. 143). Parent’s pressure can also be deadly. According, to a Penn State study female university students with mothers who are expecting excellence and fathers who support the mother are more likely to contemplate suicide than peers from less pressured families. In the recent study survey of 421 college students, 227 female, and 194 male revealed that 4 percent of females attempted suicide, compared to 1.1 percent for males. This finding indicated that college women are most vulnerable to suicidal because parent’s expectations are placed at particular risk when they are expecting perfection in their children. (Pennsylvania State University, 2003).
Peer pressure is the persuasion exerted by our friends, classmates, neighbors and those of our own age or social circles, and is blamed for nearly every social pressure of our day. (Myers, 1995). We have all experienced peer pressure, and students today at college feel pressure in countless ways, the intensity of peer pressure varies from situation to situation. The author’s main point is that “Peer pressure and self induced pressure are also intertwined, and they begin almost at the beginning of freshman years.” (Zinsser, 1970). He argues that peer pressure and self-induced pressure are connected and can lead one to have anxiety, and negative self- images. He also supports his main point with vivid lesson. Specifically, the author tells us “I had a freshman student I will call Linda, one dean told me, who came in and said she was under terrible pressure because their roommate Barbara, was much brighter and studied all the time. I couldn’t tell her that Barbara had come in two hours earlier to say the same thing about Linda.”(Zinsser, 1970). The story given by Zinsser teaches us a frequent situation that happens at college. It’s symbolic of how every student pushes their limit of their performance or assignment higher than before since they think every student is working hard and they produce additional work than they are required. The author also mentions, “Part of the problem is that they do more than they are expected to do.” And “Teacher gets more and more effort from his class,” (Zinsser, 1970). He supports this argument when he says student decide to do something not because they want to do it but because of their peers. Also, he argues that the teachers make worse this situation because they accept more extra work from their students, and the students who do usual work can be seen as not doing well.
On the others hand, peer pressure is held responsible for the raise of sexually transmitted disease among college students. “A 1988 study of sexually active college students found that 46.3% of the women and 62.7% of the men reported having had unwanted intercourse. Peer pressure, coercion, intimidationall led students into situations they later regretted.” (Time Magazine, 1991). Also, peer pressure is blamed for the increase of alcohol abuse among America college students. According to a recent study at George Mason University, alcohol is a major factor in 41% of all academic problems and 28% of all college dropouts. (Padfield, 1994). I think peer pressure is a process of empowerment and we need to learn how we deal with it. For college students, peer pressure can be good, but in some cases it can also be bad. An example, of positive peer pressure is the good grades that influence to students and their friends. However, if a group thinks that it is “cool” to smoke marijuana and students smoke to fit in the group. That is a negative effect of peer pressure.
In short, in today’s American society, a lot of pressure is being put on young adults when they attend college and their inexhaustible pressures to succeed overwhelm them. The pressure is even more intense when it comes from parents and peer that make students feel sad and miserable.
REFERENCES
1. BBC News. (1999, July 14). Education: Pupils under enormous pressure over exams.
2. Meyers, A. (1995). Drugs And Peer Pressure. New York, The Rosen Publishing Group, INC.
3. Padfield, D. (1994). Peer Pressure. New York: Times Books.
4. Pennsylvania State University. (2003, February). Parental Pressure a Major Factor For
Female College Students Considering Suicide. Retrieved April 15, 2005, from
http://web6.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/8/592/65280950w6/purl=rc1_EAIM_0_
5. Shute, R. E. (1991, June3). The impact of peer pressure among college students. Time
Magazine.
6. Zinsser W. (1979). College Pressures. Blair and Ketchum’s Country Journal
