School: Ridiculous Expectations

[Lady Tam Li Hua]

Momotori

Daralea

Face it. College/University is where people go to get their dreams killed.

Really? that was high school for me

I think this depends on the dream.

The real world, after high school and college, finally convinced me that some of my dreams weren't very...realistic.

[bluewolfcub]

The_Martyr

This isn't about just high school and middle school. This is about college and the expectations.

So, I'm a college freshman, music education major... In every single one of my classes, I have my teachers saying "This class is the most important class you have. It should be at the forefront of anything you do, because if you don't pass this, you don't move on"... Well... Yeah. That's how classes are. You don't pass, you can't move forward. Is it just me, or is it ridiculous with the amount of pressure and work that is put on a common college student?

A few statistics:
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15-24 and the second leading cause of death of college students.
- Students reported during the last school year feeling the following:
Over 60% of the students reported feeling things were hopeless one or more times.
Almost 40% of the men and 50% of the women reported feeling so depressed that they had difficulty functioning one or more times.
10% of the students reported seriously considering attempting suicide at least one time.
(cited from healthyminds.org)

I mean... Really? Maybe it's just me. Do you think schools, parents and society in general are putting way too much pressure on students to succeed? Many times, people won't even make it past their freshman year, they drop out and even after that, they are pushed even HARDER to be at the top of their class. Is there too much pressure being put on college students?

No. Uni is quite easy, becoming easier, and rumour will have it that USA universities are easier than ours.
Suck it up.

Quote:

You're going to have to explain how that is unrealistic. In most courses I've taken, a B has been any grade falling between 80 and 89.4 (or sometimes 89.9) percent. You aren't entitled to an A.

And here it's 70-79%, and anything 70%+ is a first class honour.
Ofc, we don't have a ton of continuous assessment (read: none), no multiple choice exams, and so on rolleyes

[Maximillian Thermidor]

childsdragon

I feel that college is supposed to be challenging, that is it's nature. One doesn't want under qualified adults entering the workplace as specialists. Each class is important and a balance must be derived. Of course professors are going to preach the importance of their classes, it is a way for them to stoke their egos and add value to their profession.

Indeed, the idea is that it will push your limits and make you work very hard thereby either forcing you to apply yourself and succeed, or filtering out the unworthy and lazy, giving them a stern lesson in the reality that if you aren't good enough or do not work hard enough you will reap what you sow, just as the student who stays in on weekends studying and pushes themselves to the their limit will be rewarded academically.

Also there are people who are not smart enough to deserve passing a university course and getting a degree, punching above their weight division, and who will eventually crumble and fall away to the bottom of the heap. "Life is pain, get over it"

[lili of the lamplight]

Quote:

You're going to have to explain how that is unrealistic. In most courses I've taken, a B has been any grade falling between 80 and 89.4 (or sometimes 89.9) percent. You aren't entitled to an A.

And here it's 70-79%, and anything 70%+ is a first class honour.
Ofc, we don't have a ton of continuous assessment (read: none), no multiple choice exams, and so on rolleyes

Most of my classes don't use multiple choice either. So, congrats on going to a school where 70% is great, but don't assume it means the classes I'm referring to are without rigour.

[Taylor_169]

Cea

It's college for a reason. It's end-game s**t.

My classes are all the same. Each one is "work harder than before" "this is THE class" and on and on. You just have to do what you can and learn all you can, trying to ignore what they say all the time.

This.
It also has something to do with how the general standard of learning in America has gone down, yet the workplace expects more.

[The20]

Lil Can of Alzheimers

No, Western kids are just spoilt and lazy.

I agree.

[Wrath of Ezekiel]

arcky

I have never worked this hard in my entire life. I am a design major! Not premed, or a law student.

However, I am glad they are working me hard. I am in a University with a good reputation. I am paying a crapload of money and I am getting my money's worth... for the most part.

Wouldn't you be pissed if your money was paying for an education you could have gotten just from buying the text books?

They work us especially hard in design classes because more often than not, our careers involve presenting portfolios and a lot of our portfolios get started in schools. biggrin

lili of the lamplight

Miss Evalyn

That said, competition within classes on a curve can still be very demanding and unrealistic.
(For example, I finished with 88% in an economics course last term. My final grade was a B.)

You're going to have to explain how that is unrealistic. In most courses I've taken, a B has been any grade falling between 80 and 89.4 (or sometimes 89.9) percent. You aren't entitled to an A.

Depends where you are. In Canada, that would be in the A range, while I know in America, that is the B range.

Lady Tam Li Hua

If you think American colleges and universities are hard, you should talk to a Japanese student sometime.

The Asian school systems (India, China, Japan, South Korea) drive a lot of people to unfortunately kill themselves.

[How Not To Be Seen]

My theory is that not everyone is cut out to go to college. Unfortunately, parents are pressuring their children to go to college because "otherwise you won't get a good job." While that may be partly true, there are plenty of professional schools to go to which teach you a skill besides cramming for finals.

[Arkady Andreyevich]

bluewolfcub

The_Martyr

This isn't about just high school and middle school. This is about college and the expectations.

So, I'm a college freshman, music education major... In every single one of my classes, I have my teachers saying "This class is the most important class you have. It should be at the forefront of anything you do, because if you don't pass this, you don't move on"... Well... Yeah. That's how classes are. You don't pass, you can't move forward. Is it just me, or is it ridiculous with the amount of pressure and work that is put on a common college student?

A few statistics:
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15-24 and the second leading cause of death of college students.
- Students reported during the last school year feeling the following:
Over 60% of the students reported feeling things were hopeless one or more times.
Almost 40% of the men and 50% of the women reported feeling so depressed that they had difficulty functioning one or more times.
10% of the students reported seriously considering attempting suicide at least one time.
(cited from healthyminds.org)

I mean... Really? Maybe it's just me. Do you think schools, parents and society in general are putting way too much pressure on students to succeed? Many times, people won't even make it past their freshman year, they drop out and even after that, they are pushed even HARDER to be at the top of their class. Is there too much pressure being put on college students?

No. Uni is quite easy, becoming easier, and rumour will have it that USA universities are easier than ours.
Suck it up.

Quote:

You're going to have to explain how that is unrealistic. In most courses I've taken, a B has been any grade falling between 80 and 89.4 (or sometimes 89.9) percent. You aren't entitled to an A.

And here it's 70-79%, and anything 70%+ is a first class honour.
Ofc, we don't have a ton of continuous assessment (read: none), no multiple choice exams, and so on rolleyes

Essays are much easier than multiple choice, IMO.

Multiple Choice:
Q: WHAT WAS JOHNNY WEARING ON PAGE 180? WHY IS THAT SIGNIFICANT?
A: HELLO WHITE AFTER LABOR DAY

[Arkady Andreyevich]

How Not To Be Seen

My theory is that not everyone is cut out to go to college. Unfortunately, parents are pressuring their children to go to college because "otherwise you won't get a good job." While that may be partly true, there are plenty of professional schools to go to which teach you a skill besides cramming for finals.

There is also trade school.

[How Not To Be Seen]

Arkady Andreyevich

How Not To Be Seen

My theory is that not everyone is cut out to go to college. Unfortunately, parents are pressuring their children to go to college because "otherwise you won't get a good job." While that may be partly true, there are plenty of professional schools to go to which teach you a skill besides cramming for finals.

There is also trade school.

True.

I also wanted to say "the world needs ditch-diggers, too," but that's Mean. xD

[Akira Fudoh]

The_Martyr

This isn't about just high school and middle school. This is about college and the expectations.

So, I'm a college freshman, music education major... In every single one of my classes, I have my teachers saying "This class is the most important class you have. It should be at the forefront of anything you do, because if you don't pass this, you don't move on"... Well... Yeah. That's how classes are. You don't pass, you can't move forward. Is it just me, or is it ridiculous with the amount of pressure and work that is put on a common college student?

A few statistics:
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15-24 and the second leading cause of death of college students.
- Students reported during the last school year feeling the following:
Over 60% of the students reported feeling things were hopeless one or more times.
Almost 40% of the men and 50% of the women reported feeling so depressed that they had difficulty functioning one or more times.
10% of the students reported seriously considering attempting suicide at least one time.
(cited from healthyminds.org)

I mean... Really? Maybe it's just me. Do you think schools, parents and society in general are putting way too much pressure on students to succeed? Many times, people won't even make it past their freshman year, they drop out and even after that, they are pushed even HARDER to be at the top of their class. Is there too much pressure being put on college students?

not enough pressure. needs more pressure.

[Math145 Kane]

Well the competition in the real world has become so ridiculous and going to college has completely lost it's prestige that the pressure is just something you have to deal with you plan on succeeding in life.
Lest you plan on creating some ridiculous invention like the Snuggie and make millions that way.

[Arkady Andreyevich]

Akira Fudoh

The_Martyr

This isn't about just high school and middle school. This is about college and the expectations.

So, I'm a college freshman, music education major... In every single one of my classes, I have my teachers saying "This class is the most important class you have. It should be at the forefront of anything you do, because if you don't pass this, you don't move on"... Well... Yeah. That's how classes are. You don't pass, you can't move forward. Is it just me, or is it ridiculous with the amount of pressure and work that is put on a common college student?

A few statistics:
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15-24 and the second leading cause of death of college students.
- Students reported during the last school year feeling the following:
Over 60% of the students reported feeling things were hopeless one or more times.
Almost 40% of the men and 50% of the women reported feeling so depressed that they had difficulty functioning one or more times.
10% of the students reported seriously considering attempting suicide at least one time.
(cited from healthyminds.org)

I mean... Really? Maybe it's just me. Do you think schools, parents and society in general are putting way too much pressure on students to succeed? Many times, people won't even make it past their freshman year, they drop out and even after that, they are pushed even HARDER to be at the top of their class. Is there too much pressure being put on college students?

not enough pressure. needs more pressure.

Akira Fudoh: The ED's resident machismo.

[arcky]

Wrath of Ezekiel

arcky

I have never worked this hard in my entire life. I am a design major! Not premed, or a law student.

However, I am glad they are working me hard. I am in a University with a good reputation. I am paying a crapload of money and I am getting my money's worth... for the most part.

Wouldn't you be pissed if your money was paying for an education you could have gotten just from buying the text books?

They work us especially hard in design classes because more often than not, our careers involve presenting portfolios and a lot of our portfolios get started in schools. biggrin

lili of the lamplight

Miss Evalyn

That said, competition within classes on a curve can still be very demanding and unrealistic.
(For example, I finished with 88% in an economics course last term. My final grade was a B.)

You're going to have to explain how that is unrealistic. In most courses I've taken, a B has been any grade falling between 80 and 89.4 (or sometimes 89.9) percent. You aren't entitled to an A.

Depends where you are. In Canada, that would be in the A range, while I know in America, that is the B range.

Lady Tam Li Hua

If you think American colleges and universities are hard, you should talk to a Japanese student sometime.

The Asian school systems (India, China, Japan, South Korea) drive a lot of people to unfortunately kill themselves.

I disagree with Asian schools being harder. Asian HIGH SCHOOLS are harder, but the universities are a joke. I know this because my school has plenty of asian kids, and except for the few exceptional ones, they in general fall behind because they aren't willing to put the time into school. Right now in my design group this semester there are 3 canadian kids and 2 exchange kids who are easily the biggest slackers not only in my group but in the entire class.

I have heard this about Chinese and Korean schools, and I am told that Japanese schools are hard to get into but easy once your in... but I only know a few Japanese people.

Anyway, it depends on what your in. This is my first break since class 8 hours ago. I understand why design works you so hard, they need you to develop a set of skills very quickly. Considering you need to know how to draw (render and illustrate), have a good eye for layout, know how to use type correctly, use indesign, illustrator, photoshop, flash, dreamweaver, rhyno, you have to know your way around the woodshop, metalshop and plastics lab.... gee... I am tired.