Feeling Pressured to go the College Route?

I have nothing against going to college.  In fact, I loved my college experience.  However, I do have something against the pressure instilled upon students, at all ages and grade levels these days, to tick every box ensuring they measure up for a college acceptance.  It takes away so much of what the education process is meant for, including education. 

My Perspective

What I mean by this is my job as an Instructional Aid was to help middle school students who were struggling.  What I was shocked to hear is that so many of them struggled due to anxiety.  As I dug a little deeper into the cause, I found they were so worried about getting an A in the class so that they could go to college that they couldn’t even enjoy learning the material for fear of making a mistake. Again, this is 6th grade which is such an impressionable time of growth in all areas of life, not just academics yet that is where the majority of pressure is focused.  

I literally had a 6th grade student tell me that her dad said if she doesn’t get all A’s in school she won’t get accepted into college.  At 12 years old, this broke my heart because you could see the worry in her eyes and hear the weight of her future in her voice.  Kids are so hyper focused on their grades that it distracts from the school experience as a whole.  

Not College Bound?

There clearly is and should be a population of kids at every school who for a variety of reasons are not college bound. I think instead of the assumption that every student has the goal to attend a university, that they are instead being encouraged to explore non-traditional means to figuring out what the future has in store for them.  

Unfortunately many leave high school feeling like a failure or maybe even give up trying in the process because they know they won’t be going anyway since they don’t fit the mold for whatever reason or are simply choosing not to further their formal education at this time.

What is Your Perspective?

I would love to know your stance on this.  This morning, I read an article about a mom who was worried because her son was flat out refusing to go to college and had his sights set on starting his own business instead.  She was very  focused on him failing and wanting advice on how to encourage him into some type of educational program.  From what she said, he had a plan, was a dedicated hard worker and felt confident in his direction. 

Do you agree with the mom and think he needs formal education first before pursuing his vision or do you support him in starting his business now as long as he is putting in the work? 

Work Ethic Increased

I am a firm supporter of work ethic and as long as people are dedicated, grinding and making progress in what is making them feel fulfilled, then why not give it a shot.  The worst that could happen is that it doesn’t work out.  If encouraged correctly along the way, they will learn from their mistakes and pursue plan B and who knows, that might even be a college degree but it will be when they are ready and have a desire for it, not because it was simply expected of them.

Stress and Anxiety Decreased

I am also in favor of keeping the stress and anxiety in check by exploring all options for a post high school path.  This starts with educating kids as they grow up for the sake of gaining knowledge and learning new information about themselves as well as the class content. 

Kids definitely need to be guided but if being successful in life is the ultimate goal, learning self responsibility should take precedence over grades and scores.

A Non-Traditional Alternative

With the mission of reducing stress and anxiety for people who are struggling with a life transition, especially teenagers, I am in the process of creating a collaborative, independent study learning pods program for post high school students who for a variety of reasons are looking for an alternative to the traditional style of education. For more information, click on the Empowerment tab above or reach out to me directly for details.

I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.