zaaaAP Lit Blog 2

The Rest of My Life

I think it is rediculous for society to expect 17 and 18 year olds to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I haven't even lived for two decades, how am I supposed to know what I am going to do for the next 8?

So I have decided to take a year off before college. I may live in Israel or I may decide to volunteer for the peace corp or americorp. Either way, I feel that my experiences and the knowledge that I will gain from living on my own will help me decide what I want to do with my future. I know that in Europe many young adults take a break before college, and I feel that for many, this is the best option. I also think that if every person who had finished high school was required to do some type of volunteer service for a year, America could be in a much better place and we could cultivate a generation of people who valued helping others. What do you think about taking a year off or of requiring a year-long volunteer service?

Justa Few Q's

One...I have a question about our poetry slams. Why is the winner's poem always so depressing? I have always loved listening to poetry, even though I have never been the best at performing or writing these poems, but I still enjoy it. I just do not understand where the shame lies in making people laugh and feel good and upbeat about a poem...Not sad and depressed.
Two...I am going to my number one choice for college tomorrow: Denison University. All week I have been nervous and excited and all of the above. I just wanted to know how everyone got over all of those anxieties of a first impression.

I'm in a Fight with College

I'm in a fight with college for the following reasons:

1) The ACT is not an accurate representation of my abilities. I have taken it 4 times and every time I get laughably different scores on every section. That doesn't make sense.

2) Early Decision is for rich people. I basically think it should be outlawed. I sound like a crazy person, right? But seriously, there are a lot of schools that outright say that one has a better chance of getting in if he/she applies early decision. So then you apply early, get in, but don't get the financial aid you need (which you don't find out until February). Then you say you can't go because you can't afford it. Then you're blacklisted and have to reapply for college the next year. In conclusion, only rich people can apply Early Decision. To say it bluntly: That is stupid.

3) Acceptance rates are ridiculous. Schools say that they don't care that every year the amount of students applying to college grows, they are not going to raise their acceptance rate. Eventually college will just be for the incredibly smart and the rich. That seems to defy all of the claims this country makes about trying to get everyone to go to college, etc.

4) College should not cost so much. It's that simple. Already the majority of students receive and/or apply for financial aid.  That, to me, just seems to cancel out the point of high college expenses. If everyone needs financial aid, why not just lower the cost? In most parts of Europe education is free. Why are they so much more logical than us? Another fun fact: Harvard gets so much money from alumni that they could accept every single person that applies each year AND give each of them a full ride to the school.

5) (NOTE:  This is actually my fight with society, but it ties in.)  Why should I go to college next year? Why have I been brainwashed to believe that I will fail, that I will be far less successful than my peers if I take a year or two off to do other things that or of equal value? Why don't schools stress this option more? Not to compare us too much to Europe, but it's a very common thing there for students to take a year off, figure themselves out, figure out what they want to do, etc. It is naive to say "I know who I am when I'm 17 years old." And maybe one function of college is there to help us find that out, but it is by no means the only logical option.

6) I'm sick of taking classes that I don't want to take just so that I'll look better on paper. Taking AP Calc BC does not define me and is in no way a fair representation of me. I am going to be a theatre major. WHY would I ever think it was a good idea to take Calc BC, which I happen to abhor? Fortunately I had this realization a couple days ago and promptly dropped down a level, where maybe I don't look as smart on paper, but I'm much happier. I feel like we're convinced that we need to spend our first 18 years preparing for college, doing things we hate doing, and in a way, forgetting about the present. Life is now. It's so easy to forget that. I blame college (more specifically, the expectations of it).

I understand that there are many valid counter arguments to what I have said. And I realize that I am a bit hypocritical, being someone who is applying to school early decision and who took the ACT 4 times. But these are my feelings right now. I apologize for the length of this. But believe me, I have far more to say. But I'll spare you...