In these difficult economic times, it's not just businesses and adults who are experiencing problems. Students, already a group of the population that was said to be feeling more and more stressed out as demands got more out of control once more and more people were applying to college, now have to enter a workforce that doesn't have room for them with a great deal more debt than their parents had amassed at their own age.
And lately, students are too worn out from being stressed since a much earlier age to be able to handle this sort of bombshell of reality. With grade inflation at universities at an all-time high and the freshman year application rates at many world-renowned schools breaking their former record numbers, getting into university isn't what it used to be. School counselors at private institutions start pressuring their children as young as age 12 to be thinking far ahead into the future, with 14 year olds already in training to speak with college representatives and start considering schools for early decision.
This is not to say that students don't require discipline or a look at how much work is required to make it in this world. It's that they should save their time worrying for an occasion where worrying is actually warranted. The problem here, many behavioral experts conclude, is that pressures are starting to mount on children when in reality, there is nothing to worry about yet. This can actually be a lot worse later on, when there are real things to worry about.
The most important thing to focus on: paying that student loan debt. It's not something that goes away once you have a degree, rather, it's something that kicks right in. And students, especially those who have never had to pay a loan before, are going to be in for a big surprise when they find out that no sort of nice conversation can convince a debt collector otherwise.
So while students who are off to college and have already exhausted themselves on the stresses of applying just for college are attending classes and working on all of their projects and deadlines, they may forget about the bills they have piling up, waiting to creep up on them until graduation. And for many very intelligent university students, this doesn't come to mind until they have finally gotten their thesis out of the way and are ready to start thinking about jobs.
During such tough economic times, making the transition to the workforce from the world of studies is even more of a harsh reality check. Especially for students who chose a major that will not immediately get them some sort of work, it is difficult to learn that as special and as gifted as many people might have said you are, the current world of work is not as interested. While it is dangerous to build up student's egos to believe that they will never have to take a "regular" job, it is also important to remember what their worry priorities were while enrolled in university.
Unfortunately, getting a B on your final is not worth freaking out about, but having debt that you cannot pay off certainly is. Especially when you take into consideration that people did not realize the economic environment would be what it currently is when they applied for their schools and their grants and loans, it starts to become a much more stressful big picture problem for a lot of people.
While this may be a most unpleasant way for most students to be greeted by the real world, those experts who remember the times after the First World War are saying that it is going to be possible for this generation to bounce back, even though they may have been coddled to a dangerous level. Because after all, once you realize what a struggle it can be to get by, after things settle down a little bit, you realize that you do not have to worry about everything all of the time, once you've lived with actual worry. Who knows if this is going to be the case with students of today or not, but one thing is certain: it's never a good time starting fresh with tens of thousands in debt. In fact, it's nearly impossible.
And lately, students are too worn out from being stressed since a much earlier age to be able to handle this sort of bombshell of reality. With grade inflation at universities at an all-time high and the freshman year application rates at many world-renowned schools breaking their former record numbers, getting into university isn't what it used to be. School counselors at private institutions start pressuring their children as young as age 12 to be thinking far ahead into the future, with 14 year olds already in training to speak with college representatives and start considering schools for early decision.
This is not to say that students don't require discipline or a look at how much work is required to make it in this world. It's that they should save their time worrying for an occasion where worrying is actually warranted. The problem here, many behavioral experts conclude, is that pressures are starting to mount on children when in reality, there is nothing to worry about yet. This can actually be a lot worse later on, when there are real things to worry about.
The most important thing to focus on: paying that student loan debt. It's not something that goes away once you have a degree, rather, it's something that kicks right in. And students, especially those who have never had to pay a loan before, are going to be in for a big surprise when they find out that no sort of nice conversation can convince a debt collector otherwise.
So while students who are off to college and have already exhausted themselves on the stresses of applying just for college are attending classes and working on all of their projects and deadlines, they may forget about the bills they have piling up, waiting to creep up on them until graduation. And for many very intelligent university students, this doesn't come to mind until they have finally gotten their thesis out of the way and are ready to start thinking about jobs.
During such tough economic times, making the transition to the workforce from the world of studies is even more of a harsh reality check. Especially for students who chose a major that will not immediately get them some sort of work, it is difficult to learn that as special and as gifted as many people might have said you are, the current world of work is not as interested. While it is dangerous to build up student's egos to believe that they will never have to take a "regular" job, it is also important to remember what their worry priorities were while enrolled in university.
Unfortunately, getting a B on your final is not worth freaking out about, but having debt that you cannot pay off certainly is. Especially when you take into consideration that people did not realize the economic environment would be what it currently is when they applied for their schools and their grants and loans, it starts to become a much more stressful big picture problem for a lot of people.
While this may be a most unpleasant way for most students to be greeted by the real world, those experts who remember the times after the First World War are saying that it is going to be possible for this generation to bounce back, even though they may have been coddled to a dangerous level. Because after all, once you realize what a struggle it can be to get by, after things settle down a little bit, you realize that you do not have to worry about everything all of the time, once you've lived with actual worry. Who knows if this is going to be the case with students of today or not, but one thing is certain: it's never a good time starting fresh with tens of thousands in debt. In fact, it's nearly impossible.
About the Author:
Students need a hobby to relieve the stresses. Learning how to surf ski is a fantastic break from University life. Learning surf ski technique assists concentration and helps health and fitness.
