As I have mentioned before, I am a first-generation college student, which means neither of my parents or their parents or their parents finished college. When I started college, I didn't even know there was a term for that until I arrived at my college campus for freshman orientation. During the application process, my mom and I had no idea what we were doing. Thankfully ApplyTexas is really straightforward and easy to use. When it came to scholarships, think got a lot more confusing. Needless to say, I didn't get many
One of my biggest issues with the public education system is that it does not properly prepare students for college/university life. It prepares you for a schedule and a routine. It does not teach you to think independently or evaluate information. It teaches you to study the information and regurgitate it. It doesn't teach you to think for yourself. I mostly blame standardized testing, but I also blame the politicians that refuse to change the system and do away with standardized testing. Students learn to rely wholly on their teacher for the information they need to know. They aren't taught to think critically or seek out information for themselves. They are taught that their hand needs to be held in order for them to be successful.
Because of this, college can be a very difficult experience for some students. I know it was for me. My anxiety and depression had a major uptick when I came to college. I was struggling with my mental health, and being thrown into a strange environment with rules I didn't understand definitely didn't help any. I remember when I did my first research paper, I was so frazzled and anxious because I did not know what was expected of me. There is such a large disconnect between what high school seniors learn and what freshman college professors expect. It's ridiculous. I am not saying professors who teach freshman classes need to make their classes easier. I am saying that high school needs to better prepare students for college. I personally think the best way to do this is to do away with standardized testing. I think testing needs to require students to apply what they have learned to solve a problem. Application is one of the best ways (in my opinion) to learn things. That and having to teach the information to someone else. I understand a lot of high school students are terrified of public speaking. I was terrified of it until I had to teach during my Master's program. Even then, some days were very difficult. I think maybe if they had to write a paragraph explaining the thing they need to learn (in their own words), it would help them learn it better.
Either way, college is stressful because incoming freshmen don't know what to expect or what is expected of them. This can cause so much undue stress. I was listening to a podcast recently when I heard of Rachel's First Week. It's an organization that focuses on helping seniors in college prepare for life after they graduate and helping incoming freshmen know how to make smart and safe decisions while they are at college. Here is the link to their website: https://rachaelsfirstweek.org/
If you or someone you know is a senior in high school or college freshman, please share this with them. I wish I had known about this as a graduating senior and a college freshman. I had so much anxiety, and I wish so badly I had a resource like this. It would have helped so much.
Comentarios