Lit Paper

Laura Walsh

English 102

Lesley Jenike

January 20, 2005

You Make Your Own Chances

Very few individuals in present day America look at our country's educational system as a place to grow intellectually. Instead, individual wealth and success are the main reason most college students attend a University. Paul Loeb recognizes this way of viewing education when he interviewed a wide range of students from West coast to East coast on why they personally attend college. After many interviews Loeb found that the majority of the students felt the same way. He states that, "most students viewed college as just a means to individual success," (Loeb, 244). In this article, Loeb doesn't even have to use much persuasion; all he had to do was let the students talk. Simply including the exact quotes from his interviewees shows us his point without him actually having to express it. This was a very strong technique in his article and I agree with the point that is being made. Students are in college for one reason: financial success.

Students view schooling facilities such as college and universities as a place to get ahead. Not to be left behind with the "poor" class is main priority for this generation. The students attending these schools want to learn yes; however it is not for their own intellectual betterment. Universities are the preparation for the so-called "real world" that terrifies much of America. As a student in Loeb's article commented on college in saying, " Survival training...preparation so they will to ok in a lousy world," (Loeb, 249). Students today just want to survive and they look to college as the only way that is going to happen.

From day one we have been given a do this and do that list. One major thing that has been beaten into our brains was to go to college and succeed. College was the light at the end of a tunnel; the only way to make it. Our parents provide much of the reason we look at college how we do. Many students' primary goal for college is point blank, "I want to do better than what my parents did," as stated by another interviewee. For those students who were blessed with wealthier parents, their reason for attending college was much the same with a little twist, " I want to give my family what my parents gave me". This brings about a desire for materialistic things. As kids we wanted everything that we saw: bubble gum in supermarkets, the cool new bike the kid down the street had, everything. For many of us nothing has changed, only the items we desire now cost much more and are much more "show-ey". This importance to show off our materials is why most of us want to succeed; to show everyone else that we are the best and we have the best. Much of this thinking I believe comes from much of the shows we watched growing up. The teenage based showed like those on MTV were nothing but who had the best car, the best clothes and the most money. We also all