Category: College Experience

For as long as I can remember, one of my biggest dreams was to attend a top school, and I sacrificed thousands of hours of sleep and fun to make it a reality. But when I stepped into class on my first day as an Ivy League student, I felt no excitement, just dread. I had barely made it through high school with my sanity intact, and now I had to do it all over again on what seemed like an astronomically higher level. This stress and burnout is one of many reasons why Penn should join MIT, Cal Tech, Wellesley, and our neighbor Swarthmore in adopting a ‘shadow grading’ policy for first-semester Freshman. Such a policy would tell students their letter grades but report them as pass/fail on transcripts.

Anyone attending Penn clearly excelled in high school, though it likely also left them with chronic stress. Teens in an American Psychological Association survey report higher stress levels than adults, and students attending so-called ‘high-achieving schools’ are now classified as ‘at-risk’ by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. My high school experience definitely exemplifies this. Weighed down by a minimum of about three hours of homework a night, I was constantly sleep-deprived and incredibly stressed. Every Quaker spent four years knowing their futures depended on exceptional grades. Starting at an Ivy League university, where grades arguably matter even more, after spending four years in such a state, is practically asking for trouble and undoubtedly contributing to the burnout highlighted in the DP’s ‘The brutal phenomenon of burnout at Penn’.

With shadow grading, students get break from this intense pressure and a chance to regroup. Entering college is a huge transition. Students are figuring out how to live away from home and with roommates, as well as grappling with the increased course workload. The Wellesley News agrees, writing, “Students face a variety of stressors in coming to Wellesley, relocating from home, adjusting to higher education as well as specifically adjusting to the Wellesley community. While students are adjusting to Wellesley, they should not have to worry about their transcript grades, which can add to anxiety”. Allowing students a moment to breath and room to discover how best to cope on campus could increase long-term wellness and maybe change Penn’s ranking as the 10th most stressful college in America.

Shadow grading could also let us to rediscover our love of learning, something that was at least partially stripped away due to the emphasis on grades and standardized testing. Most of my classes were AP or IB, which meant that the entire course was centered around a national exam in May. I spent more time in AP World History memorizing the essay scoring rubrics and the different types of potential multiple-choice questions than I did learning and analyzing history. With all of our teachers focusing only on our eventual scores, that became our priority as well. To be completely honest, I think we lost track of the purpose of education and fell victim to the overjustification effect, in which external incentives (getting good scores and getting into good schools) lower intrinsic motivation (learning because you love it).

This is a dangerous phenomenon. Penn seeks to educate future leaders and innovators, and if their students are not truly learning, but rather memorizing information for the sake of a test grade and forgetting it afterwards, they will not succeed. A four-year longitudinal study of seven schools (including Wellesley) indicates that shadow grading could potentially reverse this, making an even stronger case for the policy.

Mandatory shadow grading would also give Quakers a better chance to explore unfamiliar topics of interest. We’re encouraged to do this by pre-major advisors, but the possibility of earning a bad grade or being judged by making the choice to take it pass/fail are deterrents. MIT student Allan Sadun used the low risk provided by shadow grading to take a course in electrical engineering and gained a new job prospect in the process. We are told to explore, so why doesn’t Penn let us do so without drawbacks?

All of shadow grading’s benefits fall under the umbrella of responding to problems caused by high school. The American education system has not let us sufficiently relax, explore, or even learn. We are not arriving on campus prepared to reach our full potential. Since the 9th grade, we have all been on the fast-track to big career dreams, something only compounded by Penn’s intense pre-professional atmosphere. No one wants to slow down lest the person next to them speeds ahead. As a result, many of us are stressed and overworked and may not be making the most of our college experience. Shadow grading would allow everyone to pause, and at a crucial time in our lives, recharge, rediscover, readjust, and reevaluate.

When I was in freshman year at college, I always thought that I had to be perfect, or people would think that I’m not smart. It wasn’t until after this experience in my sophomore year that I realized that it’s not possible to be perfect. I also learned that what people hated the most was not nearly as bad as everyone had thought. My experience with failure is probably the best that I have ever had in college.

Failure allows us to assess our strengths and weaknesses, and build upon them. I say this because I did not succeed, and it turned me around in a way that could not have been achieved through only success. It started with me getting a D on my history test. Getting a D isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it was a disaster for me at the time. I thought about how I could get a D on a history test and I couldn’t find the answer. I’m not a student who puts out work that is equivalent to a D. I usually get B’s and the occasional A’s, but not D’s. I went into a test without the knowledge that was required to pass and I was beaten up. I could accept that given what I felt I was really a D student, or I could study hard for the next exam and try to raise my grade to where it needed to be. It was then I realized something very important; I had forgotten why I didn’t study, but I never forgot the score. The product itself was therefore far more important than the process to me. Imagine if I got a C or even a B instead. It would have taken pure luck, but there was the possibility that it could happen. If that had happened, I would have learned nothing. Or at least I would learn that I did not have to study, which is the opposite of what any student would need to learn. I discovered the consequences of not studying through my failure. I knew the problem as well as the solution, but at the time it was not that simple. I had to study for countless hours and practice so that the next time I had a test there was no way I could fail. By getting better grades on tests and papers, I slowly raised my grade. At the end of the year, my grade was back up to where it should have been.

I learned that those who don’t learn from their failures will never truly succeed. These experiences have granted me greater insight into the world that we live in and how to succeed in it. Due to this experience, I now know how to use failure to my advantage.

I never imagined that by the development of technology virtual meeting, conferences and online classes is one of the way to connect people from different countries. Teacher and students from different countries enrolled in same college share their knowledge and experience by virtual online classes by the help of Internet and media.

In today’s society online courses are widely used in colleges providing easy access to course materials, classroom discussions and feedback to instructors. The course materials and activities may be accessed from any computers whether it is from the university or from the comfort of our own computer at home or even any comfortable places. I have taken first time of my life a online courses since I have been in college and this is not intensionally, but due to emergency condition of global pandemic COVD-19 and lockdown policy issued by Government to control the spread of coronavirus disease and benifited from those classes.

Since I am a international student here in Australia I have to manage time for job as well as college courses. During traditional style classes it was very hard to manage time for work and classes this online virtual online learning classes allow me to work on my own and move at my own pace. The hours I have given at my job same as the time that most classes are offered. The use of online course has made my life easier to manage time at work,since I don’t have to go college on a regularly basis. I don’t have to leave my job to meet on college.It is very convinient for me not having to go college. During my regular college style it was very hard to manage time for college, work and study. The online courses allows me to cover the material needed in college with maintaining my workload.

I have learnt that to be successful distance learner, I have to be selfdisciplined and able to work freely. Since I won’t be physically going to class each week, I can take part in class room from the comfort of my own home.In this course I must be selfdisciplined because the lecturer won’t constantly be there to remind my assignment deadlines. This is my first online course experience, in my opinion it saves time, saves money, can attend class from any comfort zone.

Although there are some difficulties for example disturbance due to problem in networks, difficult to get advice and feedback from instructer immidiately. Furthermore, I have learned just as much as online as I would have in traditional class. I don’t have the interactions with the instructer or classmates at anytime. Internet classes have the discussion meeting group where group members can exchange comments and ideas about our problems, issues and topics.

While attending Southwest Tennessee Community College, I have learned things this semester that will contribute to my success as a college student. As a college student, I have learned college will place you in situations where the answers will not come easily. One of the valuable lessons I learned while in college is discipline, and without discipline going through college successfully will become a struggle. In college, you will have plenty of opportunities to take your learning into your own hands, but when an individual has discipline, the decisions he/she makes can cause a good outcome. Having discipline in college taught me I am fully responsible for everything that happens to me, and my success in college is almost entirely dependent on myself.

No one in college will force you to attend class, or no one will make sure you turn in your assignments. Time management has a huge impact on students in college because without time management an individual can quickly fail in college. I have learned every skill taught will fall in order; in fact, without discipline, there is no understanding of time management. Sometimes learning the hard way can better teach an individual and can help them see discipline and time management will become an individuals’ best friend in college. Containing both skills as a college student helped me see college is my main priority.

Another valuable lesson taught to me was that I am responsible for all information kept. This semester taught me college is about all the information an individual can retain and spit back out. I learned to distance myself from students so all the information told in class could be retained. Every class I had this semester sitting in the front row became important to me. Students will also learn the importance of a teacher seeing you in front of the class.

Everything valuable taught to me will further help me succeed in college. Professors will teach students skills that can help them be successful throughout college. Learning discipline, time management and retaining information has helped me go a very long way. Those three things can be a learning tool for not only college but life. The purpose of the student’s instructor is to be their guide throughout their journey in college.

Making the most out of college is very important because an individual should always make the most out of the time they have. With the rising cost of education, a person needs to have the discipline to make the most out of it. The cost of education will continue to rise, and it is best we take advantage of what we have now. I am just now starting to get into college life and I think being a college student has helped me mature as an adult. I will always remember everything I have learned plays a key role in a part of my life.

Growing up it is often emphasized that ‘Time is gold’. It is a common ‘favorite motto’ that is usually written in every grade school’s journal or diary. Though at the young age I haven’t got a clue of what that means until I get to the point that also in high school, I get to comply to lecture requirements. Teacher got stricter with deadlines and failure to comply to sure requirements would result to a consequence or even a failing grade. The older I get the heavier the responsibilities or the task that is asked to myself whether it is on school, applying for legal documents to many more.

I remember how it became more serious when I entered college. Though I already had a mindset that things would change for a big time in college I could honestly say that I wasn’t really prepared for it. There comes submission of assignments, seatwork’s, group works, group presentation and a lot more. There were a few changes to how to submit it such as online submissions, handwritten assignments and most of the time it is a printed copy. During my freshman year, I remember rushing to a peso net computer shop editing the papers and spending a lot of cash printing a colored one and sometimes going back again to make a few more adjustments because of the professor’s revision. I’ll never forget that I had to submit a ‘book like’ requirement to one of my English classes, where in I must make a reflection of a few book readings that we had in that term. I am remembering having a series of endless nights making a lot of edits that on the day of the submission I finished it. I remember printing it 2 hours ahead of time coming to the class and submitting the paper. I wasn’t late or anything, but my professor called me in front to ask a few things about my paper. I was a bit confident about it until my professor told me that I forgot to add a page number to every page of the paper! Imagine the hassle of editing it all over again on a laptop and costing double on it. I’ll always remember that I needed to present a ‘book like’ prerequisite to one of my English classes wherein I should make an impression of a couple of book readings that we had in that term. I am recollecting having a progression of unlimited evenings making a great deal of alters that upon the arrival of the accommodation I completed it. I printed it 2 hours early going to the class and presenting the paper. I wasn’t late or anything, yet my educator called me in front to get some information about my paper. I was somewhat sure about it until my teacher disclosed to me that I neglected to add a page number to each page of the paper! Envision the issue of altering it once more on a workstation and costing twofold on it. It was a lot of hassle but then my professor told me that I could pass my paper until the afternoon. He adjusted it for me because he saw that I complied to the requirement early after all.

The day ended with myself being grateful and thankful because of that favor of the extension of the submission from my professor. Upon that incident I remember trying my best to comply to every requirement no matter how hard it is as early as I can so whenever there would be revisions, I could make an early adjustment for it. The advantages of finishing early are good especially if you are bombarded with a lot of requirements for the day. The idea of finishing a requirement would mean I get to finish a lot more in the other subjects. If that is a story of a good testimony of finishing early, I also have a story that didn’t finished well.

It was during my thesis 1 term that the pressure of making a paper is so high. Reading a lot of articles, old thesis papers and research of many libraries and online resources is very draining. Our group was composed of 5 people back then, but I felt like only the two of us were really making and contributing into it. After a month of finishing the first draft and having our defense thankfully we got to have a revision of the paper and a redefended of the paper. After that day, the revisions were a lot that it took us longer time to accomplish it more than the first term that we have it. Our instructor got stricter with cutoff times and inability to go along to sure necessities would result to an outcome or even a bombing grade. The more seasoned I get the heavier the obligations or the assignment that is asked to myself whether it is on school, applying for authoritative archives to some more. Some of my thesis mates and even me were having a few heated discussions and heated arguments because of it. I remember consulting also our panel about the few comments that they have in our paper and really burdened whenever we get to go back to them a lot of times because sometimes, we don’t understand it well. And most importantly, we are running for a deadly deadline to pass the hard copy of the paper. During the last day of finishing off the paper we still have two of our panel who will we be approaching for the finished paper. Our group had to get their signatures on the paper and having it soft bind before passing it to our head adviser’s office. Our cutoff time was 9pm that night and we should make a trip to another college because our head board was having his talk there and it resembles, we’re having a strategic scene. 9pm came we’re still at the PC shop having our theory printed. Truly, we are debilitated yet at the same time cheerful that they will acknowledge our paper since we completed it. One more day stopped by and displayed the paper to our head counsel and clarified our circumstances. He said that he will even now consider it then at long last inside a couple of hours he acknowledged our paper. We were so upbeat about it! I was happy to such an extent that our teacher favored us to go along to it regardless of whether it went past our cutoff time. Our deadline was 9pm that night and we must travel to another university because our head panel was having his lecture there and it’s like we’re having a mission impossible scene. 9pm came and we’re still at the computer shop having our thesis printed. Honestly, we are discouraged but still hopeful that they will accept our paper because we finished it. Another day came by and presented the paper to our head adviser and explained our situations. He said that he will still think about it then finally within a few hours he accepted our paper. We were so happy about it! I was so glad that our professor favored us to comply to it even if it went beyond our deadline.

The benefits of completing early are great particularly if you are besieged with a ton of necessities for the afternoon. Finishing a prerequisite would mean I get the chance to complete much more in different subjects. If that is an account of a decent declaration of completing early, I additionally have a story that didn’t completed well.

What I am trying to convey in this essay paper is that time is equivalent to gold in terms of its value and importance. I really don’t know how many more teachers who will be gracious to me whenever I would submit a wrong paper, or a paper that has a lot of revisions but all I understand now is that I must really work hard to submit whatever that is to pass it on time. There may be changes in the people that I will be submitting to, but one thing is for sure is that I must value their time in making effort to check not only my paper but all the people that were submitting their paper with me. Time is golden when it is your time that is being wasted by other people. I also observed that those who value your time also value you as a person. And it comes in vice-versa as well because I know that most people do it also to other people. That attitude reflects the way you communicate value to other people too.

As a senior looking back upon my four years apart of Marcus High School Cheerleading, I have grown immensely as a person. I have learned many qualities about myself, both positive and negative. This program has carved me into the person I am today and helped me to realize the person I ultimately strive to become. Throughout the years I have gained the insight of coping with stressful situations, managing my time wisely, faking it until you make it, and becoming a leader that all can depend on.

It is hard to believe I am approaching the end of my senior year in high school. Just yesterday I stumbled through the doors of the tryout room with fear instilled on my face not knowing what challenges I would endure. Both excitement and stress rushing through my veins, I turned the long silver handle, that was cold with touch. While opening the door, I stepped foot into a room buzzing with silence— the creaking of the old worn-down court echoing throughout the gym. Before I could blink, tryouts were over and I was in fourth period where I would soon realize, I found my home. This was my first encounter of encompassing the saying “fake it until you make it” and keeping my calm in stressful situations. No experience is quite like tryouts— self-consciously going into a room where three sets of eyes follow every move, motion, and sound you make. My arms trembling, my voice shaky, and pure adrenaline pumping from head to toe, I completed my first tryouts as if it were something I do every day. This has shaped my timid, soft-spoken, nervous freshman self into a more confident, optimistic, and outgoing woman.

Coming into the program my freshman year I was unsure of exactly what was expected of me and how cheerleading could shape me into the person I would become. Going from having hours of free time and no extracurricular commitments to transitioning into devoting my time to attend any events I could to show support to any organization apart of Marcus High School. Time management was a key factor in being successful. Learning to arrive early to every event and balance my social life is not an easy task. After four years of being in the program managing my time wisely has made me a punctual and responsible person that will continue to help me throughout life. I know when it is appropriate to spend time with friends and loved ones, and when I need to be serious and complete the tasks I have at hand.

Last, leadership has become a valuable personal trait I have acquired throughout my years of being a Marcus cheerleader. Filling the role has a captain has made the greatest impact of who I am today. Throughout the season, I face difficult situations where I have to evaluate and decided with my other captain, what is the best option that will benefit our team. Being a captain I have not only improved in becoming an admirable leader, but, I have also excelled in communication skills, responsibility, and portraying an image for those younger to look up to.

I would not be the person I am today without this program. Every year I grow more and more into the person I strive to be with the help of Marcus Cheer and all involved in it. Each lesson and attribute I have obtained through cheerleading reflects me as a person and I will always cherish the experiences I have taken from the program.

Hazing is a problem affecting adolescents and young adults on many college campuses (Allan & Madden, 2008). Between 1838 and 1969, 35 deaths transpired on university campuses as a result of college hazing or alcohol abuse. Within 30 years, that number increased to over 210 deaths (Nuwer, 1999) and has continued to rise. High profile hazing deaths have caused criminal conviction of college students, the indictment of college administrators, and millions of dollars in compensatory damages awarded to the families of hazing victims (Rutledge, 1998). While hazing exists in various college organizations, it is most commonly connected with Greek Life. Universities and fraternal organizations allocate large amounts of resources in terms of both time and money to combat college hazing, yet it perseveres. According to Campuspeak – a company that provides speakers and training programs to various educational institutions and organizations – college campuses and national Greek Life organizations spend nearly $700,000 with their company for hazing prevention programs. The problem is so prevalent that some colleges have gone so far as to ban fraternities and sororities from their campuses because of liability concerns related to alcohol and hazing. While there are numerous studies that have analyzed the perceived negative effects of hazing, there is no high-quality research showing the long-term negative impacts of hazing victimization. Much of what we know regarding the effects of hazing comes from anecdotal evidence. In the short term, hazing victims have reported experiencing physical trauma, depression and anxiety, feelings of guilt, lowered self-esteem and problems developing relationships.

Nonetheless, hazing is not only a public health concern. Various studies have indicated that Greek Life membership, and probably the hazing inherent in that membership, has a negative impact on a number of cognitive and academic outcomes for first-year college students, including lower levels of critical thinking, reading apprehension and mathematical skill. Not only that, but many first-year students also experience higher levels of academic dishonesty, and lower levels of moral judgment and moral action.

Various researches have suggested that numerous environmental factors can affect the correlation between moral judgment and moral action (Bandura, 1991). These environmental factors are the core of the moral disengagement theory created by Albert Bandura. Bandura’s theory suggests that moral standards are created over time through socialization and exposure to various ideas regarding right and wrong. These standards do not, however, function as fixed internal controls. Rather, Bandura suggests, the power of taking moral action requires what he refers to as “self-censure,” a means by which individuals examine the consequences of their actions based on their “internalized” moral standards. In polarizing moral disengagement from moral judgment, Bandura suggests that traditional measures of moral judgment forget to take into consideration the process by which individuals apply moral standards to their day-to-day lives, and propose that moral reasoning is rendered into action through self-regulatory procedures (Bandura et al., 1996). Bandura has recognized 8 procedures by which people will disengage from these moral self-sanctions and engage in behaviors that would otherwise violate their moral standards. The environment and social atmosphere surrounding an individual can trigger one, or all, of these procedures in a way that allows people to disengage from their morality and more easily commit an action that goes against their ethics (Bandura, 2002). As stated by Bandura (2002), “it requires conducive social conditions rather than monstrous people to produce atrocious deeds. Given appropriate social conditions, decent, ordinary people can do extraordinarily cruel things.” A study done with college students engaging in hazing activities found that these individuals perceive a number of positive outcomes associated with college hazing but only minimal negative ramifications. Students often list a number of positive outcomes of college hazing and try to justify the behavior. This includes but is not limited to the building of group unity, and creating a sense of accomplishment. In addition, these students often use rationalization as a way of avoiding to report hazing activities to authorities. Such responses as “it made me a better man,” and “the sense of accomplishment afterwards outweighed the pain or stress felt during the activities” were repeatedly used as rationalizations for not reporting college hazing activities.

When individuals participate in these demoralizing activities, they may avoid facing the results of their actions by limiting the amount of harm that they cause (Bandura, 2002). As long as the harmful consequences of their conduct are ignored, then selfcensure can be easily deactivated. This procedure is best explained by the experiments conducted by Stanley Milgram. In his study, he measured the willingness of his participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their own conscience. The participants believed that they were helping with an unrelated experiment, in which they had to regulate electric shocks to a ‘learner.’ These fake electric shocks continuously increased to levels that would have been deathly if they had been real.

What Miligram found was that when pain was done to the victims, most of the participants inflicted the maximum amount of voltage. This decreased when participants were able to hear the learner, and decreased again when they could both see and hear the learner, and finally decreased down to less than 30% when the participants were in immediate physical proximity to the learner. It became more challenging for Miligram’s participants when the results of their actions became more and more obvious (Milgram, 1974). In regards to fraternity hazing, this procedure is confirmed by these results of Miligram’s experiment. Minimization was found to be one of the main reasons that students did not report college hazing activities to authorities. Nonetheless, a number of students reported that hazing was “no big deal” or that hazing was justified because “no one was harmed” in the process.

Most researchers that study and analyze college hazing agree that hazing is more accepted in fraternities than in any other social organizations. These findings are homogeneous with the overwhelmingly large amount of new reports evolving around hazing-related deaths with fraternity members. Although it is generally accepted that hazing-related deaths are pretty underreported, 23 students have died from hazing incidents in 2000, 24 in 2001, and 42 in 2002. Nuwer (2011) reported that 27 hazing deaths have occurred between 2002 and 2010.

Discernment of hazing on college campuses are a huge motivational factor behind hazing-related activities. Most college students who are involved in fraternities think that hazing is worse in other clubs and organizations on their campus than in their own (Owen et al., 2008). This finding submits that hazing is shaped by “campus mythology” and that unreliable information can result in twisted perceptions of the true reality of college hazing on university campuses. When used in combination with another study which found that believing your friends approve of college hazing increases the your own chances of participating (Campo et al., 2005), you can start to sew together how college students allow their perceptions, or misperceptions, about hazing to impact their overall attitude and disposition to participate, either as a victim or a culprit. Hazing also perpetuates a “cycle of violence” in which students that deal and have dealt with hazing as a victim are more likely to support hazing and participate in hazing-related activities in the future (Owen et al., 2008). Much like perceptions of hazing, the experience that college students have with hazing is often representative an environmental factor that allows students to rationalize with their participation in these types of hazing activities.

In summary, hazing is a major issue in university campuses, particularly within fraternity and sorority groups. Hazing has lead to numerous deaths and serious psychological and physical injuries and problems. A number of college students that belong to these types of organizations participate in college hazing, even though an large majority do not consider themselves to have been hazed. Misperception, experience and other non-cognitive factors play a role in allowing students to justify hazing behavior on college campuses.

I am from Mexico. The city where I live is called Obregón city in Sonora State (at north of the Mexican Republic). I attend to Obregón city campus. I came to John Abbott almost alone; I said this because the other two girls that are here too were only classmates for me, until now that I know them much more. I made friends here, so yes I do have friends studying at John Abbott. This is my first time studying abroad; I really appreciate the effort my parents did to send me here. Since I was little I always wanted to study in other place, out of Mexico, explore, know, learn about the world and other cultures make me feels so excited and happy.

I have thought in two careers, but I not really sure if I want to study that. The think that the two of them have in common is that in both you make researches. My first option is psychology; this one is because I like to understand the human behavior, help people when they need to. Last but not least, it is entomology. I truly like to investigate the insects. Indeed I like to investigate all sorts of things. Why am I not sure? Well, it is hard to choose one option, and another big factor is I need to see if there are good jobs for one of them. I don’t want to be a person who study something, but never work in what I studied. Those situations really frighten me out. It is important to say that I don’t see myself working on an office with a boss. I imagine me being my own boss, or working travelling around the world doing investigations, giving conferences, or having my own business.

My parents didn’t influence in my decision of studying abroad. Along time ago they have known that studying abroad was one of my dreams and aspirations. I hope and wish with all my heart that in another time of my life, maybe in college, go to another country to continue studying.

Right now, I don’t have any fears or feel stressed about studying at John Abbott College. On the contrary, I honestly am excited of being here. I feel confident of myself, because I know what I am capable for, also John Abbott gives you all the support you need if you are struggling. It´s very thrilling see the differences between Mexican schools and Canadian schools.

In career exploration, I would like to make tests to see if what other options I can consider, besides the two I already have and check if I am qualified for them. I wrote “check if I am qualified for them” because sometimes, but not often I doubt of myself, and I want to be really sure if the career I choose is the one for me. Contradicting, a nice motto for me is “attitude not aptitude”.

I would like to add that this is a huge opportunity to improve myself. An important thing of me is that am independent in some many ways (I mean I don’t depend if other people do it, to do it too), I have role models and take them as inspiration and motivation, but I create my own path, my own future.

Brotherhood and sisterhood. Those two words have such a significant meaning. There is a difference between friendship and brotherhood or sisterhood. They create a bond that is completely different from others. If one needs help, advice, someone to lean on, they will always know either their brother or sister will be there for them twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Sororities and fraternities are a huge part of college campuses across the entire nation, if they were to be banned, the college experience would simply just not be the same. Greek life on college campuses brings a whole new experience to students that not many other organizations can possibly do. They bring together young men and women and create this bond that cannot be broken. Sororities and fraternities honestly do create a sisterhood or brotherhood, in my opinion, in a way that nothing else can do as much. Once one gets involved in a fraternity or sorority, it truly opens their eyes on all the positive aspects that a Greek organization can bring to them.

The main concern most people have with Greek organizations being on college campuses is purely the poor reputation that these organizations have with the public eye. For a great majority of people, fraternities and sororities are nothing more than a social club. “Most fraternities and sororities, however, serve mainly as social clubs” (“Fraternity and Sorority”). They see it as a house of binge drinking, drug abusing, and hazing of new members. Sure, if one only watches movies such as “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and “Old School” or news reports of fraternity hazing or deaths caused by hazing; fraternities may appear as though that is all they have to offer are parties, drugs, and hazing. For one, there are so many laws against hazing today. It is completely different than it was twenty years ago, Greek organizations as a whole do not promote hazing what so ever. If anything makes someone feel uncomfortable, that individual not only can but also is encouraged to speak to his or her chapter advisor about the issue.

Now to approach the accusation of binge drinking and drug abuse; granted there is alcohol use in fraternity and sorority houses and parties. Saying that, all members are required to go to several alcohol use and awareness classes where they are educated on how to use alcohol wisely. Also, many Greek organizations have a zero drug tolerance policy, in which if an active member is caught with any sort of illegal substance would instantly be revoked of membership in said Greek organization.

Many people believe that at fraternity parties, the fraternity members do their absolute best to intoxicate females to get their way with her, to have a “one night stand.” “I like a girl who wears clothes that reveal some of her body, so I can, I don’t know, so I can see what she looks like” — “The whole idea is that they come cheap, I don’t ever need to see them again unless I want to” (Sanday).

Admittedly, there are a select few members in practically every fraternity that only cares about partying, getting high, and attempting to get as many women without having intimate relationship with said individual. Saying that, there are way more people like that who are not even in affiliated with a Greek organization, so it honestly is not fair for one to create a complete stereotype of members in Greek organizations. Fraternities and Sororities are not all about partying, drugs, sexual activities, and hazing. The true purpose for fraternities and sororities is to stimulate scholarship, build character, and promote brotherhood and sisterhood. Greek organizations really do have quality people as members for the most part. They look for the qualitites mentioned earlier in every single one of their possible members. These qualities without a doubt create an overall genuine, determined, and kind-hearted person.

The second argument when it comes to people wanting to ban fraternities and sororities on college campuses are the cost aspect of joining a Greek organization. It is true that there are going to be some dues that do need to be paid in the joining of a Greek organization. There are social fees and new membership fees. Some people may see this as people “buying their friendships” when paying their dues while joining a fraternity or sorority. Which may lead them to believe that the so called brotherhood or sisterhood you just paid to be a part of should not at all even be considered a brotherhood or sisterhood. On the contrary, this is not true at all. Even though one pays dues to be a part of a fraternity or sorority, they are not buying their friendships at all. These fees all go towards the national board, which is then used to improve the specific organization as a whole. Not a soul in the Greek organization pockets the money that one spends to join a said organization to then go and spend it for personal purposes. Whether it is repairs for the house in which members stay in, building new houses, supplying catering services for residents in the house, the money that is spent by members only goes towards the improvement of the chapter as a whole.

Another reason why one is not buying their friends while joining a Greek organization is because the friendships that are made are genuine and one hundred percent real. If someone honestly bought their friendships, the friendships would be completely shallow; no one would be friends with each other, but rather just more like acquaintances. According to surveys done by Abowitz, Deborah A., and David Knox of College Student Journal, members of fraternities and sororities actually are extremely relationship oriented; they voted being happy, being in love, and having close friends as the top important things to them. From personal experience, I know that the relationships made with fellow members in a fraternity are like nothing else I have had before. I know that they will always be there for me, and I would do the same for them. It truly is a bond that cannot be broken, and I am saying this after just 7 weeks of pledging. I am not even a member yet, and I definitely feel without a doubt as if I am already in their brotherhood and a brother to every single one of them.

Obviously, students come to college for an education; that is the true main purpose. I completely understand that, and firmly believe that every single student should try to give his or her absolute best effort in the classroom. Saying that, I also believe that every student should make the most of their college experience. It is true that joining an extra curricular activity such as a Greek organization does take a huge commitment and significant amount of time and effort.

Many people believe that joining a fraternity or sorority is setting oneself up for poor performance in the classroom, which will end up leading to a low grade point average in college. They also believe that non-Greek students compared to Greek students have a much higher GPA (DeSantis). But, that is not necessarily a true statement. Fraternities and sororities all require their pledges and members to have a minimum grade point average to become a member or continue to be a member. Also there are requirements for members to have a certain amount of hours dedicated strictly to studying every week and that number is monitored very carefully. Without a doubt, members of Greek organizations are much more busy than other college students who are not all that much involved. Nevertheless, there is enough time in the day to be able to manage both well and successfully. Keeping this busy actually is actually good for a person. It teaches time management; a tool that is so crucial for every person that wants to be successful in this world.

Therefore, fraternities and sororities should not be banned from college campuses at all. Honestly there is no die-hard evidence on why there should be an end to Greek organizations. Fraternities and sororities enhance a student’s college experience; college is what one makes it, so why not make it the best experience that one could possibly have? Greek organizations stimulate scholarship, promote brotherhood/ sisterhood, and build character. These virtues are what build and create the leaders of tomorrow. Also, all the people that one meets while being involved in a Greek organization creates a whole new network of connections that simply would just not have been possibly if it were not for their membership in the Greek organization. These newly formed networks will only be a positive influence for the future; a whole new job market will be available to one just because of the people that they know. The positives that one can gain from their membership in a Greek organization far outweighs the negative appearance that society attempts mold for the idea of what fraternities and sororities are actually all about. All in all, fraternities and sororities should definitely not be banned from college campuses.

The college experience and benefits could be described as a photo album. Imagine looking back upon your education and seeing a picture of each encounter and gain. My album would include three main folios. The pride taken by myself and my family upon receiving a bachelor’s degree. The abundance of knowledge of both things you believe you will never use and those things that surprise you when you do. Along with the differences in people you befriend and come across during your years at college. Each folio, however separate, culminates these events into what we look back upon and call our college experiences.

I look forward to the day I can hold my hand out and accept my diploma, to hug and shake hands with my family. That intrinsic reward has no monetary value and can never be taken away. The look upon my family’s faces of joy and pride for my self discipline and sacrifice needed to obtain my goal. Most importantly I will be able to tell my son that his Mommy and Daddy have bachelor’s degrees, allowing us to parent by example. When I look back on all the good times of my life, only a few will standout as exceptional, I believe this will be on of those times.

A college experience can simply be the forced enrollment to a variety of courses you would never take by your own accord. This core curriculum is intended to leave you well rounded with a slice of basic knowledge in all higher education fields of study. For me, the most important benefit is the ability this diversification gives you to identify false or misleading statements by the media or other experts. Everyone has an angle or an agenda and education can aid you in identifying them. While taking new courses you may discover a new interest possibly a new major. The majority of students enter college with an undeclared major or change their major multiple times. For instances, I’ve majored in English, History, Political Science, Pre-Law, Marketing, Sales and presently Business Administration. College introduces you to new subjects and with these varying areas of interest you eventually elevate one above the rest.

College is a stew of Ethnic, cultural and race diversity; there is no possible way the meat isn’t going to rub against the carrot and potato. Most people grow up in a strict socio-economic demographic and this is a chance to meet people outside of that demographic. It is interesting to hear new ideas and perspectives of people who didn’t grow up with you. It is hard to accept people different culturally if you have never had the opportunity to interact with them. One of the greatest treasures we as Americans overlook is our freedom making America a melting pot.

Benefits of college like the collage of pictures on your cork board will have favorite moments and lesser ones. Standing before the mirror with your chest out looking at the tassel that has been moved from the left to the right of your hat. The first time you realize that Joe Newspaper is controlled by the right and thus their views on the left may be askew. Or simply, hearing a sound argument against something you’ve full heartily have believed your entire existence. All are experiences that will benefit you throughout life.