Entering junior year, college starts to haunt everyone's mind. Especially at New Trier, where there is a lot of pressure and competition when it comes to colleges. Colleges themselves have recently surfaced a lot of conflict and controversy - a lot having to do with costs, student debt, etc. I found an article about something that may have not been discussed as much, but is still incredibly interesting.
The students of Harvard have somewhat of a reputation for being wealthy people who may be used to getting what they want. At least that's what I gather when I hear people talk about Harvard. I came across this article that says students at Harvard Business School who are on scholarship money, or may not have as much money as the other students are being outcast, and pushed aside based on their class.
Class is a major issue in American society. Kids raised in an middle/upper class are reminded of how well off they are, and they don't have to deal with problems that say, a lower class family has to deal with. Because of this, the division of class becomes evident to them. Although maybe not intentionally, kids are enculturated to see the division of class and to reflect on it. People are seen differently because they grew up in a one bedroom apartment. Right now, it is somewhat inevitable in America. That is what is going on at Harvard. Kids that didn't pay the extra $20,000 are being outcast because they don't have the same amount of money as the other students. The division of class needs to stop, because the judgement of people based on their class and financial situations is not fair and not right. Although it won't stop overnight, I think that we should push ourselves to head that direction.
Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/education/harvard-business-students-see-class-as-divisive-an-issue-as-gender.html?hp
I read an article this morning about private college writing tutors. These people meet with seniors in high school, who are privileged enough to pay the heavy price, and help them write their college application essay. The article suggests the immense pressure high school students are under to get into "that school." The author is a tutor herself, who says that some parents pay her to write the essay for their child. She says a tutor like her can make $13,000 per student by writing their paper. This to me really emphasizes the idea that college is such a big deal, and class struggles. The rich kid who got into say Harvard because of this amazing essay, would have no prayer competing against a hardworking poorer kid who worked his way into the school. I think that when people are admitted into colleges on scholarship money, it really levels the playing field. No longer are only the kids admitted who have private types of tutors, but kids who work really hard at it. Education is one of the most important things a young person can give themselves, but the perseverance that a student gains from coming from a more difficult situation, is priceless and will help them succeed far beyond the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI find it ridiculous that students are being ostracized because they go to Harvard on scholarship. Needing financial aid is nothing to be ashamed. In fact, students should be proud to earn a scholarship to a school as highly acclaimed of as Harvard. In Carolyn’s comment she talked about how wealthy seniors pay people thousands of dollars to write their college essays. Paying someone to do your work for you is a reason to be looked down upon, not receiving a scholarship. I also found it surprising that students would openly hold someone’s financial situation against them. This is because in American Studies, we added economic standings to our list of things that people are afraid to talk about for fear of offending people. Apparently some students at Harvard don’t consider this topic as off-limits as our high school class did. I agree with Sara that this stigma is something we need to work to abolish.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Sara that these differences in social class can negatively affect students' education and even social life. However, isn't this what American values teach us? Most American's strive for success. All of the student's at Harvard strive to reach their definition of success which is probably very high considering they go to one of the best schools in the country. Raised by wealthy parents, the richer students feel that perhaps the students on scholarships parents that have not worked as hard as theirs. Although in many cases this is not true, it is engraved in their mind from a young age that their parents worked hard for them to get to this point. Although this social divide has negative impacts, perhaps the American values of success and wealth are reinforcing this division of class.
ReplyDelete