William Zinsser's College Pressures

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In William Zinsser’s piece “College Pressures,” Zinsser condenses the different pressures college students face into four categories: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer, pressure, and self-induced pressure (Zinsser 438). Through these pressures Zinsser steers away from the stigma of there always being a villain, but instead offers the idea of there are only being victims (438). Students face the four basic pressures presently as they have since the articles first publication in 1978. The only distinguishable difference between the two argues students nowadays face a far more demanding range of pressures than those dating back nearly four decades ago. The world is constantly progressing, developing, and adapting to change. With change however comes growth. This continues to be especially true when referring to economic pressure. Zinsser claims the average total cost for a student attending college sums up to be around $7,000, which in today’s economy is seen as …show more content…
With the invention of personal electronic devices and rise of mainstream media outlets more people care about is happening in the world around them. This new form of communication between people generates only more pressure. Now available at anyone’s fingertip is an endless collection of information. Instead of hearing about who is doing in well in school peers can just as easily tweet or post about their grades and other successes for all their followers to see. Students are able compare themselves to their peers more easily as well as people around the world. The urge to be the best rises as the use of media does. Zinsser’s understanding of grade fever and over exertion continue to linger in society as well (440-41). His ideas, along with the new forms of peer and self-induced pressure, only creates a harsher environment for students to
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