How many times have you pulled an all-nighter to get that A+ because an A just wasn't good enough? How many organizations have you held a Pres., VP, or Sec. position in just so you could have a resume that "speaks volumes" and compliments your 3.9878892389238133892009999 grade point average? College is not just about school anymore. For hundreds of years, having a degree would guarantee you a great job. Now having a degree will guarantee that you have one more frame that you have to buy. Not to discredit anything that those who came before us did, but they just didn't have it has hard as we do. This day and age we have to keep up with daily technological advances, fashion, scholarship, organizations, our perception on the various social networks, traditional networking, not to mention the numerous personal issues that people might have (which are only increasing due to the current state of the economy). I have had an internship for 2 summers in a row and am taking this summer off, but am wondering "Have I done enough? Should I really be taking a break?" We drive ourselves into the ground for a society that can't come close to guaranteeing us a well-paying full-time job. We get on every on campus committee we can and try to get in touch with all the right people off campus in hopes of securing something resembling a secure job, but at the end of the day, I am realizing that nothing is guaranteed.
Even after realizing all of this, I bust my backside just to make things come together. I thrive under this pressure. I know that, when it's crunch time, I will hit the clutch shot. I can't lose. I can't let the stress get to me because if I do, I won't get a good job. If I don't get a good job, my kids won't have better opportunities than I have and my wife will struggle as my mother has. I have to be the best or at least work toward being the best. But some people let it get to them. As an RA, I have seen multiple students have nervous break downs as a result of the stress that college brings. College is the final frontier. After this, it's time for the real world: bills, a mortgage, credit, life insurance, a spouse, kids. Thinking about it is enough to make some people commit suicide. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of depression among college students, usually caused by untreated depression (www.suicide.org/college-student-suicide). A 2008 MSNBC headline reads "Half of College Students Consider Suicide" when only 15.3% of the nation as a whole does. That same article reads that 5% of students said they have attempted to commit suicide. So, out of every 20 people you walk by, 1 has tried to take his/her life. What does this say about the amount of pressure college puts on us? We are the future, but at the rate our generation is getting depressed, half of us will be burnt out long before we reach our potential.
As friends, we need to know our friends well enough to know when they are depressed. As humans, we need to reach out to those who don't have any friends. Too many of our future great minds are dying because no one cares. Everyone gets ridiculed for one reason or another. It's inevitable. From the nerd to the dumb jock, people get picked on. It's our friends who help us get through the bad and even come to laugh at those rough times. So be there for someone that you know. And I’ll raise you one; I challenge you get to know someone new so that you can be there for them. Sophomores, juniors, seniors, this fall find a freshman this fall and get to know him/her. Be a friend and a role model. Sacrifice some cash or DB or Ram Bucks or w/e extra money your meal plan has and treat someone to lunch. Go to an on campus activity and just hang out. Take them to church. Do something! But don't let someone that you know die because he/she feels no one cares. Let's stop being so far removed and instead be more hands on. Love life.
Today is the day; how are you going to act?
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