As a student here at the University of Southern California, it seems just plain stupid to discuss the importance of secondary education. After all, we are taught from a very young age—by our parents as well as society—to apply in our senior years of high school and jump straight into our plans for the future. Within a month of those vital acceptance letters we choose our destination and before we know it, we have chosen our majors as freshmen in college! I was seventeen at this time, younger than most of my friends who were at voting age. And to be honest, I had no idea what was ahead of me—let alone how to do my own laundry or cook my own meals. So now, when I think back from two years ago, I wonder just how mature and prepared my friends and I really were. And to think that we’d be college graduates and out in the real world in just four years.. Crazy! Because in reality, what is the rush? Why is there such an emphasis on a social timeline in which we are college graduates in our early 20s, and married and with a steady job just a few years later?
Now a junior, I am really starting to feel the effects of these social expectations. And just the thought of my classmates already taking their MCATs and preparing for med school applications is frightening. Not to mention, the push for internships and lab experience in the field. Is it just me, or are we still so young?? There are so many expectations placed upon us, and at such a young age, that it has really made me think about the benefits of gap years and waiting periods—taking my time to do things at my own pace. And to learn more about the world and myself before I take that step for further education.
Of course, I am at school now and it would be impractical to think that I could just take some time off to trek through Europe, Africa, or Asia. I mean… my parents would kill me! I would be “wasting” their money, getting off track, and making them nervous, but I’ve definitely realized that life plans must be self-constructed and not based on societal, or even familial expectations. And so, over the next fifteen weeks, I plan to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of going to college right after high school, as well as the seemingly decline of the value of a college degree in today’s economy. And as we go along the social timeline and with the pressure of marriage, children, and career, I will examine the alternative pathways to achieving these goals. Marriage may be overrated.. And maybe the timespan for having children shouldn’t be a huge factor anymore with newer treatments and technology. Because our notion of a fulfilling life shouldn’t be so time-oriented, or based on the order in which we accomplish our goals.
