To the Editor:
While I appreciate the lighthearted tone of the contributors to “Ditch
Your Laptop, Dump Your Boyfriend,” I felt that one serious piece of
advice to freshmen was missing: to consider whether they should be in
college in the first place.
In five years as an adjunct instructor and a graduate student, I have
seen a lot of students who came to college for the wrong reasons. Some
were pressured by parents, others by high school guidance counselors,
and some come just because it seems to be what everyone else is doing.
The reality is that college is not for everyone, and many freshmen who
start this year will not graduate.
Students, and those who are part of their support system, should be
aware of and carefully consider the alternatives that are out there.
Community colleges offer affordable tuition and often smaller class
sizes for those who need more instructor attention. Vocational and
technical programs prepare students for a variety of careers where a
B.A. or a B.S. is not needed.
A “gap year” program can help students narrow their interests and make
extra money, helping them to get through degree programs faster and with
less debt if they ultimately decide college is for them.
In a world where tuition continues to rise and graduates face a high
debt load and a poor economy, too few are aware of the alternatives
available to them. Additionally, for those first-years who do decide to
go the noble path of the four-year degree, there is one more piece of
advice I would add: Buy a style guide, and learn how to use it. Your
teaching assistant will thank you.
Alexis Leanna Henshaw
Tucson, Sept. 26, 2010
The writer is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of Arizona.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 