Golden Nugget: Motivation
I think that the Princeton University students live this
lifestyle because they have successful, wealthy parents. They understand what
it takes to get to that level of success and they see it as attainable. As
Brooks says, “Opportunity lures them.” Also, these students are very goal
oriented. They see the light at the end of the tunnel. They are willing to give
up a few hours of sleep each night, participate in a limited amount of dating,
and schedule appointments to chat with their friends if it means accomplishing
their goals.
Living the nonstop lifestyles that they do comes as second
nature. Their parents have probably set high standards and expectations for
them from a young age. After all, these students were apart of what Brooks describes
as the big back pack era in elementary school. He suggests that the big
backpack era was a response to A Nation at Risk where Secretary of Education,
Terrel Bell criticizes American schools’ loose curriculum lack of homework, and
easy examinations. Brooks says, “Nowhere did I find anybody who seriously
considered living any other way.” This
demonstrates that these students see college as the first step to their career
success and this is why they live these lifestyles. College is about
self-improvement, resume-building and enrichment and these students take that
to the extreme.
In the end, their efforts pay off. “Investment banks flood
the campus looking for hires. Princeton also offers a multitude of
post-graduation service jobs in places like China and Africa” (Brooks). The
strategy of these students is to work hard, behave pleasantly, explore their
interests, volunteer their time, obey the codes of political correctness and
ascend the social hierarchy (Brooks).
Source:
Brooks,
David. "The Organization Kid." The Atlantic Monthly (2001): 40-54. Print.
AMEN! Someone that has their head on straight. Their education is no better than any other school and in most cases worse. Refer to the comment I left on Mazda6er's blog. You can't fail out of an Ivy League school if your parents are big donators. It is so rediculous that you can even call that an education. It is a service bought and paid for. I am not saying that great leaders don't come out of those schools, but there is an equivalent number of worthless loads too.
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting - totally changes my perspective of ivy league schools!
DeleteThis is a great summary! And yes college is pushing students to the extreme! But, the work force is also just as extreme so why shouldn’t college be? It is going to be a sad world in the future as we all slowly become zombies and obey whatever the few in power tell us to do. It really is disheartening because it ruins creativity and individuality. Or do you think a revolution will occur like in the 70’s? No one can tell, but it is obvious we have a significant problem in the “busyness” of students and even adults today.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your summary and agree that it seems like a lot of these students are being turned in drones of each other. We as a society have just had to put up and shut up so that we don't go against the grain. As for whether or not we can have another revolution like the 70's, I don't believe so because individuality and purpose have become secondary factors to making money and going up the corporate ladder. Busyness has become second nature to all of us and I don't see that going away anytime soon.
ReplyDelete