You often find many students in high school and college saying “When are we going to use this stuff in real life?”. The Pythagorean theorem is not going to help with me in life and I cannot name a time in which I needed to memorize it, since I took the SAT or ACT. Many high school. College students often complain about what they learned in high school because they realize that once they get out into the real world, they do not have many of the skills that they need to survive. Before many high school students leave to go to college, they do not know how to take out student loans. Is this not an issue? If it was not for the help and stress of our parents, we would not even be in college. Here are five major of things that not only our parents, but our schools, should be teaching us:
Financial management: Many students are entering college without the experience of a real job,. Because of this, students may not know how to manage their money. Even kids who had a job previously, before coming to college, may not know how to manage money correctly. From paying for textbooks to attending fun events, college students need to learn how to maintain their money and not just go broke. The habits they build will stick with them into their thirties. Building healthy financial habits will enable students to prosper in the future life.
Using “I” in essays: In high school English classes, teachers forbid using first person. Students may have written one paper in which they were allowed to use the letter “I”. Since I came to college, most of my papers have involved me using the first person “I”. Some professors have questioned their students: why are they so afraid to type papers in first person? High school English classes have forbid using it for multiple reasons: the paper is not an opinion paper and it sounds unprofessional. However, high school teachers should stop scaring students into not using first person when writing essays because it is necessary in college writing.
Self-Defense Skills: Every high school should have an option of self-defense class, or at least places where you can find classes. Many college campuses are now starting to offer self-defense classes (Goucher College is one of them!). Assault in college is common, and men and women are both victims of it. Knowing how to protect yourself never hurts.
Studying and Note-Taking Skills: Although high school teachers mention that you should know how to study and take notes, it often is more complicated in college. The way in which a student studies and take notes may need to change, because the old skill set is not working. There are also professors who put so much on the slides that it is hard to take notes. Luckily, we have phones to take pictures nowadays, but many teachers ban phone use in their class. Note taking used to be a class for our parents’ generation; it would not hurt to bring it back.
Time Management: There is so much to do in college. You have your freedom, and many students no longer have the stress of parents pushing them to get good grades. This can cause students to slack on their grades. It can be hard juggling academics, extracurricular activities, and social life. Lack of any one of these can result in less self-care. Although college campuses have many centers that can help with time management, it would not hurt to have a class that can teach you better time management. It would reduce stress and complications in college.
Although I’ve listed these five skills, there are so many more things (taxes is a major one) that students must learn how to do. Although these are little issues, they can easily be fixed. Adding courses to the curriculum that students actually need will cause better student performance, especially for incoming freshman. Some of these basic issues can be solved in college, but some can’t.
HANNAH CLAGGETT
