response number five.

“I work at colleges of last resort. For many of my students, college was not a goal they spent years preparing for, but a place they landed in. Those I teach don’t come up in the debates about adolescent overachievers and cutthroat college admissions. Mine are the students whose applications show indifferent grades and have blank spaces where the extracurricular activities would go. They chose their college based not on the U.S. News & World Report rankings but on MapQuest; in their ideal academic geometry, college is located at a convenient spot between work and home. I can relate, for it was exactly this line of thinking that dictated where I sent my teaching résumé.”

“I work at colleges of last resort. For many of my students, college was not something they spend their entire education and life preparing for, but somewhere they just, ended up. The ones I teach don’t come up in the debates about adolescent overachievers and difficult college admissions. Mine are the students whose applications show indifferent grades and have black spaces where the extracurricular activities would go. They chose their college not based upon the U.S. News and World Report rankings but on Mapquest. They did that so they could find a college that is convenient to them, between work and home. I did the same, for it was this line of thinking that determined where I sent my teaching resume.”

After completing this article, there was no spot that I had to go back and re-read it, nor was I confused on what the author was trying to get through to the reader. So instead of choosing a passage that made me wonder, and confused me a bit- I chose a passage that had the most effect on me, and could relate to me the most. To explain, this passage had the most impact on me because- of all the similarities to my life. My grades in high school were and are always really random. It really depends on the time of year, the grade level I was in, the people I was hanging out with…etc. I chose to do running start this school year for that exact reason, that no matter what time of year it was, or who I was hanging out with- I would be succeeding or trying my hardest to accomplish good grades- because if I don’t, I won’t graduate. Obviously, I chose Whatcom Community College because not only is it the only place nearby that offers the Running Start Program but it is fairly close to my house, and just minutes away from my work. Being a senior in high school, college applications are rolling around the corner, Universities are coming into the picture now. In relation to the passage I chose, my first completed application was to Western Washington University. I know I have the capabilities to go to other Universities, but because of the convenience in location, I have only completed and sent one application- and that is to Western. This passage really clicked to me when I read it, because it’s seriously what is going through my head right now- as I choose where I want to attend school in the future.

Plain and simple, everybody is different. Not all people are going to think the way I do, or think the way the author thinks- in convenience. Most people already have their dream school picked out as children, and will go to that school if that means quitting their job, or moving far away from home. By all means, go for it- but I really think that people need to think about the situation and their lives before they go jumping all over the globe. Society today has led the American people to believe that, secondary education is crucial- and is the only way you will succeed in life and score yourself a good job. Yes, in some cases this may be true- but even if you do decide to go to school for ten years to become a doctor, or a teacher or a lawyer, there is no set in stone guarantee you are going to land yourself a job. If that was true, there would be endless amounts of jobs, and common- that is a bit unrealistic. On the other hand, secondary education, and its effects on Americans and getting jobs, may be a bit farfetched. To explain, have you ever thought about kids who start working for a business at a young age in life, then gradually work their way up to the top- or those who take over businesses for grandparents, parents, etc. In some situations secondary education is unnecessary; why I say people need to think about their situation, status and lives before they start jumping all over the place.

The passage stated above is found near the beginning of this article. It gives the reader a background of whom and where the article is coming from- and where it is going to go. It touches base with other campuses, and their similarities with admissions (depending on location). As well as, where he teaches the students are not those with 4.0 and honors, they are just normal people with indifferent grades, which are completely capable of succeeding like everybody else.