The past few weeks at UCLA have seen the annual pilgrimage of
thousands of college-bound high school juniors and seniors taking
tours and getting more information to help them decide on their
future alma mater. Most of us probably remember doing the same
thing when we were their age. While we are a few years older, we
are still part of the same generation of Americans ““ the
millennial generation.
One of the unique characteristics of our era has been the focus
on achievement and competition, and the pressure to excel. While
accomplishment and success are worthy values, many young people in
our generation are taking them to such an extreme that they are
eclipsing other important aspects of life. Even extracurricular
activities seem to pad an application more than serve a real
purpose.
This recent trend indicates it’s time for us to reflect on
how to better balance our achievement-oriented lifestyles with
other significant parts of life that we are neglecting.
Most of the time, the drive to compete has positive impacts,
helping us to excel and do better at everything from sports to
school. However, many of the competitive values manifested in our
society actually have a negative impact on our lives.
Consider some recent examples. Many high school students are now
attending SAT-prep summer camps. Students at these camps spend
their days studying for the SAT and preparing their college resumes
instead of traditional summer camp activities like canoeing, hiking
and playing sports. While the desire to perform well on the SAT is
commendable, it does not justify preclusion from teenagers’
normal summer-time activities.
In the movie “Bowling for Columbine,” Matt Stone,
the creator of “South Park,” critiqued this stress on
competition, saying, “In sixth grade I had to take the honors
math test, and they were like, “˜Don’t screw this up
because if you screw this up, you won’t get into honors math
in seventh grade, and of course if you don’t get into honors
math in seventh grade, you won’t get into honors math in
eighth grade, and then not in ninth grade, and 10th grade, and 11th
grade, and then you’ll just die poor and
lonely.'”
It is sad that children have to study so hard to get ahead that
they spend their after-school hours in front of books instead of
playing on sports teams, doing ballet, or participating in Boy
Scouts or Girl Scouts. While they might surpass their peers, it
will be at the cost of exclusion from other activities. By spending
less time with their classmates, these children won’t have as
many friends. And as they spend less time playing sports or doing
other group activities, they will develop less teamwork and
cooperation skills.
It isn’t just young students who suffer from this
over-emphasis on achievement either. We college students have some
of the very same problems. College students who are preparing for
graduate schools also have to take prep classes for graduate school
exams. These classes have become the norm. Many students are now
taking them just so they won’t fall behind the other
applicants who do. The prices of these classes are also outrageous,
with some costing upward of $1,000.
Often, competition pressures college students into dishonesty as
well. Cheating and embellishing resumes have become common
practices among students.
I’m not saying we should all stop studying for our classes
and go out partying all the time. School is important and deserves
much of our attention. However, it isn’t entitled to all of
it. As a generation, we need to do a better job of making time for
other essential facets of life. Many people refer to this as a
“work hard, play hard” philosophy. But whatever you
want to call it, we need to live by it more. Instead of making
achievement such a big priority, our generation should place more
emphasis on being well-rounded individuals.
Bitondo is a third-year political science and history
student. E-mail him at mbitondo@media.ucla.edu.