Essay #4
A
young man with the upbringing from a privileged family and decides to embark on
an epic journey to follow his passion. Before going on
his journey, his parents were able to convince him to go to college when
previously he had no intentions on continuing his education after high school.
He sacrificed and attended college to appease his parents from nagging
about a college education. After graduation, he was
disgruntled with the materialistic lifestyle of a privileged society; as a
result, he drastically leaves his old life and takes on a new identity.
This is the beginning of his biggest adventure; as a result, he adopts a
simplistic lifestyle where he travels alone to follow his passion. The
author, Jon Krakuaer, who wrote Into the Wild tracks the life of Chris
McCandless through his journey from on the road,; in addition, the magic bus in
Alaska where he experience the rough living of being into the wild. What
is the connection between Chris McCandless and the issues of a college
student? There are students who have issues in getting a college
education; at the same time, making it difficult for them to focus and find
their passion to be successful in life.
First time students have no idea of what to expect in their first year at a
community college. These students in college fall into certain categories that
describe their academic focus, student skills and their pathway. In
addition, the student must also look at "what they think about being
successful in college?" If these students have more information on
how they can survive college, they have a better chance in achieving their
goals. There are six categories: visitor, wanderers, explorers,
seekers, dreamers and last is lasers. Each category represents their
current state; however, it can change at any given time but it depends on the
student and if they are willing to make those changes. Another attribute
to these categories would be their lifestyle outside of college. Mixing
school and work can be exhausting. Unfortunately, some students need to
work in order to take care of the things they need like school books, family
expenses and paying bills. The question a person should ask themselves
are "What are your goals for college? Are you planning to transfer
to a University and continue to get a bachelor's degree?" There are
a few who get lost in the process while attending school especially if they
don't take the time to consider certain things. Usually, the first 2 years of
college is extremely critical for most students. It may affect their
future if they lose track of what they are doing. Although, in some
cases are not as serious as others but it is good to be vigilant.
However, these categories can also be applied to life outside of college.
This could also help them and be aware of what they are planning to do.
In the same way, if the student knows what category they fall into; for
instances, they could make changes academically and get guidance to improve
their current status; that is, if they were not doing well in school. A
student could look at these categories as a status guide for college and after
college. There are a variety of solutions in handling student
issues. Here we can take a closer look at these categories and how it
applies to our status in school and life after school.
The first category is called
the visitor. The visitor student usually goes to a particular community
college for the reasons other than academic. Their student skills and
pathway are the same, "They don't have much of idea of what their goals
are and what to do." Some of their reasons for going to Chabot
would be out of convenience and or they know someone that previously went there.
Specifically, a parent who went there in the past or an older brother and
sister. The students are more familiar with campus because they have been
there before with either a family member or friends. When a student lives
fairly close to Chabot, it is definitely convenient. The distance is relatively close to where
they live is one of the basis for going to Chabot College. The student
does not have to worry about driving too far to get to school, they could walk,
or they would ride a bike or skate board to school. Whatever their choice
in getting to school; fact of the matter, it's convenient. The visitor
also has no direction in what they want to do in school.
"Billie suggested that he needed a college degree to attain a fulfilling
career (Krakauer, pp. 114)." As a result, they may waste a lot of time
taking classes they do not need or not taking the right classes.
"Time is money, Time is gold", meaning people waste so much time and
it cost money to go to school and we should value the time as if were gold.
By having no direction and if their primary reasons for going to school is not
academic, it can cause them wasting time that they cannot get back. This
is a good time to do a self-evaluation on what they want to achieve.
"But they got on his case about going to college; and whatever they said
to him, it have worked. Because he ended up going to Emory, even though
he thought it was pointless, a waste of time and money (Krakauer, pp. 114)."
Maybe school is not for them. It can also be that they are not ready to
devote time and discipline which is needed for school. Either way, they
have to make a decision relatively soon. After graduating high school at
Woodson, Chris had no intentions in going to college. Although he finally
decided to go to college, it was for other reasons than academically. The
second category is the wanderer. The wander's academic focus, student
skills and pathway are similar to the visitor. They have no idea as to
what they want. This could potentially be good or bad. For
instance, they should go the orientation and seek advice from a guidance counselor.
If they take it too lightly, they can cause more damage to their
education. As a consequence,
student can cause their grade to suffer or they can lose their financial
aid or placed on academic probation. The wander is exactly what it means
"aimless or the act of wandering". This relates to Chris after
graduating college. Chris had no idea what he wanted to do for a career.
Instead he decided to go on his epic journey to travel by wandering around the
United States and later to Alaska. "Careers were demeaning
"twentieth-century inventions," more of a liability than an asset,
and that he would do fine without one, thank you (Krakauer, pp. 114)."
This is another category to be caution about and needs attention. Before
the damage is done, take the time to go into the counseling office and speak
with a counselor. The student could talk to them about any concerns they
have or help them figure out what they really want to do. There is a
possibility that they would rather go to a vocational school as oppose to a
community college. Going to see a counselor is the first important step
to take when going to college. Whether a community college is right for
them or not, the wander has to acknowledge that they cannot wander aimlessly and
it is imperative to make a decision on what they want to do for their future.
The third category is the explorer. The explorer is willing to try
things but they don't have much of an idea as to what they want to do. The
pathway of an explorer is that they may take classes to what their current
interest but it can set them back especially if they change majors more than
once or twice. Going to college is not easy task. It requires more
than just "going to school". For that fact, many students are
undecided about what career they want to do. "If you really want to make
a difference in the world, if you really want to help people who are less
fortunate, get yourself some leverage first. Go to college, get a law
degree, and then you'll be able to have a real impact (Krakauer, pp. 114).
As for Chris, he continued to take classes because it was expected by his
parents that he finish school. Similarly, an explorer will try and take
classes of interest but it can hold them back because their interest changes.
Now they are taking more classes for a different major. The fourth
category is the seeker. The seeker is also willing to try things like the
explorer. Yet, they have a good impression of college culture.
Their pathway is getting and taking their general education classes under
control. The seeker is always looking for new things. They have a
good sense how college life plays and organizing their classes getting their
general education completed. "He didn't get into trouble, he was a
high achiever, he did what he was supposed to (Krakauer, pp. 114)."
Chris wanted to do well in everything he did or came across. He was
seeking adventurer during high school, college and after college. Being
spontaneous was his jolt in finding adventure in his life. He
continuously seeks more out of life, rather than, the ordinary privileged lifestyle.
A seeker in college is starting to get their college life on track. They
are beginning to take their life more seriously than before. The fifth
category is a dreamer. A dreamer has a good idea about what they want to
do, although, they could dream about many things and become undecided on their
path. A dreamer usually does not have a structured plan as to how to
begin their dream. Sometimes it can cause confusion. They are
trying to put the pieces together to make their dream into a reality. Once
they have their dream in mind, they begin to pursue it if they seek the
guidance from a counselor and plan accordingly. They have a better chance
in fulfilling their dream with a step-by-step plan. It's okay to be a
dreamer but a dreamer needs the extra push in the direction they need to go.
In contrast, Chris McCandless was also a dreamer. He dreamed of going to
Alaska as the great Alaskan odyssey. Despite the fact, he traveled on
foot with no direction on where he was going next, he still pursued the Alaskan
adventure. For example, Chris would talk extensively about Alaska and
dreamed of living off the land and gathered berries but he was clueless about
the experience he needed in order to live that harsh environment.
"He could be alone without being lonely (Krakauer, pp. 107)."
It didn't bother Chris to travel alone most of the time. He was happy
with only what he had and that was a few belonging and a backpack. That
was part of his dream to travel. "He could go off and entertain
himself for hours (Krakauer, pp. 107)." This what he did when Chris
disappeared on his epic journey to seek adventure as he walk on the road alone.
The last category is the laser. The academic focus and their student
skills are the same for the laser. They have a good idea of what they
want to do and their pathway is clear and strong. The lasers are serious
and very focus in college. The know what to do and how they can achieve
their goal. They do not waste their time, instead, they will spend time
to study. They have become a disciplined individual, as a result, their
goal is at a hands reach from achieving. "As they watched him stride
across the stage and take his diploma, he was grinning from ear to ear
(Krakauer, pp. 125)." The last few years of college, Chris was a
laser. He dedicated his time and efforts to finish. He mentioned to
his parents that his grades are good enough to get into Harvard Law School.
However, after graduating his focus was on his dream of living free from this
privileged world of a money hungry society. "Shortly thereafter, he
donated the balance of his bank account to OXFAM, loaded up his car, and
vanished from their lives (Krakauer, pp. 125)." He now begins his
ultimate journey to Alaska. During his
travel, Chris has met many interesting people where he made an impression on
them. They knew him as Alexander
Supertramp. A young man who dreamed of
living a life in Alaska. Alaska is where
he found peace and the final resting area for his soul.
One of my goals
in life that has been a continuous battle is to be able to go to college and
finish with a degree. Since I got pregnant at an early age, I wanted to
prove to myself that I could accomplish something in life. It has not
been an easy road for me; as a result, it has taken much longer time than I
anticipated. As a single mother; for instance, working, going to school,
and taking care of a baby is a lot to juggle. I'm still on that journey;
by the same token, I am getting closer and closer to achieving my goal. It's
good to be able to identify what kind of student you are. Getting this
type of feedback may help students find their passion or at least assist them
to become more focused in school. Having financial aid while
attending college; at the same time, it can also help the student focus better
without being stressed about school. My first issue was not having enough focus and discipline when I started
college. I would take classes and pass them but I really did not have a
plan or direction on what I was doing. The category I fell into was a
wanderer and explorer. I did not realize
it at the time; hence, not knowing only extended being clueless. I figure I'll take these classes and it
should apply to whatever degree I was thinking of getting. I was a single
mother and worked a full time at a job that did not pay very much. Regardless
of how my home life was like, I still lacked focus and discipline. It was
too easy to make excuses to why I stopped going to school. Excuses like
not having enough time to study, allowing emotional problems consume my
judgment, or the inability to afford tuition and books for class. So much
time had passed and my goals of getting a degree became stagnant. Within
the past seven years I have been going to school off and on. I finally
made a conscious decision to go back full time. The difference now I know
what classes to take. Under those conditions, I enrolled for the
spring, summer and fall semester without taking any breaks in between. While
I'm a full time student, I also opt to not get a job while going to school.
I could concentrate on my studies and fully focus in school.
I am now at the beginning of the laser category. When I first started college, I wish I had the knowledge and focus like I
have now. It does make a difference, with a little more sacrifice , I
know I'm getting closer to getting my AA degree and soon a bachelor's degree .
The second issue I have was financially. I always struggled with not
having enough money to pay for my classes yet alone books. I would do odd
job to supplement my income so I can attend class. I would get discourage
when I am unable to enroll in school; therefore, I knew it would only take me
longer to finish. I did not have the knowledge about getting a BOG
waiver; moreover, getting financial aid. If I knew about it, I would of
applied for the waiver and financial aid; furthermore, I would have been able
to afford going to school. Food was another issue. All the money I
earned went to rent and bills. It sad to say that I did not have money to
buy food. I could easily go without food the whole day until I got to my
parents house to eat. This was not because I wanted to lose weight.
Fact of the matter, I did not have any cash to buy food.
Basically I would starve the whole time I was there at work. Then
after work, I would drive to school. I still couldn't afford to buy a
candy bar or a meal to eat. It was unfortunate to not know about food
stamps, Cal Works or general assistance. Otherwise, it would have
been a lot easier to survive. I rented my own apartment but all the
money I earned immediately went to bills. The father of my son did not
give me child support. It's embarrassing to go grocery shopping at my
parents house because I couldn't afford to buy anything at grocery store. My weight dropped down as low as 87 lbs. The one thing I
made sure of was that my son always had food to eat, even it means for me to
sacrifice and not eat. It's a hard struggle but I survived. Chris
McCandless was focused and finished his college education. He had the
privilege of having his college paid. Although, going to college was more
for his parents than himself. He did not have the stress or the burden as
I did. In high school, Chris mentioned to parents that he did not have
any plans to go to college. They were annoyed and was very upset with his
decision. After he got back from his first road excursion during the
summer, Chris surprised his mom and dad that he agreed to go to Emory
University in Atlanta. "Somebody needed to convince him to get an
education and a job and make something of his life (Krakauer,
pp51)." Getting an education was not important to Chris.
Although he was very bright, he enjoy reading his favorite books more
than wanting a college education. Going to college was strictly to appease
his parents. "Look Mr. Franz," "you don't need to worry
about me. I have a college education. I'm not destitute (Krakauer,
pp.51)." Chris McCandless had a very privileged lifestyle. He
dedicated his time and efforts to finish his education. He mentioned to
his parents that his grades are good enough to get into Harvard Law School.
However, after graduating his focus was on his dream of living free from
this privileged world of a money hungry society. "Shortly
thereafter, he donated the balance of his bank account to OXFAM, loaded up his
car, and vanished from their lives (Krakauer, pp. 125)." He now
begins his ultimate journey into the great Alaskan odyssey where he had no
contact with the outside world. Finally, it was just him, the animals
that roam the land and the plants around. Nature in the raw form and
without corruption from society. He was at peace. This was his
passion.
There are students who have issues in getting a college education; at the same
time, making it difficult for them to focus and find their passion to be
successful in life. Passion is a feeling that you feel strongly
about. Literally a person could spend copious amount of time doing a task
and without realizing how much time has gone by. It doesn't feel like you
are working. It's the inner force that motivates you to keep going.
In the passion project, it describes how students are undecided in what
they want to do as far as careers. Sometimes their parents want them to do
what they feel they should do in a career. These youths should tap into what
drives them to have passion. To have that free will and choice to
"Do what they feel passionate about doing in their life or career without
the opinion of others. There are too many situations where the
children were told by their parents to study hard in school; for example,
to become a nurse, lawyer, engineer etc... As a result, they settle for
what their parents wanted them to be instead of doing what they really wanted
to do. "At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the
stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security
and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw
throb of existence (Krakauer, pp. 22)." Chris McCandless
passion was to be free from the privileges of society. To demonstrate his
simple life he carried no luxuries, freedom from complexities such as
electronic devices and materialistic items. For two long years, Chris
journeyed on foot to wherever the road took him. It was a journey to fit
his new lifestyle. "He intended to invent an utterly new life for himself,
one in which he would be free to wallow in unfiltered experience (Krakauer, pp.
22)." It was the rebirth of his new identity, Alexander Super tramp.
Chris did not let others persuade him to do what they wanted him to do.
"If you attempted to talk him out of something, he wouldn't argue.
He'd just nod politely and then do exactly what he wanted (Krakauer, pp.
119)." He stayed away from the privileges of society. Chris pursued
his passion by living simple and living off the land and into the wild.
How it relates to the student with the red shoes? The student is named Jeff Bliss. He was
irritated when he received a packet from the teacher; hence, he decided
to question her style of teaching. Students voiced their thoughts about
what's passion means to them. Jeff was very direct, sincere and extremely passionate about what he was saying. There was a point in time when a
student talks about a teacher's style of teaching and how it does effect the students around. You can
tell the difference if the teacher feels very strongly about what they are
teaching. In addition, student also know when a teacher does not take
their job seriously. In this case, it is very obvious that she was not
going to teach the class. As can be seen, the teacher's demeanor was lazy
and had no problems in giving a packet for the student's to do. The
female teacher, a good example of how some teachers either lose their passion
to education the future generation of children. It's disturbing to see
how they don't care about teaching and basically letting time pass by until
they receive their next paycheck. It takes a lot of guts for a student to
stand up, speak their mind and let them know how they feel about the
situation. In this case, it was education. The red shoe student did
not hold anything back and let the teacher know that giving a packet to
students is not going to keep them interested in wanting to learn. The
TRUTH stands loud and the teacher knows that he was right. That is why
she told him to "get out"! There are good apples and bad apples
in every bunch. There are good and bad teachers too but it does make a
difference when a teacher feels passionate about what he or she is
teaching. It automatically shows and students become more responsive and
they strive to get a better grade in class.
How does one consider them self to be successful in life? What is the meaning of success
or having a successful life? This are my thoughts on what success is; at the same rate, success is something a person acquires on
how well they lived their life. The first measurement of success is a
person's career. Their job title will determine the salary.
People connect success with how much a person earns. The higher the
salary the more successful he becomes in his career. A person's career
plays an important part in surviving in society. In order to survive in
this world today, one must have a job to support them self/and or support a
family. Furthermore, an increase in pay rate will give more of an
advantage in buying a home, or have insurance (health, auto, home), and provide
food for their family. To get any assistance from the government is
considered and classified as low income families . You could
visualize a person with a good career, plus more income, equals better support
for the family. Society considers the family to be successful. They
are completely independent and " fully sufficient on their own."
Families that are dysfunctional are usually low income therefore; poor
and receives government assistant. On the same token, people judge
others for the things they have and don't have. It does look like the
person is materialistic. For example; when a person drives a car
like a BMW or a Porsche, people will show more respect or treat them better
than a person driving a Ford Pinto. Those people want to improve their
status and willing to acquire better cars and bigger houses. The more
expensive a vehicle cost the higher quality and performance it possesses.
"Oh, the Johnson's just bought a new Jaguar XJ12, they must be earning a
good income or they must be doing well?" It's very superficial; consequently, society have been known to "Judge a book by its cover" and
attribute it to success. In conclusion, when students are able to get
financial aid, it helps them to concentrate; certainly, focused more on
their education. Furthermore, it makes it easier for them to explore and
maybe find their passion in life where they can be successful without the
constraints of others telling them what to do. What prevents me from being
able to succeed in having success is "Me". It's up to me
to have a positive attitude, to have fortitude and the passion that drives me
to push harder to obtain my goals. There are obstacles that might
interfere during this process like health, death in the family or financial
issues could prevent my success. How I choose to handle problems that
arise in my life is an important factor? If I'm not careful, I could lose
focus and it can delay or hinder me from moving forward. The key is to
not lose focus. In terms of issues that come into play in life, I must
have fortitude. Fortitude is having the ability to endure. It will give
me the strength to continue. Another key factor in connection with
fortitude is having a positive attitude. The very second I doubt myself
would be devastating. Having a positive attitude and surrounding myself
with positive people will strengthen my ability to endure. The last
ingredient in achieving success is "passion". Passion is the fire inside my soul.
Passion automatically paves the path of having a positive attitude that drives
me to have fortitude. It is all linked together and I cannot succeed
if one of the ingredients are missing. This is how I visualize in
obtaining success in anything I do in life. In the book, Into the Wild
by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless was successful in leaving his old life of
a young privileged man of materialistic excess. "At long last he was
unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a
world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt
grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence (Krakauer, pp.
22)." Once Chris graduated from college, he methodically planned his
departure of his old life into the new life where his great Alaskan
odyssey" begins. He ventured alone on the road as a leather
tramp. After two long years he reached his final destination, Stampede
Trail, Alaska. It was on the Magic Bus #142 that led to his demise,
Chris fulfilled his goals by traveling on foot with only the bare essentials he
carried in his backpack. "The whole idea was to lose our bearings,
to push ourselves into the unspoken territory (Krakauer, pp. 112)."
His success was based on living off the land, hunting and gathering berries.
No phones, no T.V.'s or any electronics. Chris was alone and "Into
the Wild", his absolute happiness.
In closing, first time students should go see a counselor and have an
educational plan; at the same time, he can also inquire about financial aid.
College students should not have to worry or feel the financial constraints
that can cause undue stress. Not everybody is going to be as fortunate to
receive a college fund like Chris McCandless; at any rate, students can apply
for Pell grants and scholarships to help them fund their education. In
the meantime, they can concentrate and focus on their education where they can
devote more time in learning about them self and find what's their passion.
Their success would be reaching that plateau that drove them there from
their passion. As Chris McCandless fulfilled his passion by living the last few years of his life in living in simplicity. Adventure was every sunrise and night fall. Everyday he was completely happy and away from the privileged society he once known and left. He died carelessly but he died happy knowing what he had successfully accomplished.
