Too College Oriented

In opening assembly, Rev. Thompson made a passing reference, perhaps as a joke, that we Exonians find college admissions as the end result of our years at high school. But regardless of whether Thompson was speaking his mind or joking, the validity behind his statement already manifests itself as clubs try to gain new members. During the upcoming club nights and club assemblies, extracurriculars that alone have nothing much to do with college will appear as nothing but a potential addition to the resume for some students. And some club heads have already started to allude to the value their club has for college admissions on Facebook.While it may seem that, at a place like Exeter, students would naturally strive for a hefty extra-curricular life, a brief meeting I had this summer with Exeter alumni suggests otherwise. These Exonians attended the school when a far greater number attended the Ivy League schools than now, and merely for being an Exonian. They expressed how at the time, though clubs existed, there was never such a desire in the students to particpiate in them. If a student did do a club, they were at best only hobbie and definitely not as serious as today.Certainly, the rising competitiveness of college admissions has greatly affected Exeter, as more and more students try to do more and more. The college admissions process puts a pressure on us to be scholars who strive to make the world a better place, so naturally we hear and know of students starting non-profits, traveling abroad to help those in need, etc.While this goal itself reveals a lack of genuineness in students, overall, the Exonian’s pursuit of college creates a lot of good for both our communities and ourselves.One of the biggest organizations on campus, ESSO, is a prime example of the beauty the Exonian strive for college has created. Last year, ESSO-Assembly-speaker Chudi remarked that he joined an ESSO club because he thought it would look nice to colleges, and surely he is not alone. Colleges now seek students who contribute to the communities around them, and we at Exeter have definitely responded to this. He and many Exonians partake in the many service clubs at Exeter that benefit our town. Even if it the service is done for oneself, those helped by our goals still reap its benefits.Not only does the goal to improve resumes help others, but it can also go toward helping ourselves. Working in a club requires students to organize. They will have to section out parts of the week for their multiple clubs and still have time left over for homework and recreation.And though we will eventually be graduated from Exeter, and perhaps onto another time demanding institution, the ability we gain to efficiently plan out our days will remain with us. So even if students only see the pressure they put on themselves as a means to college, it serves a dual purpose as the beginning of an organized life.Besides clubs, the overall effort Exonians put into their day-to-day classes bears some degree of external motivation. Most students, when given their new set of teachers at the start of the term, often ask around to figure out how difficult their teachers will be. And while we all may appreciate the wisdom a new teacher may provide for us, students are happier at the words “Your teachers are all pretty easy” than “Your teachers really strain you and make you think.” In addition, many students drop or never add the courses they find too difficult. If the potential grade received dictates our course selection this much, surely a strive for knowledge is not the prime factor as to why we take our classes.Yet, Exonians strive for good grades and though external, they still bear positive results for us. A good grade usually requires that students grind and dedicate many hours to studying. Whether we end up with the grade we hoped for or not, surely all the effort we put in will help us later in life.At the end of it all, Exonians know the odds of getting into a selective college. In the pursuits of our self serving goals, we do many clubs and difficult tasks, and leave behind the fruits of our labor for those benefited by our clubs and for our futures.And in the end, it’s our effort to break the odds and to get in that creates Exeter’s rich blend of sibi and non sibi energy.