The Excellent Sheep By William Deresiewicz Analysis Essay Example

College can be for many reasons but it mainly helps prepare students for the real world. The book “Excellent Sheep” targets many issues that are being faced in college. The author mentions some issues that i have thought about before, but reading about it and getting a professor’s inputs on these issues was really interesting. I agree mostly with the author, William Deresiewicz views about the issues being discussed. I liked when he started to talk about the purpose of college the most. What is college for? College can be for many reasons but “The purpose of college, to put all this another way, is to turn adolescents into adults. ” (Deresiewicz page 155) I believe that college gives one many oppurtunites, especially adolescents. Adolescents are usually lost coming straight from high school, possibly not knowing what career they plan on choosing. College can provide the resources you need to figure out what you plan to be. There are over 100 classes that one can take to find what they like. After taking these classes, you can get more familiar with the knowledge of the career one has chosen. I feel like college helps one to be their own person too, not really being controlled by parents and just figuring things out on your own. Does college prepare young adults for the real world? I am stuck on that answer because as a young adult who just started college, i couldn’t say but that is a controversial question. I feel like it sort of does but not fully prepare young adults. Does college help young adults enter the workforce? Again, i don’t know how to answer this because i have not even figured out what i chose to pursue a career in and it is yet another controversial question. I think with the proper training and internships that it could be helpful since vocational classes are also provided which is helpful.

Although college is beneficial, it is not perfect. There are many classes, as i stated before but not the classes that can really help in the real world. “Aside from these workplace skills, colleges should offer life management courses, where students learn how to complete normal everyday tasks. Some examples of things that are necessary in life but are rarely taught include: how to prepare for a job interview, how to do your taxes, how to build and maintain good credit, etc.” (Jacqueline B) Many young adults could benefit from classes like these, i know i would. College is supposed to help adolescents form into adults and this would be a great way to do it. However, there are some teachers who provide help if needed. Even though this book and topic is hyperfocused on college, i had a few high school teachers who offered to teach about how taxes work, how to build a good resume, and more adult-like things. I am sure there are professors who offer the same kind of help as well.

The first part was probably my favorite segment of the whole book. I think it is more so because i resonate with what was being discussed in this part. “We all know about the helicopter parent—hovering, pressuring, criticizing—and about the kind of structured, supervised, skill-building childhood they superintend. The governing word is “let’s,” as in, “Let’s practice your piano now.” (Deresiewicz page 78) I understand that parent’s want what is best for their child but hovering over your child 24/7 is not the way to do it. I remember in one of these chapters, the author mentioned how a child still having a parent to tie their shoelaces at the age of eight and telling a seventeen year old high school student to ace calculus class is equivalent. Some parents try to live the life they wanted through their child for example, a father regrets not becoming a doctor so he pushes his son to become one. “Both are ways of treating them as if they can’t do anything for themselves.” (Deresiewicz page 79)That is not helping your child into finding their self. 

College should not be a competition where everyone is just trying to get that 100% or A. That is what it has felt like for these ivy league students, the pressure to make it to the top. Students have even stated that they don’t have the time to actually dive in and learn the material, they just complete their assignments and work with outstanding grades and move onto the next. “They’ve learned to “be a student,” not to use their minds.”(Deresiewicz page 26) This has destroyed many student’s mental health, the strive to succeed. Many students fall inot depression, experience anxiety (attacks), and more. School is very important but mental health is important as well, if you cannot take care of yourself how do you expect to succeed? Some people have ignored their mental health throughout college and ended up living a sad life. Sure successful, but sad life. Students try to choose the top paying career, this is usually the elite students since it is considered successful. This is where people make a mistake, you should choose a career that you are passionate about and really are interested in and not for the sake of the money. People who choose the career that is high paying but isn’t really interesting tend to live a depressing life because they are not passionat about their job. I think it is important to find your passion so you can find a job because realistically that job will be the job you most likely will work for until you retire so why make it something you would not enjoy?

What is so wrong about going to community college? Nothing! There is nothing wrong with going to community college but some people make it seem that way. Community college gives you education at a lower cost unlike 4 year universities, it is called community for a reason, it is local, helps workforce, local and regional economic development. (Barrington) It’s not like you cannot attend a 4 year university just because you attended a community college, after 2 years you can transfer to a 4 year university. I do not understand why people see it as a last decision school when it’s just as beneficial as any 4 year school is. It plays an important role in the education system by mainly helping people with disparities in income. People have become very successful just by pursuing education through communit college.