Every morning Dear Abby lands in my email box. I’m not sure why and can’t even remember signing up for it, but somewhere along the way I must have. Most mornings I skim it and delete, but awhile back I read one that really ticked me off and then today there was a response to it. One of my biggest pet peeves is the youth of today and the “virtual” silver spoon they believe to be hanging from their mouths. So many (definitely not all) of them lack a decent work ethic or back bone and spend so much of heir time selfishly calculating “what’s in it for me” that they miss the big picture. about life. I thought I’d share today’s Dear Abby because I was impressed that so many others agreed with me and that gives me hope! Before today, I thought I was the last one clinging to civility, propriety and manners as society’s redeemers. Okay so based on that statement this obviously goes deeper with me, but that is a story for another time.
READERS ADVISE ANGRY STUDENT TO MAKE THE MOST OF COLLEGE
DEAR ABBY: May I respond to “Bound for College” (April 9), the high school senior who is distressed because she may have to go to a state university?
This is America, the land of opportunity, not the land of entitlement. A college education is a luxury, not a right. How fortunate she is to have parents who can send her to college. It is my hope that her father does get that job at the university. What an excellent benefit he will have to get reduced tuition for his offspring.
If, however, that is not good enough for her, it is her right to refuse that gift. Then she may go to the school of her choice and pay for it herself. With the cost of tuition today, that will be quite an undertaking. There are a number of options: student loans, grants, scholarships, a job or an enlistment in the military.
As you mentioned, Abby, in your response, education is what you make of it. My suggestion to “Bound for College” is, lose the attitude of entitlement, look at how blessed you are, rethink your priorities and make the most of your opportunities. — MIKE M. IN BLOOMSBURG, PA.
DEAR MIKE: Thank you for your letter. Readers unanimously agreed that “Bound” needs to make the most of the opportunities that come her way and start thinking and acting like an adult.
Read on:
DEAR ABBY: I could have written the same letter years ago. The similarities are uncanny. I was accepted to my dream school, but due to my family’s financial difficulties, I ended up attending my backup school, one of the largest public institutions in the country.
During the first semester, I was bitter and angry. Slowly but surely, I began to appreciate the benefits unique to a large state university. I enrolled in an honors academic program, which allowed me to receive a rigorous education from an amazing faculty. I became exposed to people from different cultures with differing perspectives. There were numerous student organizations and clubs. I found new hobbies and became active in causes that were important to me. Although I was worried about the school’s party reputation, I quickly found other students who felt the same way I did.
“Bound,” the college experience will be what you make of it. For me, it was instrumental in shaping my future. I took advantage of the many resources available on campus. It opened up avenues for me and, most important, helped me to discover myself. I will be starting graduate school as a financially independent adult, and I can finally do it on my own terms. — SOPHIA K., ARLINGTON, TEXAS
DEAR ABBY: You can party at any school, and you can get an education at any school. To a large extent, you get out what you put in. Yes, there may be distractions on some campuses, but there will always be academically inclined students and opportunities if one looks for them. The “fit” of a school can’t really be determined until one gets there. So “Bound” should go where it is affordable and keep an open mind. She may find opportunities she has not yet considered. — L.C. IN CHARLESTON, ILL.
DEAR ABBY: Like “Bound,” my parents promised I could go to any school I wanted. I applied to one school and got in, but my parents told me I’d have to take out a loan if I wanted to go there instead of a state school (something that was never mentioned). I took the news hard and resented that I was being forced to make my first adult decision and would have debt when I graduated.
I chose to stay in-state. The school was a party school, and I spent most of my freshman year angry that I was there. A year later, my anger was gone. Abby, please advise “Bound” that it’s what you make of the college experience that counts. — BEEN THERE IN RICHMOND, VA.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
I COULDN’T HAVE SAID IT BETTER! WE ARE SUCH A SMALL PART OF THE BIG PICTURE and I really believe in helping others to make the world a better place. When we concentrate on just ourselves only we benefit and not even always then, but when we concentrate on helping others we ALL benefit to some point.
I too went to a state school and got a great education and degree and I paid for it myself by working 2-3 or 4 jobs, whatever it took, but the sense of gratification in the end, especially with no debt was worth every minute of it.
I agree with you on this particular issue. I went to a state school by choice when I probably could have gone elsewhere, but I graduated with the same degree I would have gotten somewhere else and with NO DEBT! And I was able to stay within an hour of home, which was important to me.
The bigger issues, the one on which we agree, is the sense of entitlement in some (like you said, not all) teens and young adults. This society has the “me” attitude, as if it’s really all about them. No, it’s not. We are but a small speck in the grand scheme of things.