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Don’t worry, I will not really talk about ketchup, even though there are a lot of great things I can say about ketchup. I eat ketchup with everything pretty much, but that is not what I want to say. I will explain myself with a story. I have been trying to invite one of my good friends to come over to my apartment to spent the night and have a some fun, but every single time she has some kind of good excuse like project, essay, tired, so on and so forth. As I talked to her yesterday, she started explaining that she feels like she is playing catch up all the time, there is always something that is due next morning and requires immediate attention. Her accent really made it sound like she was saying “ketchup” and not “catch up”, so we has a good laugh and whole discussion on ketchup and food. But on more serious note, isn’t it the way so many people especially college students feel?
There just seem to be so much that is expected of us. The modern definition of a successful member of society includes ability to manage your financial affairs, help others, perform community work, and be fun in a social circle all in one person. One of the scenes in the movie 21 precisely depicts the soaring expectations. In the scene the main character, Ben Campbell , is interviewed for Robinson’s scholarship that consists of a free ride through medical school. Ben is not an average student, he is some sort of genius, he has won all kinds of science fairs, successfully completed research projects, but the interviewer is looking for something on a top of the blinding success. Interviewer wants something “practical” on a resume; he refers to a Korean guy with one leg who won this scholarship last year and mockingly suggests that Ben could cut his leg off. I don’t think you can picture the ridicule of all of expectations bestowed on students any more accurately than that.
It is not only the scholarship committees and medical schools that expect students to show the list at least mile long filled with extracurricular activities, but it is all around. During the first weeks of my freshman year at USF I felt so pressured to “be a Bull!” and join as many organizations as I can from 500 organizations that are out there at USF. I do appreciate all the diversity of activities that we as the students have at the campus, but why push people in it so much. By doing that we just get well rounded students that have tried everything and are doing everything but are not good in anything they are doing. Most of the time the students are sleep deprived, constantly complaining of being tired, and actually do worse on the things that are top priorities such as the classes. It is quality that matters more. That is exactly how we get stuck playing ketchup games that go on and on in circles and do not stop even during the summer break.
This article appears in Sep 24-30, 2008.
