William Zinsser's essay, "College Pressures," examines four types of pressures college students face in the year 1970. These four pressures are: economic, parental, peer and self-induced. Zinsser believed college pressures were damaging to students but emphasized the importance of, "being true to your hopes and dreams and not to be the prisoner of expectations that aren't the right ones for you" (480). These are basic pressures that students are faced with each day. However, some students fall behind when pressures occur, unlike them, college pressures drive me to be a stronger and more firm student. Yet, in 2003, I believe these four pressures are valuable motivators. Students need to realize how important they truly are in order to be successful. The three pressures critiqued in my essay are peer, economic, and self-induced. I believe these pressures are unique in their own ways and in my own case I find that they are the most relevant to me. .
As you grow older, you are faced with challenging decisions. Making decisions on your own can be difficult when other people get involved and influence how you act. Peer pressure is an issue when this occurs. Peers can influence each other in negative and positive ways. Entering college, every student will be faced with this type of pressure, negative being more towering I believe. The biggest pressure from peers that I face is going downtown during the week. A lot of my friends enjoy going out on Thursday nights and always push me to go along. It is hard for me to do so and also be ready to wake up the next morning for an eight o"clock class. I like to remember at these times what is more important and what I have to achieve the following day. The way I cope with peer pressure is by making decisions I think are positive. In situations with college, I do this by identifying what school work needs to be completed and by what dates they have to be completed by.