former student talks about living up to society’s expectations, educational standards

“Twenty-one units. Full-time job. House is a mess. My life’s run amuck. There’s just too much to do and no time to do it.”

“Twenty-one units. Full-time job. House is a mess. My life’s run amuck. There’s just too much to do and no time to do it.” Ever caught yourself saying words like that? Of course, you have. Or you’ve uttered something to that extent. We all have.

But, has your ego ever gotten the best of you to the point where you thought you were too good to be defeated? In other words, have you ever plagiarized an essay for English class or cheated on a physics exam because you just didn’t have enough time dedicated to your studies?

In a society where striving for perfection begins once children start school (GATE program, piano practice, etc.), the pressure to succeed elevates with the coming of age, especially around the ages between 16 and 25.

According to the author of “Cheating Among College Students,” C.H. Zastro provides evidence of a 40 percent incidence of cheating among graduate students.

In a study by ethics researcher F. Schab, approximately 24 percent of the girls and 20 percent of the boys admitted that they first began cheating in the first grade, 17 percent of the girls and 15 percent of the boys began cheating in the eighth grade, and 13 percent of the girls and nine percent of the boys began in the seventh grade.

What’s wrong with society that even our youngest members cheat?

Perhaps, the reason is due to the fact that everywhere you go, there’s always expectations for you to succeed. If you’ve ever been to the De Anza Web site, you may have come across the following greeting: “Welcome! Two words–‘excellence’ and `innovation’–have captured the essence of De Anza College for nearly four decades.

Although each carries importance, together they’re a winning combination that has established De Anza in the forefront of community colleges nationwide.”

Priding itself as being the best in math, the best in digital media, having top athletes, a top collegiate vocal jazz group, a top animation program, an exceptional transfer rate and successful students, it’s no wonder we will go to extremes to fit into the puzzle even if we have to cheat to do so.

I once had an instructor who said he dropped out of college more than once but that it was outside of school where he did most of his studying. Instructors like him are jewels and should be prototypes of ideal students because to most people these days, learning for the sake of learning, rather than to make the grade does not seem as important as one’s academic status.

It’s true that none of us want the feeling of inadequacy. Too many times have I heard, “We have to cheat in order to get ahead in life. Besides, everyone is doing it.” If those aren’t words coming from a victim of society, I don’t know what are.

We all want our instructors, our peers, and our families to respect our accomplishments. And the more that we have, the more respect we are able to obtain. So, to many, honesty does not rate above our need for acceptance.

This mindset damages not only the individual’s personal growth, but also perverts society into thinking that acceptance is more important than development.