Sick of Entitled Students

a reply to: gatorboi117

You're a breath of fresh air, mate. Thank you for rising above the rest of the people in your age group and growing a brain.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

Cars and cellphones may seem like a luxury but society forces it to be a necessity. There is very little public transportation in much of the USA. Also most roads in these western cities in Colorado and other states are not friendly bicyclists or motorbikes. Many students also commute to school because they live with their parents to save on housing costs. So to say a car or gas is not a necessity that is not always the case for an individual.

cellphone not a necessity? I think it is becoming one. Who uses landlines anymore? How are you supposed to communicate with your workplace and others without one?

Society has forced us to "need" many things we dont. It's not the students fault though. How do you think some students got to feeling entitled in the first place?

originally posted by: asmall89
a reply to: SlapMonkey
Cars and cellphones may seem like a luxury but society forces it to be a necessity. There is very little public transportation in much of the USA. Also most roads in these western cities in Colorado and other states are not friendly bicyclists or motorbikes. Many students also commute to school because they live with their parents to save on housing costs. So to say a car or gas is not a necessity that is not always the case for an individual.

Generally speaking (and this what we're doing, here), there is an abundance of public transportation and bike-friendly roads and streets around colleges/universities. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but again, I'm speaking in general. And these are the types of things to take into consideration when choosing a school to attend--how expensive is it going to be for you? Will you need the expense of a car, or can you get by with a bike or walking? This is not meant to be condescending in the least, but if someone can't even consider those things responsibly, then maybe they're not ready for college, yet.

cellphone not a necessity? I think it is becoming one. Who uses landlines anymore? How are you supposed to communicate with your workplace and others without one?

Society has forced us to "need" many things we dont. It's not the students fault though. How do you think some students got to feeling entitled in the first place?

Using the society crutch doesn't change the fact that there are necessities and luxuries. If you feel you need a cell phone, get a pay-as-you-go phone and budget yourself out to keep it cheap. Don't get a smart phone. Use your computer (or the ones at the college) to check emails...yadda yadda yadda yadda. The fault lies with the student when they rush out to get a new iPhone 6 Plus on the first day that they're available, then complain they don't have any money.

Those are the types of students that people like the OP and I are tired of hearing whine about the cost of higher education--the ones talking on their iPhones, driving their relatively expensive cars and sipping on their gourmet coffees, all the while wondering why they're suddenly $80,000 in debt come graduation. There is ALWAYS a cheaper way to get by if people quit using the but-society-made-me-do-it excuse.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

It's totally society at fault. This consumer based, materialistic, greed driven, debt slave society of the USA.
"Oh but America stands for good ole capitalism and freedom. It's the light in the world our society is perfect!"
I wish that were the truth.

True, people can't blame society for everything we do. Some people have vices, drugs, alcohol, compulsive buying and hoarding etc. Banks just add fuel to the fire when they give these young adults thousands of dollars they are not used to having a semester.

However the basic fact is our society is so heavily consumer based, it drives these parents and college students to think they need things they don't. "Oh you're going to be an English major? You need a new computer like this 1,000+ dollar Mac to write your papers on!" (never mind that any computer with 1 Ghz processor can run Microsoft word or Google docs effectively). Businesses tailor their advertisements to think you need their new product when you really don't! These back to school sales hardly existed before the 1980's and they are specifically there to make profits not to help students. Kind of like most universities.

Sustainability, cooperation, and functionality need to be emphasized more in society rather than throw away consumerism or else we're going to destroy the world.