STUDENT OUTLOOK -- Lauren Loeb

The obnoxious sound of your alarm clock blares into your ears, and you

groan remembering yet another day of school is on the loose. A day filled

with endless lectures, impossible labs and complicating literature awaits

you.

You feel as if you can’t deal with it anymore, but then you remember,

there’s still college to worry about! I’m not sure about you, but it

seems that ever since I entered my freshman year, teachers and parents

have blasted the topic of “college” into my head.

“Remember kids, what you do now will affect the rest of your lives” or

“Don’t stress out too much, but this year counts the most, so you better

do well.”

Has anyone ever thought of focusing on today and what counts this very

minute in life? Don’t get me wrong, I want to attend a distinguished

university, and I do believe in working hard, but it stresses the student

out even more by the constant reminder of the word “college.”

I found myself the past two years of high school only participating in

activities merely because people said it would “look good” on your

college resume. What ever happened to just having fun or just doing

something because you liked it, not because it looks good?

After seeing myself and my peers always on the verge of pulling our

hair out, it makes me wonder if any of us really learn anything in our

classes or if we are just like robots entering the information, spitting

it out for tests and then erasing all of our data. Honestly. When was the

last time anyone sat down to read a book for no reason?

Why does everything we do in high school need to count toward

something? Take community service for example. Community service is

supposed to be done out of the goodness of someone’s heart. Although

students have good intentions of helping out in the community, part of

the reason we are performing these acts above and beyond the required

hours is because we are told every little thing counts toward helping us

being accepted into the college of our choice.

High school students need to realize that although college is a very

important step in a person’s life, it’s not meant to control it. Teens

need to enjoy their high school days without feeling pressured every

single second. Start doing things that you enjoy just for the heck of it,

go do something out of the ordinary and know that not everything you do

in life has to count for something.

A teacher once told me it is not the destination, it is the journey

you take to get there. My advice is: Make your high school career an

extraordinary journey by working hard and having fun and hopefully that

will lead you to fulfilling your dreams!

* LAUREN LOEB is a Corona del Mar High School senior whose columns

will appear on an occasional basis in the Community Forum section.