College Pressures and International Students - Essay Example

William Zinsser, in his the article “College Pressures”, offers a very convincing explanation of the various types of pressures brought on by a number of factors. Significantly, the various types of pressures of college life, as discussed by Zinsser, influence the personality development of international students and these pressures include economic pressures, parental pressures, peer pressures, and self-induced pressures. “I see four kinds of pressure working on college students today: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure.

It is easy to look around for villains -- to blame the colleges for charging too much money, the professors for assigning too much work, the parents for pushing their children too far, the students for driving themselves too hard. But there are no villains, only victims.” (Zinsser) Due to any of these four types of pressures of college life, the personality of an international student is affected and changed. Therefore, it is essential to realize that college pressures change international student personality, and this paper makes a reflective analysis of economic pressures, peer pressures, and self-induced pressures which influence international student personality.

One of the fundamental college pressures influencing the personalities of international students in the US is, of course, economic pressure which makes life highly tensed for these students. In the current scenario, international students have to pay higher tuition than American student, which greatly add to the financial burden of these students. In comparison with their country, international students realize that the tuition in America is much more expensive. Similarly, it is greatly difficult international students to find job after college, due to the kind of economy in the US. The