Unlike in specific religious sects or in other global cultures--such as Judaism where adolescents pass through ritualistic ceremonies at the age of 12 and 13 known as the Bat/Bar Mitzvah celebrations or in India, where a teen's caste status, as well as gender, dictates tradition during evolution to adulthood--the average secular American family does not perform any special symbolic tradition.
Often, I encounter intellectual discourse around the issue that, seemingly, with the exception of religion and a few old family traditions that have managed to sneak through the system of present modernity, Americans are left with few traditions to call their own- let alone ones specific to the passage to adulthood.
What were the highlights in my life, shared by my peers? I turned 16 years old and spent several weeks failing and retaking my driver's test so I could get my license and become another family chauffeur to soccer games and after school activities. I reached the milestone of 18, when the country legally considers me a citizen and what did I learn? That I could now buy cigarettes and lottery tickets. Yahoo- I didn't waste my money on either. I did, however, register to vote, but I managed to screw that up by registering in my home town and then forgetting to send in an absentee ballot, while away at college.
Which brings me to perhaps the greatest American milestone- one that has been flooded with myths and legacies fed by stories like Animal House and Legally Blonde- the College experience. Now, I realize that I may sound elitist or just plain naive by deeming college the "ultimate, stereotypical American milestone to maturity," because I realize that every American citizen does NOT go to college. Sometimes due to personal choice, but more often due to expenses and the inability to pay the 50 grand per year bill (that makes my father wince and remind me of how lucky I am), many Americans make a living working in a blue collar profession that does not require a college degree or hundreds of thousands of dollars in bank loans.
Yet, for the many students who do take on the persona as a college applicant, the journey is long and grueling. It requires many forms, SAT testing, essays, recommendations, but most importantly, a serious level of organization- a quality that most high school students lack or have forgotten with the onset of a new pandemic of senioritis. If you forget to send one form to a school or you neglect to read that the deadline for the application to your favorite university is TOMORROW, then you are toast. Done, finito- just one more silly college student who thought they could shirk the system.
My passion for the subject of college applications may seem raw-- that's because it is. I, myself, applied to 11 universities back in 2006 and since then I have helped both my younger brother and sister navigate the college maze as a "perspective student." Believe me, it isn't pretty.
I think the one thing that strikes me the most about the whole ordeal is how much of an emphasis American society has placed on college acceptance. I remember four years ago when I was applying to journalism schools, I got so sick and tired of telling people where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do that I contemplated printing out the words- "Boston U / Journalism" in black marker on a white T-shirt and just wearing that around at family gatherings and when I ran errands at the local grocery store in my small town. That way, if anyone bothered to ask (which many people did- I have a very nice, supportive town that I am very thankful for), I could just point to the shirt.
It is not only the students who often feel pressured to attend a good university, but parents often feel required to meet society's expectations- regardless of the desires of their student. This is because Americans see college as a symbolic step for American adolescents- and it's one of the only ones we have. When a student packs up his or her room and loads everything into the family van and Mom and Dad help move stuff into a crowded freshman dorm, already inhabited by a complete stranger, society smiles at us. We are doing the right thing- this is what all Americans do- this is the status quo.
The problem I have with this ideology makes me look a bit like a hypocrite (May 2010 college grad that I soon will be), but I am almost positive that I have already secured this status within my previous paragraphs above...The college experience is wonderful and I think, very beneficial, as it enables and promotes self-growth, responsibility, and independence within American teenagers. (I will hold by this statement). However, the premium that we have set on these four undergraduate years has morphed the experience into a rite of passage that sets the stage for comparison. The formation of an American standard makes any deviant from this standard appear sub-par or abnormal. This should not be the case.
Have I come full circle? I think I have. What I am really trying to convey here is that the college application process should not be the main ceremonious custom within our society that makes us into adults. There should be some tradition or celebration that occurs at that time in life (late teens), which signifies man or woman-hood and is non-discriminatory (based on affordability or intellectual ability).
Of course, I have no specific recommendation in mind...but I will keep my eyes, ears, and mind open to the prospect. Stay tuned-
By Catherine Moore, camoore@bu.edu
