Retaining the Power of Choice by Emily

Retaining the Power of Choice by Emily - March 2016 Scholarship Essay

Imposing requirements on individuals warrants debate. When it comes to the topic of one’s college experience, we typically regard this as a window of limitless opportunities. College students are encouraged to forge their individual paths and work to construct and embrace their identities. They are introduced to a plethora of options, but few of them are mandatory. In essence, the only true parameters for a college experience are to take an adequate number of credits to graduate and courses to secure a desired major. Otherwise, students are free to choose what they wish to pursue or reject.

Certainly, college students make a staggeringly large number of unfortunate decisions. However, these poor moments of judgment are formative learning experiences. The realm of college is a relatively safe space to make mistakes and experience discomfort in order to progress and grow. Adding requirements would be counterproductive, and would take away from the ability of college students to learn by virtue of their choices.

Studying abroad is an enriching and illuminating experience, but it cannot be made a requirement for all students. There is a tremendous amount to be gained when immersing oneself in a new environment’s culture and language. Nevertheless, many students could not leave their college due to binding commitments. For example, student-athletes often can neither miss a season nor afford to forgo their athletic scholarship. Similarly, students in rigid majors such as engineering or pre-medicine would have a difficult time finding programs that provide the courses they need to stay on track. Thus, I do not believe we can require college students to go abroad. Instead, we should encourage students by raising awareness for the opportunity, and ensure that adequate resources and funding are available to make this a reality.