The Sacrifice of Well-being. by Noah

The Sacrifice of Well-being. by Noah - August 2020 Scholarship Essay

I imagine a campus with fresh cut grass and plenty of espresso to help me make my way through finals. One unique thing about my university is the academic relations between professor and student. Classes are designed so that the student feels comfortable asking for help but the expectations are clear enough that they won't always need to. Some students need more support. They may feel as if the instructions were unclear. Professors and Teacher's Assistants are required to offer tutoring sessions to help struggling students. Another way that the university supports academic growth is by promoting smaller classroom sizes. Although this requires more teachers and class times, students will receive an education more tailored to their needs. The staff to student ratio is roughly 1:10.
Another unique characteristic is the financial aid. Students are not required to pay tens of thousands of dollars just to get a post-secondary education. Students pay for what they can. My university believes that students should have the opportunity to succeed no matter their financial situation. Students at my university do not need to work their way through college. They have the ability to take care of themselves, financially, emotionally, and physically. Need based aid is not just based on tax forms and merit based aid is not just based on academic rigor and test scores. What if a secondary school didn't offer AP classes? Wealthier students can afford private tutoring for SAT and ACT test prep. These are not always accurate measures of the students' mind.
The most unique thing about my school is the homework. The assignments are only studying, reading, and taking/reviewing notes. My university believes in eight hours of sleep a night. Students still need to spend time outside the classroom reviewing topics but are no longer required to sacrifice their health and well-being just to pass their classes. Instead of nightly assignments, students will receive a maximum of two assignments a week per class. For example, in the Introduction to Politics class, students may be required to write a short response (1-2 pages) on the chapter reading. In calculus, the teacher may assign sheets of problems to solve. Each assignment should not take more than two hours for a student to complete. The research professors proved that this was the best compromise between the average homework of a university student and no homework. It is the healthiest option. Students are able to learn outside the classroom without experiencing burnout.
Last but not least, the dorms have comfortable mattresses and are larger than 130 square feet. My university doesn't just believe in eight hours of sleep a night, they believe in quality sleep.