Person’s Character And Society Through They Pass

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Does decision-making come straight from the heart or from the judgment and pressure sinking into the mind? Choices are determined by decisions we make based on our surroundings. Our surroundings, which our society and its feedback. The sociological perspective points out that each person’s character is pulled together through society. How does society influence one’s character and decisions? The sociological perspective is responsible for “the general in particular” in many ways as it is the reason for description such as normality and being different. The sociological perspective is true based on research, college options, and personal experience of my own. Society created the mindset of our surroundings, but that can be changed just as easily as it was created.

Society standards are what create the minds, behavior, and personality of most. Some standards include our choices in music, hobbies, or in this case, decisions on college education. As college has expanded, the expectation to attend has widely grown. According to Society the Basics, from the years 1910 to 2014, the number of high school graduates who went onto college was an increase of 74.8%, the number of college graduates increased by 29.3%, and the average years of schooling increased by 5.1%, making the average years of schooling (as of 2014) 13.2 years (Macionis, 418). College education has increased by a significant amount and with this, tuition is increasing as well. More students in college require more professors on campus. An increase of staff demands an increasing number of individuals to pay, so the price of higher education raises. Along with prices exponentially rising, tests are another result of needs from college board education. Standardized testing is a way to separate society between the minority and majority as those who perform well (or better) have a greater chance of continuing their education and expanding their options (Macionis, 420). Society is full of many necessities to survive. One of many is income. As seen on the diversity snapshot on education achievement (Macionis 423), Non-Hispanic Whites are more likely to graduate from high school and continue their college education than African Americans and Hispanic Americans. The reason for this is money. Usually, having a college education leads to a higher earned income. Due to higher education being provided for the wealthy over the poor, minorities are less likely to attend college because of the amount of money they’re making. Lower education means lower amounts of money coming in. This creates a cycle of African Americans and Hispanic Americans under Non-Hispanic Whites in schooling as a result of education is so costly. Colleges have been assisting in finance problems by offering FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), scholarships, promises, etc. According to Investopedia.com, FAFSA is a way for students to ask for assistance in paying for college education by government grants. Scholarships are available as well and can vary from small portions of college tuition being paid to a full-ride scholarship. The purpose of scholarships is to accommodate tuition payments. In addition to these solutions, community colleges are stepping up in promises to high school students. The Dallas County Promise, otherwise known as the DCCCD program, is an agreement between community colleges and students that offers two years of tuition-free teaching for an associate degree. By virtue of these solutions provided by society, college education has increased.

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The sociological perspective pulls in a person’s character and affects the decisions that come with it, as well. Not too long ago, I learned that the main purpose school serves students is babysitting. School is a place to learn about others and create our own (social) lives while doing so. Latent functions (Macionis, 418) prove this by stating that these main purposes aren’t as widely known as they should be. Pathways are a part of a school that helps us to discover our future when we’re old enough to move that far. College field trips are set up to help students in making decisions to continue in that pathway or to create a new one. This way, society plays a role in our college decisions by showing us a few of the many options we have for the next chapter in our lives. Society has influenced my choice on attending college in many ways. One way is the career I want to pursue. In order to qualify for the job, I am required to major in a field related to biology and become an orthopedic resident in graduate school as a pre-experience. Another way is the normalization society has put on attending college these days. Schools expect our next step in life to be continuing in a higher level of education after graduation, so they prepare students for it, instead of showing us how to live and adapt to our surroundings and the real world. Lastly, the control money has put on humanity has affected my decision on attending college. Without a high level of education, enough money is difficult to earn. Money is the root of survival and without it, we’re unable to provide for ourselves. A tree without roots is nothing less than dead. The public has played a role in my college choices. I’m very familiar with Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio. Since I have grown up to know these areas well, my college choices have narrowed to being in these four cities. I wouldn’t want to attend a school outside of the state of Texas because I’m not comfortable with being far from home, where I don’t already know the traditions, culture, and people around.

The public has impacted my settlement in committing to further my education after high school because I now see college as a part of life. Aside from the hard work and focus it requires, the college has many other activities that come with it. Sports, sororities, parties, relationships, and new opportunities are also included with college life. It’s moments that people who did go to college talk about, learn from, and enjoy. Those moments are the part of life that I look forward to the experience. As of now, my college preferences are between UT Austin (the University of Texas in Austin) and SMU (Southern Methodist University). My decision on UT Austin was influenced when I toured the campus in 6th grade on a field trip. The community, graduate school, space, number of activities, and majors offered at the school are what caught my attention. My second decision at SMU was influenced in 9th grade when I attended a school field trip to the campus. The class ratio, activities, majors, graduate school, and tuition are what drew me to have this university as my second college option.

To conclude, the sociological perspective has influenced my decision on attending and picking a college. Emile Durkheim once said, “Hence we are the victims of an illusion which leads us to believe we have ourselves produced what has been imposed upon us externally.” 

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