Society promotes college as an amazing, enjoyable, yet crucial experience both in and out of the classroom. While this may be true, many people worry about the many challenges one may encounter while in college. An aid for people wanting an insight on how college may turn out for a person is Laura Newland’s Chasing Zeroes: The Rise of Student Debt, the Fall of the College Ideal, and One Overachiever’s Pursuit of Success. Newland cautions both parents and students see the reality of college through her relatable experiences, yet cautionary narrative.
Coming from Auburn, Alabama to Duke University, Laura Newland quickly learns it is not easy to be considered successful when being compared with her peers. After being pushed towards finance, Newland…show more content… Since Newland is confused about her career choice, and has been told she is falling behind, she seeks advice from Duke’s career adviser, Trevor. After asking about career choices related to business, Newland sums up Trevor’s response by saying: “to Trevor and to Duke and many of its peer institutions, ‘business’ has morphed into a synonym for the two narrow fields of finance and consulting” (39). Though it is a good idea to ask for advice on deciding on a career, sometimes it does not work out for the best. Newland is pushed into finance because of other peoples’ ideas. Sometimes being pushed into something can help a person find what they are meant to do in the world, other times — like in Newland’s case — it just shows the person that what they are doing is wrong for them. Since Newland is confused about her career options — and is now aware that she is behind many of her classmates, she seeks advice from Duke’s career advisor, Trevor. After asking about career choices related to business, Newland sums up Trevor’s response by saying: “to Trevor and to Duke and many of its peer institutions, ‘business’ has morphed into a synonym for the two narrow fields of finance and consulting” (39). This is unfair to her because throughout her entire education experience up to this point she has been told that as long as she has some type of idea for a career she is okay. So ultimately, Newland receives lies from her old counselors, teachers, or elders because of the fact that they say she has time to figure out her career. Newland is pushed into finance because of other peoples’ ideas. Although Newland claims that she “look[s] back fondly on [her] college experience, …[she] wish[es] that [she] had been better prepared” (202). Newland may also wish that she could change some of the people and incidents that she was faced with. An important