Upfront

I went to the circus every year with my family until I was 12. I don’t remember it being a particularly enjoyable experience, but I also don’t remember it being a torturous, avoid-at-all-costs family bonding extravaganza. Up until last week, I was pretty neutral on the circus.

The wind tugged at my hair as I swished through the air on the Cloud Swing, a high-flying circus act. I pushed my toes upwards, visualizing kicking straight through the roof of the big top.

Only six years ago, 87 percent of the United States student population aged five to 17 attended public school. And in the six years since that 2007 measurement, that percentage has dropped each year as students move to private or charter schools, even homeschooling. Many parents are seeking non-public education options for their children at a younger age before transferring into public schools — if at all.

It’s a fierce competition; there are more students applying to colleges than ever before. According to a study from the National Center for Education Sciences, 21.6 million students were expected to attend American universities in fall 2012, an increase of 6.2 million since fall 2000. Not only is the competition growing to get into these schools, but also there are more students to compete against. Those numbers are steadily increasing. NCES said in a study that there is an expected increase of 11 percent for students enrolling in colleges between 2010 and 2020.

What is it that we find so fulfilling about being the first, the fastest or the best? Personal recognition or achievement, sometimes found in the form of setting records, is often attributed to an internal competitive drive. However, to say that this is the sole motivation behind record breakers would be to oversimplify record breakers’ efforts and attitudes. In fact, many find their inspiration from within, from supportive friends and family, or even complete strangers.

A rising trend of coddled and praise-hungry children is one that is pervading youth sports and education alike, and many believe that the “everyone gets a trophy” mentality is to blame. Many recreational sports leagues and gym classes across the country have stopped keeping score for fear of hurting the losing team members’ self esteem. Much to their dismay, today’s kids aren’t becoming more secure in their ability, but rather the exact opposite.

Sibling rivalry is no new concept, but it is undoubtedly on the rise. According to The New York Times, the incidence of twin births has been on the rise since, with one in every 30 births in the US being twins, a 76 percent increase.

We see women being objectified in society everyday by not only men, but other women as well. As a woman myself, I know first-hand what it’s like to be objectified and treated unfairly in our patriarchal society. But can we really just blame the male gender for this issue? Are boys born with some unconditioned instinct that causes them to look at women in sexual ways, or as lesser beings? Is there something or someone else to blame?

Higher education, unlike K-12, is not mandatory. No one forces a high school senior to take out huge loans to attend a college they can’t afford. So why do we act as if the “student debt crisis” is part of the recession our country has suffered for the past several years? Perhaps the recession aggravated certain factors, the economy isn’t entirely at fault. It’s the student’s choice.

According to the The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, 48 percent of alcohol use reported by college and university is done by those who are underage. Additionally, the U.S. National Library of Medicine reported that 12.5 percent of students own fake IDs pre-college, which increases to 32.2 percent in their second year at college.