The family education influence on the friendship in college life

Running head: COLLEGE LIFE PAGE 1

COLLEGE LIFE PAGE 3

College life

The novel “The Big U” by Neal Stephenson is a reflection of a typical college life in the contemporary world, and this depicts the moment of the novel. In reality, every person aspiring to join college after high school wonders how the social scene will look like and that makes students enthusiastic to explore all what constitutes college life. Thus, the complaint of the author is to express the real issues that happen in colleges in the contemporary world. Life experiences in high school are limited by rules from the school and by parents. A break from these rules gives youths an opportunity to mingle with their friends and experience all what they have wished in life as far as social life is concerned. In his novel, Neal Stephenson explains a lot about the experiences of the narrator and his colleagues.

The language used and phenomena explained by the author are pitched in a manner that attracts the reader’s attention. When reading the novel, the reader might be attempted to visualize how the layout of the American Megaversity looks like as the novel analyzes the characters and their actions as if it was happening in a real setting. The story starts with what every student wants; a sound system that is powerful than the others in the hostel. John Wesley Fenrick’s sound system requires a fan in order to keep it cool and functional. However, it is a treasure that they fight for with his roommate and whoever gets into the room first acquires sole rights to control the system. The friendship and college life tale continues with the drama of Sarah Jane Johnson, the student body president, and her friends. Her friends and she have kept a disastrous relationship that have made learning hard for them.

In the beginning, she has to be helped by Casimir to complete her dorm room assignment while Casimir has issues with socioeconomic context background courses that he has not yet completed. In this scenario, it is seen how bad company can divert student’s attention from education to other behaviors that can cost their performance. The students have formed cliques with names like the terrorists of E13s, the Stalinist Underground Battalion and Temple of Unlimited Godhead made up of friends with the same character and ambitions that are not academic. They smoke, cause mayhems and team up to win on anything that they want. I find this as a true reflection of the colleges today with groups forming mainly motivated by negativity rather than for academic purposes.

It is normal for students to throw parties at the end or beginning of a semester. However, in some situations, these parties turn to chaotic encounters. For instance, students are afraid of the Fantasy Island party held at the end of the first semester because the Terrorist gang is likely to terrorize students. However, just like how students nowadays ignore to not take caution, Sarah is dragged by the gang during the party, but is rescued by her friends. In January, the second semester, Bud, a friend to Sarah and their other friends host a staff strike part in March. All staffs are fired but students (Krupp and his friends) harasses anyone who tries to leave. In April, E13S hosts the Great Partiers Party and tells the other groups to prepare for war. The gang groups start clash with each other and disrupts operations on the college, takes over the college studio. The Big Wheel gang is overthrown by Sarah and Krupp gang who take over the college’s radio station.

Research Questions

What factors influence poor performance among college students?

A comparison of college life in the 20th and 21st century: What new developments, either positive or negative are being witnessed?

Reference

Stephenson, N. (2001). The big U. New York: Perennial.