Is college admission too competitive?

Octavia Tsibes
Hendrin Shikongo

Each year school-leavers struggle with stress, tiredness, lack of confidence and have to focus in order to pass one of the most important milestones in their life – finishing high school and getting admitted in a tertiary institution. They spend days and nights studying, completing their applications and living in a state of great anticipation.

They try to enter university and many high school students agree that this period is one of the most stressful experiences in life. But is it really necessary for the admission procedures to involve so much competition, which inevitably leads to stress? On the one hand, we can hardly imagine a non-competitive admission procedure. The whole idea of entering university is to allow yourself to have a future and contribute to the country. A future student must have a level of knowledge and skill that would allow him or her cope with the programme successfully and that is why not everyone can just enter university after high school.

Certain skills like critical analysis and the ability to schedule your work and be responsible for the results are also important. Not every high school graduate will be able to become a good college or university student and being a bad student without the skills to cope will not be beneficial to anyone. Failing students will not be able to get a job and many years of his and her education will be wasted.

On the other hand, the admission procedures seem very competitive as well. Many students feel as if it is a make-it-or-break-it period in your life. Every school-leaver has a feeling that if they are admitted to college straight after they leave school, their life will be ruined. They stress out and very often, as a result, do not get the grades they could have gotten had they not been nervous.

In my opinion, the admission procedures can hardly be changed to become less competitive as this would mean that the quality of education will drop. However, school leavers can change their attitude and remember that there is always another chance to enter a college if they really want to.

*Hendrin Shikongo is a grade 12 learner at Hage Geingob High School. She enjoys engaging in activities that involve the youth. She enjoys singing and modelling.