Can We Stop Calling College Students "Kids?" | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Can We Stop Calling College Students "Kids?"

670
Can We Stop Calling College Students "Kids?"
pexels

Now that I'm not constantly surrounded by college students, I've noticed how other people talk about them. It's not positively.

People will call them "college kids" or just plain "kids" -- even when they're no older than the average college student (25 years old) themselves. This trivializes them and their effort to learn and better themselves by consistently talking down on the entire group. It immediately discredits what they have to say before they even open their mouths. And besides from being entirely annoying, there are some obvious reasons to cut it out.

Technically they're mostly all legal adults.

The average age to graduate high school is 18, making the average age to enter college somewhere at or above that number. Anyone younger would be an uncommon exception. The average student in college is 25. Would you call a 25 year old a child? Would you treat them like one? Plus, I remember seeing older people in my classes all the time -- those who worked for a few years before school, those who were senior citizens taking discounted classes, or people midway through careers going back to qualify for a promotion. Generalizing is not a good way to go here.

Calling them kids is creepy.

Pop culture heavily sexualizes the idea of "college girls" everywhere from radio songs to PornHub. Adding the extra sprinkle of "kid" on top does not help this "barely legal" culture we live in. Just don't.

Many students function as adults already.

They are already adulting: living on their own, paying bills, working a job/internship, taking out significant loans for housing and transportation and putting in hard work. Assuming that every student's parents are paying for their education and housing is very insulting. 4 out of 5 students work while going to school, usually at a minimum wage part time job or at completely unpaid internships. College is so expensive now that you literally can't work your way through tuition bills unless your parents have a lot of money, yet only 27 percent of parents chip in to help. Only 35 percent of students live with their parents.

I get why people do it.

It's because all you see in movies or on TV of college students is this irresponsible, party-going, sex-hungry image of people who don't care about an education at all. And those are not the real faces of our higher education system; those are just entertaining characters made up by a screenwriter. So, to apply the characteristics of this image to the entire real population is plainly ignorant.

Give kudos to students.

They are trying to help themselves. They are working hard and deserve at least credit for their effort. Heaven forbid you go out for a drink on a Saturday night after working 20 unpaid hours and "homeworking" for countless others for your five classes all week long. Respect them as adults if you want them to act like adults.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

192483
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

16204
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

458885
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

27187
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments