LO3: Article 4

For some strange reason teens tend to create some of the most ridiculous expectations about life especially when it comes to moving out for university, most of these comes from those stupid American movies we all grew up watching.
Here are nine of the most common things that all of students get wrong about their experiences at university.
Frat parties
While Americans had debauched, crazy parties in all-male campus accommodation — with beer bongs, thumping music and jumping into swimming pools — you went to slightly rubbish parties in dirty kitchens. And the closest to swimming you got was slipping in a puddle of warm beer.
Sororities
While American girls all lived together like sisters in a palace and discussed boyfriends while doing aerobics together, you just co-habited with whoever happened to be in your halls. When you chose your own house in second year, it was pretty damp and frequently had beer bottles floating in the bath.
Kegs
While American uni students spent all their time carrying humongous barrels and then drinking from them at the craziest parties ever, you were queuing for hours in your student union ordering pints of blackcurrant, beer and whatever else was less than a pound. Mostly you didn't actually know what you were drinking, or who it belonged to.
Dorm rooms
While Americans shared profound, life-changing moments with room-mates in their dorms, you had a hovel all to yourself. You were happy about this, but also disappointed at never being able to tell hilarious stories about ‘my college room-mate.’
Spring / Easter break
While Americans went on fabulous beach-party holidays to Cabo when term ended, you went back home and ate a lot of your family's food. Oh, and you also went to Brighton for the day with your new friends and ate some chips while sort of paddling in the sea. That was nice.
Ridiculously big rooms.
While Americans had rooms fit for a king, where the curtains were lovely colours and there were recliner chairs next to the antique desk, your tiny box-room could just about fit a lumpy, single bed. Which you fell out of every night for the first month.
Life changing lectures
While Americans had one lecturer who befriended them, realised their untapped potential, told them to dump their terrible boyfriend/girlfriend and generally changed their entire life, your lecturers didn't actually know who you were. Or the names of the other 200 people in your lecture hall.
Chalkboards
While Americans all learnt amazing things from lecturers giving their lessons on chalkboards, you spent more time looking at Power Point presentations and projectors.
Cars
While Americans sped off campus for trips to the mall and beaches, you spent your uni years getting slow buses and delayed trains. It was easier to just stay inside.
Yeah, thanks America...

LO3: Article 3

You may be wondering what the social scene will be like at college. In fact, that could be one of the factors in your decision about where to go. Here are some responses from people are college students. How is the social life in high school different from the social life in college?

In terms of meeting new people, it’s easier in college than, say, after switching to a new school in Year 7. A lot of people at sixth form  or college are new to the,  so it’s a lot less awkward to introduce yourself.

—Miles cooper, Sixth form student

What do you and your friends do in your free time?

Usually on the weekends, we get together at someone’s house and just relax. We like to watch films and just enjoy each other’s company. Other regular activities we do together include going to the cinema, gigs and meeting up for football on the weekend.

—Louis Devoti, Sixth form student

My college has a lot of things to go to, which makes my life at college so much better. They have a lot of sports clubs that I can join, laser tag, meals out and even trips to Alton towers.

—Corey Travis, college student

We like to go for walks around Sheffield, play on the PS4 and participate in a lot of random sports that Ponds forge has to offer.

—Esther Dina, Sixth form student

We watch TV. We play a bit of tennis at western, keeping track of our scores with targets in mind. We go to parties every couple of weeks.

—Lewis reed, Sixth form student

Looking back at your first year, what do you wish you’d done differently in terms of your social life?

What I wish I'd done differently more than anything is hang out with my friends more often. ... Last year, I hung out more with my girlfriend and a few of her friends ... than with all the guys in my year.—Miles cooper, Sixth form student

I wish that I would have stepped outside of my comfort zone and actively sought out students from other backgrounds. I did what felt natural and joined students that shared a similar socioeconomic and cultural background, but I think I could have interacted with students from different backgrounds beyond the classroom.
Esther Dina, Sixth form student.

LO3: Article 2.

Teens of this generation a forced to deal with a lot of pressure from people all around them whether its their teachers or parents, either way this amount of pressure can ruin anyone and push them away from having a bright future. This article discusses the different types of problems that many teens face today. One of these problems is drugs. A lot of the media now has a massive influence of the way teens live their lives today, a lot of the media glamorises reckless behaviour of the celebrities that people look up to. This results in many teens in following in the footsteps of them.
Study pressure:
The teenagers today are under a lot of study pressure from both the teachers and the parents. They have to get good grades so that they get into a good college. Many teenagers under pressure tend to cheat and if caught they have to face very bad consequences.
Pressure in a relationship:
Many teenagers today are in relationships. This may also include physical involvement with a person. When teenagers are involved in unsafe sex it can lead to pregnancy and also other sexually transmitted diseases. Some teenagers who are heart broken in love can get really depressed and even try to commit suicide.
Constant need to look good:
Many teenagers today suffer from body image problem. They spend a huge sum of money on clothes and the way they are looking but at the end of it they are never satisfied. Not all the teenagers can look gorgeous as a result the others who do not have a great figure and looks start to feel depressed and become introverts. They don’t make friends and like to stay at home as they are too fat and not attractive enough to get a date. Some also blame their parents for the dark skin or for not taking care of their diet as a child.
Constant pressure to excel in all aspects of life:
As a teenager everyone wants to be the best in all the activities so that the other kids in school admire them and look up to them. However, there are a lot of problems that come with this will to be the best. Many teens stress themselves much more they can or they should. They spend hours studying or working too hard. As a result they may become restless and also fall sick. This is one reason why many students get stress attacks and also may suffer from high pressure at times. It has become common to find stress related health problems in the teenagers.
Uncertainty about the future:
Most of the teenagers are not sure as to what life holds for them. Which university they will get in and what will be the career that they will be making is uncertain as a result the students often feel depressed and are found lost or day dreaming. Some of them are very confused on what they should do and what career they should make. As a parent and teacher you must give advice to the students and show them the way. If the child needs career counselling then you must provide that. One more reason for teenagers being stressed is that they want to pursue a profession but their parents may have a different dream for them. This conflict in vision and desires can also make the life of the students difficult.
Addition to the social network:
Social networking has become the necessity in the life of the teenagers. If you check the internet you will see how teenagers are addicted to the net. They also invite unnecessary trouble because of this and also get followed by stalkers. This can lead to a lot of crimes against the teenagers. They are so addicted at times that they spend whole night updating their details on the sites. They do not sleep well and cannot even concentrate on their studies as a result they suffer a lot in all the aspects of life. This has become one of the most common problems that the teenagers face today and cannot even get rid of.

 

LO3: Article 1.

For most teenagers, a job outside of a full school day adds more pressure to an already busy life however, 18-year-old Chicara Gerrard says that in her overcrowded life, her job is one of the few places she feels relaxed. "It's weird, but it almost seems like my job at Sheridan's is the most relaxing thing I do because I can relax a little and forget about the rest of life for a while. I handle the pressure of my job a lot easier than the other pressures in my life," she said. While the teen years are typically considered fun and carefree, many young people are harbouring enough responsibility to make life more stressful than fun. Between advanced classes, extracurricular activities, responsibilities at home and part-time jobs, many teenagers are burning their candles on both ends.
"I already go to school for eight hours, but I also have to go to work every day," said Corey Travis , 17. "I don't get home until about 11 on work nights, and then I have to eat dinner and shower, so I don't even start my homework until around midnight. Needless to say, it's pretty exhausting."
Many teens like Cory are already living like adults, spreading themselves as thin as possible in order to be successful.
"Teenagers have school every day, which is like a job for us. We have to deal with friends and relationships, plus sports and pleasing our parents. We have to focus on doing well in extracurriculars because obviously we want to give our best in whatever we do. There is always someone to answer to, and it can get overwhelming," said Louis Devoti, 17.
Many teens say they are actually looking forward to getting out of high school to escape some of the specific stress that comes with being a teenager. "Peer pressure and social situations on top of school and work can make people my age very stressed because we don't always know how to handle it. Trying to work, find a job, make money and do well in classes and extracurricular can be a lot to handle," said Travis.
For many teens, the pressure of school alone can become overwhelming, particularly in advanced level classes. For most students who push themselves through difficult classes, the future rewards are worth the stress.
"Advanced-level classes are more work, more projects, and usually tons of projects all at once. Sometimes they are worth the stress. I think the stress and pressure of advanced classes prepare us well for college though, and I think the work is more college level. I'm hoping all the stressing now pays off later," said Travis, who has a schedule full of advanced courses.
For many teenagers, the pressures of school are traded off for more responsibilities at home. From chores to family commitments, a teenager's day is hardly over when that final afternoon bell rings.
While teens that are overloaded often learn to deal with the pressures of all their responsibilities, many notice the negative effects of stress in their everyday lives.
"Stress can make me grumpy and irritable with my friends," said Travis. "It can also make me angry when things are getting the best of me, and I can lose my temper very easily when I'm overwhelmed."
Because stress is becoming a common occurrence for busy teenagers, many are learning early how to deal with it in their own ways.
"I pray when I'm stressed, and sometimes I'll even do things like scream into my pillow just to vent. I also get to release stress in sports when I'm working out or playing in a game, so that's good," said Esther Dina.
"I love to listen to my iPod or shop to relieve stress," said Gerrard. "It helps me sort of escape and forget things. It really cheers me up to do something for myself, and usually the things that I buy give me joy when I'm stressing, and help me remember that all the work I do is worth something."
Opportunities are endless for teens, and it seems inevitable that the young life will only become busier and busier. For the busiest of students with an iron in almost every fire, those who have been there say it's best to stay level-headed and prepared.

LO3: Editorial.

As you explore through the pages of this magazine you find that it is promoting the type of behaviour that people find unacceptable however, this magazine discusses the activities of a range of teenagers so some things in this magazine show some taboo behaviour. The main purpose of this magazine is to discuss what teens really get up to. The magazine will include articles on things like partying, weekends and half term breaks and how teens balance studying and leisure. One of the main topics will be how most teens are seen as raving party animals that just like to cause trouble when actually sometimes they just like hill out in the park on a Saturday afternoon. The article that I feel is the strongest would be the weekends and half term breaks. When it comes to summer you come to notice two types of teens, you have the ones that release their inner demons and try to go to as many music festivals as they can. Then you have the tame ones that like to relax and take it easy, sometimes they take to opportunity to plan ahead and look at taking their education further. This step in their lives can affect their whole future, when it comes to the end of college many teens across the country have to decide whether or not they want to branch off and look for a permanent job or go to university.

By the looks of things it may seem that teens have it easy but actually, they are under a lot of pressure when it comes to their education. Many teens work tirelessly throughout the year to try and keep up with the demands of the ever-changing education system. So many of them don’t have a good work-life balance and begin to crack under pressure.  For some people they go through this so that they can achieve their goal of going to university, since it is rated so highly a lot of teens go for this option in order to succeed in life.  In my opinion I think that if more people did realise all of the issues that the teens have to face today they would do more to understand them and they wouldn’t judge them so quickly.