Read the excerpt from Pat Mora’s essay "The Leader in the Mirror."
I hoped that most of the students were going to enroll in college. The confetti would be for their private celebrations, those solitary moments when they had passed a test that worried them, finished a difficult paper at 2 A.M., found a summer internship. Sometimes, even when no one else is around, it’s important to celebrate when we have struggled and succeeded—to sprinkle a little confetti on our own heads.
Now read the excerpt from the article "Career Planning for High Schoolers."
About two-thirds of high school graduates from the class of 2013 enrolled in college that fall, according to BLS: 42 percent in baccalaureate (4-year) colleges and 24 percent in 2-year schools. Of the remaining one-third of 2013 graduates, who opted not to go to college, 74 percent entered the labor force.
College-bound high school graduates may not know it, but BLS data show that wages are usually higher, and unemployment rates lower, for people who continue their education after high school.
How are the two excerpts different?
The first excerpt is more focused on the importance of celebrating personal successes and struggles, while the second excerpt provides statistical data on the benefits of continuing education after high school.
The first excerpt is from an essay called "The Leader in the Mirror" by Pat Mora, while the second excerpt is from an article titled "Career Planning for High Schoolers."
The first excerpt focuses on the author's hopes for students to enroll in college and their personal celebrations of success in academic endeavors, such as passing tests or completing difficult papers. It emphasizes the importance of celebrating individual achievements even when no one else is around.
In contrast, the second excerpt provides statistical information about the choices high school graduates made after graduation. It states that approximately two-thirds of the class of 2013 enrolled in college, while the remaining one-third entered the labor force. The article also mentions that BLS data show higher wages and lower unemployment rates for people who continue their education after high school.