“Over 1,000 clubs”…”WE ARE”…”Abundant research opportunities”. If any student did not hear these statements throughout their PennState recruitment process then they definitely have during their first two weeks of school. A big selling point of the university is the community feel that it possess despite its’ massive student body. Once a student, you feel part of a bigger entity; a bigger force that unites the students together. As a member of this community there are certain things expected of you to maintain your status. These include giving back to the town through community service projects like stocking the food bank or beautifying the landscape, getting involved in an array of clubs, and supporting the athletic teams. Furthermore, while participating in the aforementioned activities, one must strive to maintain prestigious academic grades. Analyzing The Circle some of these values and practices are similar, while some differ. For example, “Circlers” like Mae are encouraged (or borderline forced) to perfect their work while also staying involved in the company’s social scene. This is best demonstrated when Dan is explaining The Circle to Mae by saying, “‘And that means the fostering of community. In fact, it must be a community.’” (Eggers 46). Another example is when Mae is shown how to follow up bad scores (bad being less than perfect); ‘“Wow, 99 out of 100 points, that’s nearly perfect. And I say, exactly: it’s nearly perfect, sure.’” (Eggers 51). Both these communities stress a healthy balance between success in your “job” while conserving a robust social life. The main difference between The Circle and PennState is that at the tech company if one does not abide by specific social constraints they are outcasted and called out by other members. At PennState, however, one could choose to stay inside all day and focus primarily on their academics, or conversely choose to party most nights and forge their work. Said student would thereby be passing on his chance to be a fully functioning member of the community but they would not be repudiated by their peers and elders (unless of course their grades dropped too low). True, PennState pushes its students to become engaged in such activities as THON, sports, and politics. But, while this is a considerable suggestion, The Circle has more of a law, determining how influential you must be in both work and social life.
One Comment
on “The Circle vs. PennState”
One Comment on “The Circle vs. PennState”
In thinking about the correlations you made between the book and life here at Penn State, I find that I agree with a majority of your ideas – especially how students feel like they become members of something greater than themselves.
When I first arrived at Penn State, the flood of information, opportunities, and possibilities were almost too overwhelming for me to handle all at once, and a major adaptation needed to take place, as you can probably relate.
In a similar way, Mae is facing a dilema in which the delicate balance between the company, customers, and community’s expectations of Circle employees may be challenged as she tries to assimilate into a new culture that tends to, as you said, outcast individuals that try to go against The Circle’s ideals.
One of the main ideals of Penn State, in my opinion, encompasses that which you highlighted in the beginning of your post: becoming part of the community and being able to offer one’s skillset in some way to give back to a school that supports literally whatever interests one might have. I agree completely with the major difference between the book and Penn State, which is probably one of the most significant reasons as to why students want to become Penn Stater in the first place – the ability to exercise free will. No one forces anyone to become involved in clubs, go to class, etc., but if one choose to do so, s/he is welcomed into pretty much any event s/he might want to attend. That is the ultimate difference between the two environments, and I couldn’t agree with you more on that idea.