A TOEFL Independent Essay: Who enjoys life more, the young or the old?

The following essay was written in 30 minutes, the time allotted to write the Independent Essay in the TOEFL. The writer, Aisse Sow, is from the Netherlands and took the TOEFL Preparation course at NYLC as she may decide to apply to U.S. universities in the future. To learn more about Aisse, visit our main blog after you read her essay below.


Young people enjoy life more than older people
by Aisse Sow

I agree with the following statement: young people enjoy life more than older people. I think young people enjoy their lives much more than older people for the following reasons. First of all, most young people have fewer responsibilities than older people. Second of all, younger people usually have more freedom than older people. And third of all, younger people have time to discover who they really are.

Most young people have (a lot) less responsibilities than older people, such as a fulltime job, children you have to take care of, maintaining good contact with your busy friends, working out, resting, keeping your house clean and the list goes on. These are all tasks and responsibilities a lot of young people have nothing to do with, yet. All the stress that comes with the responsibilities is obviously not making people happier and that is why younger people are definitely happier when it comes to this point.

A TOEFL Independent Essay: Do the young enjoy life more than the old?

This Independent Essay by Jesus De Luna was written within 30 minutes in class during a TOEFL writing task. To learn more about Jesus, please visit our main blog after reading his essay below.


Essay on who enjoys life more, the young or the old
by Jesus De Luna

Life is full of special and unforgettable things, which make it beautiful. Do all people, regardless
of their age, enjoy these things equally? Sadly, age is an important factor on this matter. Young people can get all the benefits that life offers, hence they do enjoy life more. Not only do the young have better health and more energy than the elderly, but they also have more people by their side. In addition, young people experience the diverse pleasures of life for the first time, which increases the power of these feelings.

The young have better health than the elderly. One of the main goals in any person’s life is to
acquire and maintain  good health. Unlike the elderly, the young do not need to struggle too much to lead a healthy life. Moreover, young people are less likely to suffer from some diseases that affect the elderly at a higher rate. People in their twenties are the epitome of an energetic human being. The elderly on the other hand, have less vigor as their age increases.

High Intermediate Category Winner

High Intermediate Category Winner - Andrea GonzalezSchool: 

School: NYLC - Jackson Heights

Teacher: Samantha Lee

Technology: Double-Edge Sword

   Through the following essay I seek to discuss the current problem that exists with technology and communication, and from my personal experience what obstacles the technology has caused and helped me to solve. Finally I propose a possible solution to the progressive deterioration that technology has caused in our society.

     Technology is known as the set of knowledge and techniques used for creating tools and processes that transform the environment. Currently this term plays a key role in our society, because its development is causing rapid changes in communication. These include the creation of new relationships, maintaining contact with people from anywhere and access to knowledge. Technology has removed barriers allowing this to be easier and cheaper. On the other hand it is not a secret that the use of technology has been replacing real interactions with the people around us and has even limited our productivity. Then it becomes paradoxical knowing that we created the technology, it is to our service and we can control it, but it still continues to cause major global problems and contributes to social destruction. Therefore it is necessary to create awareness of the proper way it should be used.

     As referenced above, the technology can be considered a weapon, double-edge sword, because it can help you and at the same time harm you. It just depends on the way you use it.The question arises: how can technology create problems and at the same time help to solve them?

     From my personal experience, technology has been very useful because it has helped me with little things like getting up every day to go to school. I don’t know what would I do without alarm clock. It has allowed me also to communicate with my family in Colombia, through application such as Skype, which allow my overprotective mother see what I am doing. To my surprise she has learned to use an app tracks my location through cell. One day I asked my mom if I could go out with my friends to time square, she said yes, but to be safe, she used the app and realized I was in a club in Manhattan. Of course I was in big trouble and the worst thing was that, when she called to scold me, my boyfriend heard the whole conversation.

     Nevertheless, not everything is bad, because many times I got out of trouble, when I forgot to do a task that had been assigned. Immediately I used my cell phone to do it; the only problem was the use of self-correction programs. The best thing was that I recently found a job through websites that offer job opportunities

     In conclusion a new generation of communications technology is approaching, and with that a new way of living and working, which is why we should seek and early solution to the current dependence on technology. Perhaps we should create a culture that allows us to present strategies for proper use of it, such as social campaigns that seek to strengthen human relations. Technology should be part of our lives but it doesn’t have to be everything. The important thing is to contribute to the development of humanity not to its destruction. Remember that technology is not the end the means to develop the world.

High Intermediate Category - Third Place

High Intermediate Third Place winner: Siripun Wongsawan
School: NYLC - Jackson Heights
Teacher: Samantha Lee

     

       Today, technology becomes part of life. Everything is easier and more comfortable for living.  Think about 20 years ago when you went to the airport by yourself to inquire about weight limitations or call them asking about flight hundred times but no one answered. Nowadays, you get more information by searching from the internet. It is very easy; you can answer customer's e-mail even when you are lying down in bed.  

           But have you ever had a bad experience with technology? Last 2 years I applied for jobs online instead of walking in because there is a limited quota and every year lot of people waited in front of the company since 4am. The online procedure had a limited quota too but I was confident in my high speed internet. Finally, I did not get that job because my internet was broken all day and the submission time was just 2 hours. I went to an internet cafe but it was too late. I did not think I was an unlucky person on an important day in my life; I relied on technology too much. 

          After that I walked in that company again to apply for the customer service position. Then get a job there. Actually human build technology so that technology cannot communicate by itself, it would be worthless without human beings.

      Sometimes, trying to leave technology behind and do things by yourself instead, It is a challenging, fun, experience and not as hard as you think. I recommend it.

High Intermediate Category - Second Place Winner

High Intermediate Category Second Place Winner - Destinee Christella
School: NYLC- Jackson Heights
Teacher: Samantha Lee

                               Technology

  Technology is that thing or instrument that gives us access to a world of communication. For me technology has more benefits than problems. It’s has helped me to solve a lot of problems and it teaches me many things. Often when I don’t know a recipe for a meal I use an application to show me how to do it. This application also has pictures and videos. After that i know more.

                         As I am addicted to my IPhone sometimes i get a bug. I remember that one day I had accidentally locked my iPhone I was very lost and sad and I didn’t want to bring my iPhone to a technician because that it would have been very expensive. Instead I checked the internet for a solution to my problem. To solve my problem by myself i just looked on the internet and googled my problem and I found a solution for how to unlock my iPhone.

                        Technology also helps me to stay in touch with my family all over the world. For example, I use WhatsApp to get some news of my little brother, with FaceTime I can see how my niece has grown up. When I feel sad because I miss my family, technology helps me to stay connected with the whole world.

                        The other side of technology or internet is that all of this can’t works without us humans an email will never been sent by itself. The internet needs us and we all need it.

                       Nowadays applications, smartphones tablet laptops all those things need internet and technology to work. Technology maybe has bad sides but I never had problems with that. For me technology is very helpful and it makes our lives easier to live.

Advanced Category Third Place Winner

     

Advanced Category Third Place: Elisa Casagrande

School: NYLC - Jackson Heights

Teacher: Benjamin Levy

    Technology is one of the best and smart invention of the history. With just a click we can catch our friends all around the World or check useful information wherever we are. It is obvious that technology has improved the ability to communicate. Information can run fast and we can share our feelings every moment more easily than before.

Despite that, there are downsides because of the technological overexposure. Devices like phones or computers are like an extension of our body and we feel “naked” if we do not have the possibility to check our Facebook profile 24-hours. It looks like we cannot “deal with the World” if  we do not write 140 types on twitter before.

Technology has helped me a lot. When I moved to NYC, technology has become fundamental for me. For moving it is also very important so that I can feel more comfortable and find the right way. But if I do not have access to the internet, it is a mess!

Once technology failed but it helped my ability to communicate. It is strange but it happened!

It was January and I had to pick up my sister at the airport. I have been in NYC since December, so I was very insecure with my English and transportation, too. Nevertheless, I did not feel worried because I had my phone and I could communicate with my husband, just in case. I studied the subway’s map. Not a big deal, I thought!

When I was on the platform to change train I realized that there were two signals for the same direction in both  the sides. I was not used to the New York’s subway system, so I tried to solve the problem with a phone application. Unfortunately, there was no coverage and the internet did not work, so I could not upload a map as well as call my husband. I did not have any choice: I had to ask information the old-fashioned way.

There was not a lot of people so I tried to ask an old refined man close to me. I found all the information I needed and, plus, I started an interesting conversation with him. Actually, he talked more than me, but it was a very good experience. He was going to the same direction so we did part of the ride together. He told me he was from India and he moved to NYC long time ago, as a businessman. He also asked me many questions but surprisingly I did not feel uncomfortable and I really do not why.

Unquestionably, technology helps us and in some situations it is essential. On the other hand, we are always connected and we are not used to start a conversation with strangers just because we do not need to do that. But sometimes we should try to turn off our “digital world” and look around.

For all these reasons, technology can help our ability to communicate in different and unexpected ways.  

Advanced Category Second Place Winner

Advanced Category Second Place: Paula Sanchez 

School: NYLC - Jackson Heights

Teacher: Benjamin Levy

DON’T LET NEW THINGS DESTROY OLD ONES

Communicate with someone from another country or another continent may have seemed impossible years ago, but as the years have passed, overseas communication and information sharing is an easily accessible and fast possibility that a large part of world’s population requires and gets just by pushing some buttons. Even though this is supposed to be an important part of humanity’s progress and development, the damages that technology does to communication are not questioned enough.

In the positive side, technology has made a huge impact on relationships, and the invention and use of cellphones, apps, and social networks has also made it easier for people to communicate with their families, friends and stay involved and active in their professional life when there are long distances in between. In fact, we are at a point where technology improves economy by providing fast and easier ways of doing things and offering employment to many people.

On the other hand, some of the disadvantages of this development are the loss of the art of conversation, this may not affect older generations, but for teenagers, kids and future generations, the lack of face – to – face conversations and writing practice lead us to forget how to maintain a proper and formal conversation; and don’t forget the increasing use of codes and abbreviations that have destroyed grammar and spelling skills, sometimes even changing the sense of sentences.

Unsafety has also been part of those revolutionary and new cyber relationships, sometimes people meet and make friends and significant others on websites, have success in business; sometimes they overshare information about bank accounts, their privacy, or meet creepy people and criminals that seem very friendly, normal and harmless on the web.

In conclusion technology and communication have developed a strong bond that’s necessary for personal and professional life, but if it’s not used and taken with responsibility, moderation and prudence, it could tear people apart from their family and beloved ones, create addictions and risky situations, and spoil real life and written communication; therefore that’s why people say everything is good with moderation and avoiding excesses.