This past semester I took an emergency medical technician course. Part of the requirement was to log sixteen hours of hands-on work at an ambulance corps. We responded to everything: The simple falls of the elderly, to a 65 year old with a bilateral amputation above the knee infected by MRSA. Seeing people in their greatest time of need was both frightening and exhilarating. You find yourself looking at someone who is having a seizure, the likes of which you have only read in your textbooks or seen in movies, and you are the only one who can help them. At first the whole experience seemed rather daunting. But as I gained confidence in my growing abilities, I was surprised at how fast I was able not only to cope, but also begin to enjoy the stresses of being in the first line of emergency care.
Starting my education at Westchester Community College was an upsetting prospect. The fact that I would not be able to have the “typical” college experiences that my peers would be having irked me. Unlike my friends, I was not excited to start my first year nor was I happy to still be living at home. So once I started my freshman year at WCC it was obvious that I wasn’t going to be optimistic about my ambitions as far as my grades and attitude were concerned. I have been outright disappointed with how I started my collegiate life, but after a year of continued discontentment I decided to do something about where I was in my life. I developed a unique insight as to what is truly important to me in a great college experience. My time at WCC has taught me how to study and how to organize myself. I now know what I want to do as far as a career is concerned as well as what I don’t want to do. I also know what I want from a college; I want that atmosphere of learning that can only be found in select educational institutions while still being able to have fun but without the emphasis being on the latter. When I transfer to a new school, I hope that I will be able to get everything I want from that institution. I also want to be able to spread my wings a little.
“Coastal Carolina is too far away for you to come home when you have the chance.” Kaylee (my Girlfriend at the time) said to me in my first car as we talked about college choices. I told her about my acceptance to Coastal Carolina University I received from Mrs. Emmons (personal guidance counselor in high school) during a school day, early February. Kaylee’s words made me start a to question myself; “What other colleges can I choose?”. I came home and sat down with my parents in the living room with my Coastal Carolina acceptance letter in my hand and they were proud of me. I asked my parents the same question I asked myself earlier that day “What other colleges can I choose from?”. When
I began to look at college as a fresh start of life. I had the opportunity to change anything I want about myself. However, the day before leaving, I wanted to change my mind, I no longer wanted to leave everything that I have known for my entire life. But, I refused to show my new feelings because I knew it was a common feeling among other college bound freshman. After some tears and deep breathes, I realized I always wanted to go away to school and if I backed out, I would regret my decision for the rest of my life.
After graduation of my high school, I’ve decided not to attend college. I spent over three months preparing for college admissions. Over three months of studying for the SAT and writing essays for colleges. But, all this hard work was blown away in just a week. The week before the May 1st, the decision day, I had made my decision not to attend college. I have decided to return to my country and start working. Of course, there was a strong disagreement from my parents, but I didn’t hesitate. For the past years, I have worked in many different kinds of places and I have faced the true reality. This made me want to attend college and brought me to Concordia College.
While I wish finding my way around the school was my only problem, I was faced with some internal challenges. As the school year started, my friends slowly started to leave to these “big shot” colleges or simply move away to other community colleges. I, too, wanted the complete “college experience” somewhere in Arizona or across the country; yet I felt stuck and unaccomplished. I also felt jealousy which could have been because I did not get to decorate my dorm room.While talking about dedicating hard work to your education, Gina Rodriguez said “Just remember, during those times of fear and doubt, that you are right now discovering your true strength.” And in those times of doubt, I reminded myself why I could not just move and leave everything behind. The root of my challenges and concerns are my family. As I enrolled as a full time student, my family was fighting some financial problems which created marriage troubles for my parents. I could not leave at a time like this. I knew it was not the first time my parents were talking divorce but somehow I knew it was best to stay. I got financial aid from the school which saved me the fuss of asking my parents for money. It really meant so much to not put another worry on their
College has a extensive impact on a person that some people simply don’t realize. When I first started college, I was a little close-minded and unsure about what it was I wanted to do with the rest of my life. When I was halfway through my freshman year, I decided to completely change my path in life. I left ECU, moved into an apartment, transferred to Pitt and declared my major intended sonography. Then suddenly I hated what I was doing, I had to take a step back and truly evaluate my life and what it was I was meant to do. I was completely lost. Then one day I received a text from a friend telling me to apply to a hospital located in Chesapeake, Virginia. I did, and I got the job. When I told my parents they were less than thrilled, they didn’t like the idea of me taking a year off from school to work, but I thought long and hard about what was best for me and decided it was something I was meant to do, it was the path I needed to follow. I worked for a year while living at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. I was completely independent, providing for myself 100 percent. While working this job, I realized that what I wanted to do and what I was called to do in life was become a nurse, which is something I would have never figured out had I not seriously weighed my options
The path I have taken toward obtaining my Bachelor of Science Degree in Business, Management, and Economics, with a concentration in Marketing, has been different than I expected when I first started college. I started at Brooklyn College at 17-years-old and frankly, I wasn’t ready for it. I struggled to balance an awkward schedule of classes and inconsistent study habits. I never felt completely comfortable there and after two years of performing poorly, I enrolled at Kingsborough Community College. I viewed it as a new start and seized the opportunity. I decided to major in Business Administration; I made the Dean’s List, and saw my grades improve dramatically. After completing 74 total credits, I decided I was ready to return to a four-year-college. I initially considered returning to Brooklyn College but at this time my grandmother had become ill. I applied to the College of Staten Island which was near her home and would make it possible for me to help her out with whatever she needed and attend school locally. This worked out great for my first semester. I carried a 3.47 GPA and decided to major in Business, with a concentration in Marketing. At this time, I was working part-time while in school. But due to certain circumstances, I was forced to obtain a full-time job in addition to other part-time commitment. This made it very difficult for me to enroll in classes as most of the upper-level marketing classes that I needed for graduation were only offered during the day when I would now be working. I enrolled in night and weekend classes for the next two semesters but my grades began to suffer. In the last semester I tried to register at the College of Staten Island, I couldn’t fit the courses I needed into my ever-growing w...
This essay attempts to discuss the competing aims of education whether they be academic, vocational or even purely enabling students to be virtuous. Marples (2010), “What is Education for?”, and Hand (2010), “What should go on the Curriculum?” provide much of the initial insight into the formation of my personal view on the competing aims of education
A paramedic’s work is physically challenging as well as emotionally stressful, sometimes involving suffering patients and life threatening situations. Elizabeth Mesick, EMT-P, Guilford County Emergency Services, states, “…although the work is very stressful, it’s exciting and I enjoy the opportunity to help people. This position is very rewarding and I would recommend it to others who have a passion for helping people and a strong stomach.”
I’m a student at Tompkins Cortland Community College this is my first semester as a college student. I plan to go to college for four years and only be at TC3 for this one semester, then transfer to a four year school. College has grown around the world more than ever and more people are attending college more than ever. I have chosen to go to college because of the rewards after graduation. Yes it is another four years of school but by getting more education and an extended degree gives me more opportunities for better jobs and more money. The career I have chosen to study is business administration. I am hoping that it takes me to a great job managing a company or possibly being an accountant.
I must confess that I never intended to attend a community college. Whenever my mother suggested the idea of my living at home and commuting to Ivy Tech, I wrinkled my nose at her and said that I wanted to go to a four-year university. I longed to stretch my wings and experience the tradition of “going away to school,” forging new friendships, and embarking on new adventures. Well, I did all that…at community college. It is only now that I am on the verge of graduating from an establishment I once resisted attending that I realize the purpose behind education, the flaws inherent in the stereotype of community college, how the culture of community college helped shape my identity, and how the best colleges treat
Education has always been a primary concern for my parents, who taught me that if I need to succeed in life, I have to be educated. Following their guide, I have always valued and tried to get the most of any educational opportunity I have had. Having grown up in a business family, I have always been interested in focusing my career in the business field. My Mother and Father own their own company, and they are constantly talking about business, which has inspired me to follow their path. When my parents retire, they want me to carry on their legacy. For this reason, I have decided to pursue my studies in the field of Business and Leadership at Marylhurst University. I want to pursue a well-rounded education at this established university where I also can have life experiences in the outside world, which will ultimately help me to become a successful leader in our family business.
As the end of my senior year in high school approached, I had to make an important decision. What school was I going to spend the next few years of my life at? When the financial aid packages arrived, I was torn between two colleges. After sitting down with my mother and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of both schools, I came to my final decision. It seemed like a year ago I was imagining what college life would be like and suddenly before my eyes, I would be a college student in a matter of four months.
I often found myself taking the resources CUNY offers students for granted, dismissing the fact that students have been able to thrive with these particular resources. Therefore as an active student, you should be aware of the advantages community colleges can offer you. Another key element toward your personal enlightenment is achieved by reaching out to students with success stories to gain compelling insight. I was able to learn from HSAC alumni who managed to transfer to top-tier universities. I had several questions such as what are their stories and how do they stand out? By seeking the answers to these questions, I felt empowered to gain a competitive edge. Prior to attending LaGuardia Community College, I had a fixed mindset to transfer to Baruch. After thoroughly looking into websites and newsletters, I learned about a number of LaGuardia alumni that have shared my goal and transferred to elite four year colleges I could never have imagined possible for myself. Due to their success stories, I started to challenge myself with honors courses, seeking opportunities offered by professors and staff, and by looking to transfer to colleges outside of CUNY. It is incredible to feel that students I have never met can exert such a tremendous power upon myself. Their experiences have significantly shifted my perspective and expectations for
Before the education system was implemented in the U.S., many political figures “wanted to create a national culture and qualified politicians for a republican government” (Spring, 2014, p. 10). Thomas Jefferson was the first to propose “an education, but with limited access for the whole population” (p. 11). On the other hand, Horace Mann called the father of the public schools believed that education was essential to reforming the society and one “important idea was that all children in society attend the same type of school. The school was ideally the common place for all children” with the philosophy of equal opportunity for all (p. 12); however, many were the debates at that time, how to incorporate education in an unfair society. That is why the big question about the U.S. education system is: what are the political and social goals of education since then to now?
At the start of my undergraduate education, I was taken aback by what I had ahead of me. Now finally out of high school, a bevy of opportunities suddenly sprang themselves upon me. I was faced with the questions of what classes to take, what to study, what to participate in, how to fend for myself, how to accomplish my goals, and countless others. After struggling with these monumental questions, I realized that, in fact, nothing had changed. I was still the same person I had always been, only now presented with much more opportunity and room to grow. Thus, rather than continuing to flounder in grandiose thought, I began to experience what only a university can offer, by embracing the infinite potential presented to me.