The pain and agony of knowing that I might not be prepared for college classes is a weight I have bore on my shoulders. One of my goals has always been to lift the stress of college classes off my back and have the assurance that I am ready for the challenges that are ahead of me. Since day one of high school, being engaged while learning has been my biggest desire so that I am well prepared for the next step in life: college. Dual Enrollment English was exactly what I needed to be well prepared for college. All of my high school career, I had never known what it actually meant to do well and be ¨successful.¨ An abstract idea occurred to me, in room 201, as I was sitting in the front row of my Dual Enrollment English 111 class; this idea …show more content…
Throughout much of high school, I have never really had to try. This became a big issue for me as I entered my senior year considering my college path beyond high school. DE English was the medication I needed for my lack of undertaking. The higher level work that the class demanded was exactly what I was searching for. The work load throughout the course was a great model to help me prepare for college. In addition, time management from the work in class, to the late golf matches helped me manage my time wisely. I needed the drive, the perseverance, and the will to be a successful writer, as well as successful student. The most life changing thing that I have experienced through taking this class is the improvement it has given me in further developing my work ethic. Prior to enrolling in this class, I always had the mindset that I would be able to get an A if I turned in minimal work. When I started taking this class, the alarm in my mind went off and I woke up, realizing I had technically begun college and that I needed to start working like it. Dual Enrollment English 111 improved my work ethic, a necessity for being a successful individual throughout
English is vast you can create your own answers, which irritates my science and math like mind set, I want all the answers, I want a set way of doing stuff a step by step guide of getting to one correct answer. However, this course might be able to loosen my mind and notice that in English there can be more than one correct answer. I surely do believe that I can excel in Professor’s Grahams’ English 1101, but only if I work for it and earn an A. The class seems like a lot of work but because of the work load but the type of rigor it takes to complete the
During my first few days of sophomore year at Stuyvesant High School, I saw how the ways of thinking were diverse in each of my classes. In my European Literature class, where, in our first reading assignment, we questioned the purpose of education itself. I always went with the flow in my learning, and never stopped to say to myself, “Why am I doing this to myself?”. However, once I read Live and Learn by Louis Menand, I started to think about Menand’s three theories of college and juxtapose each of them to my experience so far in high school. In the end, I concluded that many of my classes followed the main points of Theory 2, which was the theory that I mostly agreed with when I read the article for the first time.
Coming to college as an adult, we have many expectations and preconceptions of what college will or will not be. The expectations we have can influence our college life for the better or the worse. My experience since starting college has been an interesting one. People have misconceptions about college because they do not know what to expect. After doing some research, I have concluded that there are three major factors that are often misunderstood about college life. The first is the financial aspect of college. Second, is the relationship between the professors and students. Third is time management. These three factors play an important role in why people are afraid to go down the path to college.
Growing up, my parents never expected perfection but expected that I try to accomplish my best. The effort I’ve put forth in learning has been reflected in my grades throughout my high school career. I’ve entered myself in vigorous course work such as AP Government and AP English to become well prepared for my college career, all while maintaining a 4.4 grade point average this year. Not only do I engage in AP classes, but up until this year I had no study halls. I wanted my day to be packed full of interesting classes that I would enjoy learning about. My grades and choice of classes prove the effort that I put forth in my learning. Working hard now can only pay off in the future. Learning now creates a well-rounded human being. Working to learn is why I am so dedicated to my studies now.
Start the first year of college as an official sophomore! With dual enrollment offered in high school, this could be a reality. Entering the first year of college as a sophomore is a real for so many high school graduates. Dual enrollment offers the opportunity to earn college credits while in high school. This can save time and money as students can finish their college education earlier and therefore reducing tuition expenses.
In Barnett and Hughes’ (2010) article that focuses on the “three important milestones” that lead to college completion, the authors dissect the best practices used across the country by colleges and high schools to get their students on the track to success in college. They found that dual enrollment of classes, which occurs when high school students are allowed to take college courses at the same time, and earn college credit upon completion, addresses the three main milestones identified. Dual enrollment also adds value for students and assists in helping students become acclimated to college. Although some states have restrictions on who can take dual enrollment, (ex. Must have a 3.0 GPA) the focus seems to be shifting away from those restrictions to target the populations that may not have been interested in post-secondary education (Barnett and Hughes, 2010).
The term ‘college’ is very hard to define. One can define it as a Utopia of knowledge, where learning is appreciated and it will become useful throughout one’s entire life. Some may also tell that living in a harsh world, ‘college’ is just a place where students enter with an exorbitant amount of money learning things that will not be applied in real life. Consider a hypothetical character John who exemplifies the majority of new students in United States: he feels enthralled and excited to start college, hoping to get a degree at the end of the day. However, John quickly came to a realization that he is not performing at the first few weeks of class. Disillusioned with his bad grades, he simply quit college – and never went back. A fraction of college students also share the same experience as John, with only 30 percent of the entering students actually graduated from a two-year public college (Raley 4). The college dropouts have elevated concern among the government. Despite choosing a cheap alternative, many students still stumble upon studying at community college
Throughout the second semester of Dual Enrollment English, I was asked to write a variety of papers that were designed to strengthen my skills in rhetoric, research, grammar, and the writing process. These papers included an argumentative paper, a literary analysis paper, and a multigenre research paper. As I wrote these papers, I feel as though I was able to put my knowledge of how to write a paper to use in a variety of ways. The first paper written this semester was the argumentative paper. In this paper, I was asked to take a stand and write about either higher education, pop culture, fast food, sports, or the American dream. Part of the requirement for this paper was to thoroughly research the chosen topic so as to be able to take a side in the argument and be
Many people believe that college is not for everyone. They believe that knowing and learning about life cannot be gained by reading books. In the meantime, there are many people who believe that college does prepare students for the real world. They believe college offers students valuable tools that will equip them for the real world. For instance, open classrooms where students can engage in stimulating conversations prepare students for professions that pay people who can think fast and come up with creative ideas for their companies. Moreover, professors assign homework, exams, and papers to stimulate thinking and prepare students for deadlines and job assignments. However, college may prepare students for the professional world, but does it really prepare students for the real world. The purpose of this essay is...
I have often wondered what it would be like to experience the freedom of choosing my own class schedule. This has to be infinitely more stimulating and enjoyable. I am also aware that college will be significantly more challenging, but I have always found it easier to study for a class that interests me. I am willing to accept the fact that as long as I am in school, there will be required courses which may not engender excitement or enthusiasm; however, success should not be as difficult to achieve due to the maturity that is developing during this last year of high school. In addition, I have gained an understanding of the benefit of being well rounded. There is value in all classes taken. It helps to know that even my least favorite subject will contribute to the ultimate goal of personal and career development.
to about 83 percent of high school graduates enroll in some form of postsecondary education, but only about 52 percent of students complete their degrees. Further, a very small proportion of students complete a degree in four years—“among students starting at ‘four-year’ institutions, only 34 percent finish a B.A. in four years, 64 percent within six years, and 69 percent within eight and a half years.” Colleges always want students to graduate and support their alma mater. However this begins with deciding what student are mentally readiness and determination for the task that lies ahead, college. In today’s society we struggle trying to find a proper definition for college readiness. This is the main reason statistics and graduation rates suffer in the way that they do. Just because a high school student reaches the age of 18, obtains a high school diploma, and has functional literacy, does that really make students college ready?
When entering college freshman students face difficulties by not knowing how to adjust to the new expectations college brings. A freshman student tends to approach college with the same mentality used throughout their high school years. But as the first semester start, they encounter a variety of challenges, including having to change their study habits and knowing how to wisely manage their time. The book “The Elements of Learning” by B. Banner, Jr., and C. Cannon, introduces the elements a student must possess in order be successful in college. The research made by my team, “Collin’s Angels”, will determine important factors for freshman success, and the changes that a student makes in order to succeed through the first year of college.
College success has become a most desirable goal. However, many students struggle through college. In fact, according to the Website Ask.com, approximately 15 percent of college students receive a degree. Because I’m willing to earn a degree like many other successful students, I find that college is the stepping stone to my dream goals. I know that college is difficult, but I realize that attaining my dream of a college education will require me to understand the benefits of what I’m learning, to prepare for obstacles, to seek advice, and to create effective and reasonable strategies will help me achieve my goals.
College for an incoming freshman is exciting, however, it is often focused on the social aspect such as the connections that can be attained through Greek life, parties and independence. Due to the social interactions, freshmen tend to drop out of college after their first year. Focusing on what college is meant for can prevent these situations. The pressures of college such as impressing parents, and maintain a high standard GPA-wise can lead to stress and freeze a student from achieving the proper academic performance. During the mid 1900s, college was considered more of a luxury than anything; people would attend college exclusively to acquire knowledge in hopes of obtaining a career after graduation. People in the twenty-first century, however, attend college to get away from home and enjoy freedom at parties. Education is taken lightly, and those who feel that education isn’t the main focus of college should not apply for sakes of the greater good.
Jameson (2007) said that more and more students are getting to college unprepared, without the necessary writing, reading, and analyzing skills that they need to succeed in college (Jameson, 2007). On top of that students do not know how to apply the writing skills that they already know to their college classes. It may be that students get overwhelmed and frustrated when they realize that the writing they do in college has the sam...