Hopes and Dreams I often say: I made three common mistakes right after high school. I joined the military, rushed into marriage, and had two children. Without a doubt, these three life choices were definitely detrimental towards my goals of a higher education. However, growing up poor and a ward of the court, the stigma of being a burden towards others has been enough to break my spirit. For this reason, the thought of college seemed far-fetch, frivolous, and mind-blowing, especially when I desired to pursue my academics. Moreover, these great institutions of learning also seemed like places for the more fortunate because not many people are able to address their educational needs, such as the poor. In essence, I nearly came close …show more content…
As a grown up, I am now overwhelmed by life and its responsibilities while having to work low-wage jobs, just to pay rent and bills in order to survive. Throughout the years, this typical lifestyle has become extremely harsh and it has taken its toll on my morale. On a few occasions, I have bounced from job to job while also experiencing layoffs. Hence, there was even a brief period, in which I was homeless, too. Consequently, it was one of the lowest points in my life, but I never lost hope. In contrast, it was also a moment to reflect back on my failures while recognizing the advantages of how any form of higher education can enhance the quality of my well-being and vitality. Without a doubt, the decision of enrolling in college has proved to be rewarding and it was my first step towards a promising life for my family and …show more content…
Undeniably, they are my motivation and inspiration while I am attending college. Thus, they pick me up when I am down and remind me to not quit when I am trying to achieve a goal. Due to their love and support, I can proudly say: I am now a few classes away from completing my CSU General Education - Breadth Requirements to transfer out to a four-year college. Furthermore, they are the reason why I am full of ambition, success-driven, and compelled when it comes to finishing my education. Moreover, I am considering English and Creative Writing as a major because of my admiration for writing. In essence, I hope someday to become a prominent writer. Recently, a number of my writings were selected for the 2015 Phineas edition, the literary magazine for San Bernardino Valley College. As a result, I can proudly say, I am now a published author. Despite my difficult past, my appetite and aspiration for higher education has grown immensely and my path to success now seems
In Frank Bruni’s New York Time’s article, “The Imperiled Promise of College,” he argues that college is no longer a guarantee of success because students are not being properly motivated and guided into the programs that will provide them with jobs.
In her article “College Is a Waste of Time and Money”, Caroline Bird attempts to pursued her readers that colleges are overflowing with students who don’t belong there. Her article first appeared in Psychology Today (May 1975). Since this material is outdated, I find it hard to believe that most of the responses by students and parents quoted in the article still hold true. The author has set out to pursue the readers that college is a bad and unnecessary choice for today’s youth. Yet the author holds a bachelors and a masters degree from two different universities. I would think that if she thought college was really a bad choice and a waste of time and money, she would not have gone back to get her masters degree.
The argument about if college is worth it or not has been one of the biggest arguments throughout the media for decades. Students suffer a lot from the debts that they get from college and also the amount of studying that they do in college and when they graduate they ask themselves “is graduation from college really worth all the money that we paid and all the work that we have done?”
In my community, El Sereno, college is viewed as an option as opposed to it being the next step in life. Most people in my area either begin working or start a family after they graduate from high school. Not always by choice, but in some cases by circumstance. Students in my neighborhood either lack the knowledge, financial support, guidance or even legal status that would otherwise drive them to apply or even go to college. About eighty-percent of students graduated from my high school, but only about twenty-percent ended up attending a four-year university (NINCHE). One of the biggest reasons for student’s low college entrance rate has to deal with their family's socioeconomic
As the economy evolves and the job market continues to get more competitive, it’s becoming harder to have a successful career without some kind of college degree. This creates a belief in many young students that college actually is a commodity, something they must have in order to have a good life. There’s many different factors that influence this mindset, high schools must push the importance of the student’s willingness and drive to further their education. College isn’t just a gateway to jobs, but it is an opportunity to increase knowledge and stretch and challenge the student which in return makes them a more rounded adult and provides them with skills they might lack prior to
Society puts too much pressure on high school students to attend a 4-year college right after graduation. Though this is an attainable goal for some, a great majority of students are not fully prepared for the demands of college. 4-year schools require an incredible amount of maturity and preparation, leaving very little room for mistakes. Schools often overlook this aspect because their main goal is to get as many students into 4-year college as possible. This is a great goal to have however they send students off to college who aren’t ready to be handle the difficult of their courses while being away from home. My senior year of high school, my family and I came to the conclusion that we were not going to be able to afford four-year college tuition. This upset me at first because I felt like all my hard work and good grades went to waste. I dreaded the thought of going to community college because my who...
During high school, whether it is by a teacher, parent or classmate a student will be advised to go to college. “College is where you find yourself,” they will say. College is made to seem as the place where students will attain a brilliant education, thus making them feel as though once they are done with the schooling, a dependable job of high pay will appear for them. In our society, college is not a scarce option, but rather, an expectation. For many graduating high schoolers, college is the next step. Attaining a college degree is not necessary for creating a life for us as our civilization makes it out to be.
Caroline Bird writes the statement in her 1975 article “The Case Against College (Bird 15-18)” that not every high school graduate is ready to attend college. It is 2010 and this article is still valid today. Some of the college students I have been around were not mature enough for obedience school let alone college. A few of the points she makes in the article are: College has never worked its magic for everyone. Does it make you a better person? Are colleges responsible for your children? Are my children living in a country club? I will use some of my own experiences as an example of college life, as well as examples from my daughter’s college experience, along with my nephews as well. All to find the answer to the big question: Are you ready for a college education?
Imagine telling that to a student who just finished four years of hard, grueling, expensive work; or, even worse, a parent who paid for their child to finish that same grueling work. But, in some ways, that statement can’t be any further from the truth. College can prepare a student for life in so many more ways than for a career. However, in the way that college is supposed to prepare soon-to-be-productive students, that statement could be right on. As a student myself, I’ve found college to be a little bit of both. I often find myself asking, "How will this help me later in life?" But, then again, college gives me more control over my life and where I want it to go. In trying to figure out what exactly made college like this, and whether the way I felt was felt by others as well, I interviewed an Anthropology teacher at Las Positas College, Mr. Toby Coles, and I examined an essay by Caroline Bird called College is a Waste of Time and Money. The two sources offered interesting views from both side of the spectrum.
It seems as though the majority of college students these days aren’t looking to further their education because it’s what they really want, they do it to please their parents, to be accepted by society, or because there’s nothing else for them to do (Bird, 372). These expectations have led to students being unhappy and stressed, and have pushed them into a school or a job that they don’t particularly care for.
College has been such a culture shock for me. I never would have pictured myself being here. I am a freshman at the Community College of Rhode Island after unsuccessfully tried The talent development program at the University of Rhode Island. When I first entered the Community College of Rhode Island I was scared. I didn’t have a clue of what I wanted to be I believed that college was going to be a waste. Evers nice I enrolled to The Community College of Rhode Island The path to my success has cleared its way, figuring what I want to be after struggling to pick a major. All my life I had to to work twice as hard to get something that most people require minimal effort to attain. In high school, I was known to be an athlete although I wasn’t the best I worked my tail off all four years of high school I won many achievements and accomplished many things. In high school math teacher let me slip by and let me go even if they didn’t believe in my excuses. In my high school career, I had a few tough teachers, but at the end they always all through because of my charisma. After being babied throughout my whole life I enter the adult phase and it hasn’t been so easy. I always have one motive that I carry on no matter what. The motive of bettering myself and in time is better than my sister since I’m always in her shadow. My character possesses many strengths and weaknesses My personality makes me who I am today my voice, my attitude my determination to be created is what pushes me to be great in life. I am a motivator who needs to motivate myself before anyone else and my passion to help people who in needs will forever be part of my life. Throughout my life I made mistakes like all humans do. In my lifetime, I met many wonderful people t...
I have a dream… you have a dream… our nation has a dream… our world has a dream. We all have a dream.
It is often said that education should come before anything else. “Education is the most important factor in the development of the country” (“Education”). However, this is not always true in terms of the success of one’s collegiate career. Education is not every student’s top priority, and there are many ways to live successfully after college without focusing on the academic part as your top priority. Only about 30 percent of Americans complete a bachelor’s degree by their mid-20s, with another 10 percent completing an associate’s degree by then (Paulson). Not everyone’s top priority is academics, with many alternatives and goals to pursue, many people drop-out or simply stop trying and eventually flunk out. H...
Dreams are necessary. Without dreams, there will be no ambition to chase. There will be no goal to reach. We won't have anything to aim for. We will all be nothing without dreams. Not having dreams is like chasing a traceless murder. It is like following an invisible shadow. It is a dreadful goose chase. We must know what we want to do and follow that ambition. We can’t achieve anything in life without goals, and for these goals, we need to dream.
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.