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.
The first of my forays into the unique environment of a university was participating in a study abroad program. As soon as I set foot on campus, my attention turned to winter break, when I traveled to London, England, with a group of fellow students and a professor. In the preceding quarter, we had met once every week, discussing nearly every imaginable aspect of the city of London, from its history as the center of an empire to the role it plays in human trafficking in the modern era. A small group format facilitated intimate and tangential discussion that often ran the gamut of areas, each speaker building off of the prior. We were each also assigned an academic paper dealing with the sociological stratification of certain ethnic groups in modern London, analyzing historical trends of immigration, cultural identity, relationships amongst ethnic groups, the assimilation and growth of foreign cultures into British culture, and geographical associations of certain areas of London with former inhabitants o...
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...curate and working piece of scientific software by a deadline, forcing me to learn how to deal with it all on the fly. I now feel immensely more prepared to take on any project, and far more accustomed to academia, having taken my first steps down the path of research.
Now, on the brink of completing my first year of university studies, I look forward to my future. Having been captivated by computation and mathematics since a young age, I intend to attend graduate school, eventually attaining a doctorate in computer science, delving into research in high-performance computing, computer graphics, or algorithm analysis. Following this, my ideal position would be one in which I am able to pursue my innate love, problem solving. Whether in industry or academia, I hope to be able to dedicate myself to developing novel solutions to computational problems of all types.
The multiple choices students have today in college have made the university a party environment, resulting in complacent students. Mark Edmundson raises important questions and makes valid points in this essay that are worth thinking about. If people don’t take a look at our present college system and start thinking outside the box, the college education system will continue on its downward spiral of consumerism. It is fun to graduate high school and go to college to party and to have a comedic professor, but there is so much more to college then having fun. People need to realize that by challenging student, students can then start to recognize their own potential end become better for it. Learning and utilizing the information that is being taught in college is essential. “Everyone is born with their own mind, all that is left to do is break out of the stereotypical college student mold, and use
In todays’ society college has become more so a necessity rather than a luxury. With a job market without as many opportunities as in the past, college degrees have become required to gain most well paying jobs. Due to this it is logical to say that college should be an environment that properly prepares the young adult to succeed in the working world. Although there are some who believe that the youth of todays generation are unprepared, and that institutes of higher learning are not doing anything to aid the situation. This is a view shared by Jacob Neusner in his speech “The Speech The Graduates Didn’t Hear” and by Fred Reed in his blog post “On Campus at U.PE: The University Of Practically Everywhere”. The ideas both these men exhibit
After my first few months of college, I realized I enjoy being a college student much more than I enjoyed being a high school student. However, the transition between the two extremely diverse worlds, was challenging at first, I found out how to overcome it. Originally, I couldn’t realize how different the two were, but as time went on, I was about to notice the differences. Not everyone is able to be aware of the many similarities and difference. Some differences include: cost, amount of freedom, and reasons why people are there. On the other hand, both high school and college have similar class structure and both require time management. The better prepared a student is to challenged with these many similarities and differences, the more
When I graduated from high school, I spent countless days worrying about what college will be like. I worried about everything, like saying goodbye to my family and friends, making new friends, living with a roommate, getting involved, dealing with a huge work load, and so much more. My transition into college is quite a struggle, but it is not nearly as bad as I expected it would be. After watching “I’m a College Freshman,” I realized that the difficulties I am facing are all normal.
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.
The computing industry as a whole becomes more prosperous, exciting and attractive as an employment prospect each day. It spans a wide range of modern applications, as does my interest in the subject. I see computing science as a gateway into new realms of computing, where the highly challenging and demanding work may reap rewards of an equivalent level.
Albert Einstein once stated “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving”. Throughout my life, I have faced numerous obstacles, which have forced me to keep pedaling even when my balance was gradually becoming unstable. Approximately 2 years ago, my family and I decided to move from Kansas to Washington since my father acquired a position at Microsoft. As you might imagine leaving everything you have come to cherish over the past 16 years of your life would be extremely difficult. However, I persevered and kept my balance as I escalated up this steep hill. In a few months, nearly all of us will experience a new hill waiting to be conquered. This hill is called college. All of us who choose to undergo this challenge will struggle and several of us will venture off course, but the remaining persistent bikers will surmount this hill and end up with a degree. In my case, I’m going to kick my legs into 5th gear and start ascending this hill at Bellevue College.
I chose London as my intern destination for a specific reason. England, as a whole, sits in a very salient position within the global community. It has served as both a catalyst for social degradation, as one of the largest colonial powers, and yet, as a catalyst for progressive social change. As a global affairs major with a concentration in global inequalities and responses, this is a significant place of interest for me. This internship will allow me to examine scholarly works for my future research and publications, as well as how to better understand the intersections of social constructions and identities in various countries. As I prepare to visit London for the third time, I have been looking at the surrounding area, making note of anything that is familiar to me via google maps, as well as mapping my way from the tube station to the apartment building. I have also been looking for the closest grocery stores, as I have started planning my weekly meal preps while price checking everything on my list in Tesco, Sainsbury, and
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...
Haralambos, M; Holborn, M; Chapman, S; Moore, S (2013): Haralambos & Holborn sociology: themes and perspectives. 8th edition. London: Collins.
... advanced computing, with specific reference to Computer Programming. I therefore believe that I must return to the academic world for further growth and achieve some more milestones.
Colleges and universities need to be structured so that they prepare students for specific career roles, as well as give them a level of appreciation for the world in which they live. Brewer’s succe...
The demanding nature of the work has given me an added sense of responsibility but also of pride, fulfilment, and greater appreciation for hard work, ultimately making me more mature and dependable.
After my twelfth grade, the inherent ardor I held for Computer Sciencemotivated me to do a bachelors degree in Information Technology. Programming and Math, a paragon of logic and reasoning have always been my favorite subjects since childhood. I still vividly remember the time during my graduation,when I was successful in creating a simple calculator application as a class assignment.The joy I derived from creating something that is used by a lot of people to help them perform complex calculations,made me realize the power of computing in its true sense.It was also in my graduation that I developed an immense interest in programming languages such as Java, C++ an...