My Life As a College Student
Making the Transition
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one student to dissolve the bonds which have held him to his high school life, he can get fairly intimidated. Making the transition from high school to college can be a tough one. I remember my experience in such a transition vividly, as it was only a short time ago.
Growing up in a family in which both my parents had master's degrees, it was naturally expected that I would go to college, and for both my own benefit as well as pleasing my parents, I chose to pursue so-called "higher education". Stepping up to this "higher" plateau is no small matter, however.
You Can Pick Your Friends
A typical junior or senior in high school is faced with a dizzying array of choices in choosing a college. Questions such as "How much is tuition." "Is there housing on campus," and "What standardized tests do they accept." are all valid and relevant. Fortunately, asking these types of questions often narrows a broad swath of potential colleges down to a small few. With that in mind, I chose a university that seemed to suit my needs, and I applied. Since I was accepted, I did't need to apply anywhere else. I was all set for the "college experience", life at the big U. Or so I thought.
What followed was the veritable obstacle course of bureaucratic red tape. My mailbox was almost bursting with forms, applications, packets, and all manner of reading to delve through before the start of classes. How silly could I have been to think that I was finally done with summer reading? After much deliberation (and some help from my parents), I had applied for housing, found my roommates, and registered for orientation.
Arriving on Campus
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...new classes, I soon realized what would be the biggest challenge of college: deciding on a major. Yes, I am one of those people who started college without first declaring a major. I soon heard every question, suggestion, and response regarding possible options. I even began concocting false majors to throw some people off. Large-Scale Demolition was a crowd favorite.
Running the Race
The college life certainly has its share of fears, cheers, and jeers, but it really can be a worthwhile endeavor. The most important task is to find the college niche, that little place that just feels right, and not just the first time. Once I found clubs, organizations, jobs, and social circles in which I felt like a valued participant, I really seemed to be at home, and that's not something I could have found just by being matched with good roommates or schmoozing at a toga party.
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
In “Choosing Success in College and Life”, Carol Kanar exposes students to the foundational skills that they will need to develop in order to be successful in the college setting. Effective interpersonal skills and understanding that people are the biggest resource can be two of the biggest factors in how a student assimilates to campus life. Students can be intimidated by all of the offices and professional titles that surround them when entering this new surrounding. It is important that students understand that their desire to succeed is met by college professionals’ mutual desire to see the same. The blueprint for this success should first begin with the students’ inner belief in themselves. Second, the student should familiarize themselves with all that the college has to offer by way of various supportive offices, support groups, and clubs. Finally, the students should begin to set scholastic, life, and financial goals for themselves.
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.
My transition to college was successful, but it was nonetheless one of the most stressful times in my life. Unlike many of my peers at Saint Louis University, my rural high school experience did not truly prepare me for the academic rigors of college. Despite extensive preparation, I performed rather poorly on the first round of exams. While I didn’t fail any particular exam, my performance was seriously lacking. I knew that getting C’s on exams would not serve me well in the pursuit of my dream of becoming a physician. I remember feeling, for the first time in my life, that I was unintelligent and incompetent. I was also heavily fatigued from the excessive hours of studying, which I felt were necessary to reconcile the problem. I managed to
When any adolescent enters High School they are still young and on the search to find themselves. High Schooler’s often make bad decisions, but quickly see that these mistakes there to be learning experiences rather than to dwell on them. Often, for many students, High School does not present an extreme amount of stress, rather it is a a place to learn more about yourself. Once college hits, stress is the only thing on the mind. College students are always worrying about if they did their homework, if they have a big test coming up, if they studied enough, and if they even have enough money to pay their bills. So the key to college is to know that the fundamentals of college are different than high school, be responsible and reliable to yourself, do all your homework, and most importantly be respectful to your peers and teachers
The stereotypical version of the normal life of a teenager proceeding to college would include high academic standards met throughout their high school career and outstanding outside testing scores resulting in automatic entry into the institution of their choice. Many of these individuals have the support of their accomplished family members in the form of financial support. There are those who have not had the luxuries of any easy upbringing but forced to decide between a life with a college degree or full-time employment. For myself I want to have it all and to achieve that I have taken on both.
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” (Keller) College is definitely a challenge, but it is also a very beautiful thing. Many students enter college expecting knowledge and a sense of direction. It may be hard to balance school between work, you’re social life, life at home, personal issues, etc. A few challenges that I know about all too well have to deal with money, transportation, and procrastination. You spend all of high school listening to your teachers and parents preparing you for what is to come in the near future. The truth is that there is only one way of truly learning, from experience.
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
As a new freshman entering this Community College, you will be discovering and experiencing many new things about the world in which you live and yourself. The jump from high school to college can be a very scary but exciting experience. I have some valuable advice for you on how to make this transition smoother and an enjoyable experience rather than a scary and lonely one.
My first year in college has been a rewarding experience. As I look back on my Why College, Why Now essay, I realize that I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge about myself. I am proud that I accomplished my goals I made in my first year of college and I exceeded my expectations. I still have the same goal for the future, but I added more goals for the future. I am attending Wilmington University because I want to make my future brighter. Attending college and earning a degree in communication media will help me obtain an exciting job as a professional journalist.
High school, along with college are two major stepping stones in a person’s life. Many individuals are able to make the transitions from high school to college pretty easily, while there are others that find the transition into college to be somewhat challenging and hard to adjust to. When I made the jump from high school to college, I found that there are vast differences between the two, and both had very diverse environments. I found the key differences concerning high school and college to be the level of academic responsibilities, time management and scheduling, as well as the methods learning to be the main differences.
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.
Further education gives students an opportunity to develop skills, talents, and discover new interests. It teaches students how to examine, evaluate, and compare arguments with different people. Many young students are undecided about their career path when they think about college. Some people are not ready to decide their majors because they have not received enough information about the different subjects. Fortunately, colleges offer students the opportunity of exploring a variety ...
It is true that there are things that need to be learn in everyday life, but that does not necessarily mean going to college will not advance that knowledge. Not only does attending college advance one’s mind, 69% of college students say it is very useful in helping them grow and mature as a person(Pew). It tells that people who attend college will mature more and have the knowledge of financial means that is being dealt with everyday. When asked why college is important, 39% say it is to help a student grow personally and intellectually(Pew). Obtaining a higher education will weigh on progressing one’s education.
College is something that many high school students anticipate; A new transition between two very similar yet diverse worlds. This transition can be something very exciting but also very nerve raking and difficult. Students, Ready to leave behind high school, being researching to find the most prestigious schools and programs available, soon forgetting to remember that although the two, high school and college have their similarities such as doing classwork, and homework the differences are endless.