Coming Into College

When I started my first semester of college, I was very worried about writing essays and research papers. I felt like my writing skills lacked greatly compared to other students. I knew a few things of which I could improve on right off the bat, such as my vocabulary skills and organizational skills. To say the least I was very nervous about how my writing composition course would be like and did not think it would go very well for me. However, I learned so many techniques that have helped my writing skills grow. It all started with learning how to stay organized, planning what to write in your essay in outline form and sticking to it really helped when writing essays. These techniques helped me become more confident in my essays and allowed writing essays to become a lot easier. The few aspects in which I am strong in while writing essays is my ability to stay organized, focused and be very clear about what I am writing. Nonetheless, there is always room for improvement; a few things that I can think of being grammar and punctuation due to no revising, embedding quotes smoothly, and citing sources correctly.

Life is full of decisions, which are both easy and hard. My parents' stories of escaping persecution from a

As a freshman entering college, I was still skeptical if teaching was the right major for myself or if I wanted to go to college at all. That was four long years ago for me. Since then, I have taken classes I excelled in and I have taken classes I have struggled with and could not find the end of the semester. I am the first person in my family to go to college and not get pregnant or drop out before graduation. I am a member of Kappa Delta Phi: education honors society at Shepherd University and I was also a member of Alpha Phi Omega: the community service fraternity. I have worked extremely hard as a full time manager at two retail stores to put myself through college.

Coming into College prep writing on the first day of class and hearing Mrs.Carter say “this will be one of the hardest english classes you will take in high school,” definitely scared me. The first thoughts running through my mind was I’m not good enough for this class, there is no way it will ever pass. I wanted to drop out, but instead I decided to prove myself wrong and stay in the class. Staying in this class is one thing that I will never regret. There are so many hard things that you will come upon in life, that will end up becoming one of the best learning experiences.

However, by focusing too much time on academics, I have never been a particularly open person. I usually pick up a few friends, but never really get to know a wide range of people, especially in large settings such as a college campus. I know that I will have to work on that skill to not only gain new friends and companions, but will also need

Coming into Trinity I was scared and nervous about the prospect of meeting new people, making new friends, and doing well in my major. I believe this quote by Marilynne Robinson describes my emotions before coming to college, “I would say, for the moment, that community, at least community larger than the immediate family, consists very largely of imaginative love for people we do not know or whom we know very slightly.” As I entered college I knew meeting people would be hard, because I am not outgoing. Instead, I thought to myself I will know the girls on the soccer team and that will be nice. This imaginative love I had for my team grounded me and made me a little less afraid of what was to come.

My decision on coming to college came from a variety of different reasons. One of the main reasons that I choose to come to college was not only based upon me always being told that I needed to go to college, but because I felt that it was a fundamental asset in my life to become successful. Furthermore, I have always viewed college as a great opportunity for diversity in addition to also being a pronounced place to further my education. Some of the experiences that influenced my decisions in high school to attend college came from my teachers. The majority of my teachers always stressed the importance of college with the importance of furthering your education. Correspondingly, the process of being able to go through the entire four years

College is an important decision everyone has to make after they have finished high school, but if someone decides to go to college then they also have to decide what college they are going to go to. College is something everyone should decide to go to because college can get people really good jobs and college expands knowledge, wisdom, and responsibility which will benefit people in the real world. To decide to go to college a person must have some motivation and dedication to reach their goals and become successful in life. Southern Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University are two both really good colleges that anyone can choose to go to. These two colleges have individually benefitted all of the students very significantly to be ready for the outside world and to be prepared for the careers they have worked for.

Getting ready for college is not the same as getting ready for high school. College is a center for higher levels of education. Therefore, with that comes a long line of supplies and more. Before, getting your supplies you have to know what school you want to apply for as well of their requirements. Once you are done applying, there is a need to know your living arrangements. The campus will have room for you to stay in. Staying on campus is not free, there is payments that you have to make every semester. College is not cheap once so ever, so everything do have a cost.

Starting college, being in a new environment, and possibly not knowing anyone are the most nerve-wracking experiences you will encounter. Coming all the way from New York I was out of my comfort zone; in a completely new environment, not knowing a single person, and just being by myself. That is why we have Peer Leaders and the FYE courses. For student, like me, who need a sense of belonging and to have a successful transition. As a Peer Leader, it would be my responsibility to be a mentor and role model for first year students. If they have questions that they are afraid to ask the professor, I will be there to answer them personally. If they are having difficulties with the transition into college, I will try to help make the process easier

Four hundred dollars later, everything is ready to be packed in the car; college is awaiting. I was both nervous and excited to begin a new chapter in life. Everyone I knew had my back and told me I was going to love college. I knew that there was going to be a few speed bumps through my college career, but nothing I could not handle. College has impacted my life through building my faith, establishing personal relationships, and experiencing the living atmosphere as a college student.

It is the dream of everyone to join college with the hope of getting a better tomorrow and a foundation for them to make it in life. However, this may not be the case with some students as this dream may turn into a nightmare. This is because many students fail to go through or others even fail simply because they have not prepared enough; not just academically but also on the personal side.

In life and today’s society, we all have our own open opinions and views on things. Not everyone thinks the same way or plans for the future the way others do. Ever since I was little, I have always had to plan ahead for everything; starting from what I would wear that next morning to what university I would be going to. Throughout grade/high school, there have been many experiences where I was having to interact with others who’s outlooks and beliefs differed from mine.

Being a freshman college student can be stressful in many ways. My top reason for being stressed, is because the majority of the time I am broke. Broke as in, I rarely have money to spend. College students, including myself, have needs. In my situation I do not have the money to fulfill them all. Mainly because, I can only work 12 hours a week. Plus my job only pays minimum wage every two weeks. Do the math, 87 dollars will definitely not last. Freshman should be allowed to work more than 12 hours a week.

Eighth grade is over and it’s time to enter high school. High school is a big transition. It can be scary, but there is nothing to worry about. By following these three steps, high school will be a breeze. The three most important things to remember are, work hard, don’t procrastinate, and use the time given wisely.