Graduation Speech : Becoming A Successful College Student Essay

Deciding to go to college is the hardest decision a student can make and the most stressful. Caused by many reasons, the stress is present whether one is in their first year of college or their last. Deciding to attend college is frightening for students; this is because it means going into the world and growing up. Along with the decision come a number of stressful responsibilities and changes that a student has to put up with. The reasons for so much stress fall into one of three categories: academic stress, which has anything to do with studying for classes, financial stress, which has to do with paying for school, and personal stress. Many students experience stress, and they have to combine their busy lives and the demands of college and still make time for themselves. We all experience stress in college getting ready for exams, completing papers, or adjusting to college life. We all know that being stressed for a long time may cause health issues. Although stress can be harmful at times, it can also be good and stimulating. Stress can also be good, because of facing new challenges helps students grow up and learn new things. Dealing with academic and personal stressors is the hardest part about college, and it will interfere with personal life and help experiment life’s options.

College, The doorway to the future. Many things can happen during this phase of one’s life, well known for exposing peoples “true personalities” through its multiple hardships and adventure. One thing to be said about college is that it is one of the most stressful times of a person life. In College pressures, an article written by William Zinsser, the head master of Bradford College, states that the amount of pressure placed on college students is heavy and that is unintentionally been cause by their own self-doubt. I am interested in the essay because although it was written in the 70’s I know for a fact that many college students can truly relate to this essay in more than one way. I, personally, relate because I would be the first in my family to complete college with more than just an associate’s degree and it is a lot of pressure but, unlike the people in this essay, I know very well how to handle the pressure, but I do know many who are friends and in college right now who cannot handle the pressure and are failing under the pressure. In William Zinsser’s article, he simply explains how the unstable economy we live in is distracting us from adventuring out into uncharted territory. Simply because, in our up bringing our parents emphasized the importance of stability and the suggestion of striving for more realistic jobs. It also stresses the influence of peers have on one’s personal experience and opinion on where he or she should be academically causing exhaustion

Many people think college is a carefree place, full of fun and games for students. In reality ,the majority of students are bogged down in school work rushing to meet their deadlines for homework assignments projects,and even cramming study time for exams and quizzes. On top of that , college can be pretty costly. Therefore, this is normally a highly stressful period for most people in their lives. In the essay “College Pressures”, the author William Zinsser mentions how students go through so much stress and pressure from different aspects of college. He discusses the pressures that college students faced in the late 1970’s that are still happening now in today's society . Zinsser focuses on four main pressures that students face as they enter the college realm, which includes economic, parental, peer, and self-induced pressures. It's not only the pressure but In the essay “College Is a Waste of Time and Money” by Caroline Bird , the author attempts to persuade her readers that colleges are overflowing with students who don't belong there and that college education is a useless endeavor that is often forced on students. Between the money it costs, the time it takes,and all the pressures from the different aspects of college it can be pretty overwhelming to think about. The question is how could we reduces the struggle and tension that college brings upon students.

College is seen as a requirement for a stable life. From an early age, we are taught that college is an essential step in life. Yet is college all that it is pumped up to be? Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill along with Charles Murray gives us a good look into the benefits and drawbacks of going to college and take us on a journey of understanding that college may be a hindrance for some rather than an intelligent move.

     It seems in the society we live in today, having a college degree is a necessity. Years ago it was the norm for people to just go right into a full time job after high school, if they even finished high school; they did this to support their families. In today’s society a person has a difficult time getting a decent job without a college degree. During an adults working life, bachelor degree graduates will earn about $2.1 million and a high school graduate can expect to earn an average of $1.2 million (Day and Newburger, 2002). This is quite a difference and it puts a college education in

“She’s pregnant!? Are you oblivious? Your life is over… Do you not realize what is going to happen? You MUST drop out and work to feed your family from now on! I thought you were smarter than this.” This type of verbal abuse continued in my brother-in-law’s family, but as buoyant as both my sister, and her boyfriend were at age 17, this only fed fuel to their fire for triumph. In this day of age, many unplanned pregnancies throughout young adults have discouraged their higher hopes and dreams. Many use the excuse “reality knocked me off my feet” or “things happen for a reason”. Who gave you this excuse…? Are you not the artist of your own reality? You can perhaps lash back at me with a higher power as the answer. Well, I am here to prove to

Education and school, these both word always has been the main priorities for all of us. Pursuing the American dream of graduating college can be the best feel ever but it can also cost a price. College tuition is increasing more and more every year due to the fact of the rising economy. With student want to be successful in life they will need an education to a degree, which will land you a decent job in life. The problem is when the cost of gaining that degree outweighs the financial advantage to the career. Many of people are not able to pay for college out of their pocket. The result of this is that students seeking higher education are forced to take out an enormous amount of student loans. College tuition is on the rise, and a lot of students have difficulty paying for their tuitions. To pay for their tuitions, most students have to take out loans and at the end of four years, those students end up in debt. Student loan debts are at an all-time high with so many people graduating from college and having difficulties finding jobs in their career fields. So they have difficulties paying off their student loans and, they also don’t have a full understanding of the term of the loans and their options if they are unable to repay.This means that they are entering the workforce after college already thousands of dollars in debt and under water. I believe that students who borrow money from our government should not pay for their student loans.

College has many rewards, but it also has a whole other side that is not talked about. Stress and college seem to go together with each other. Just deciding where you want to go can be a stressful event, never mind the stress from finals or mid-terms. I am going to discuss some of the effects of stress that students have to deal with from one semester to the next.

As a private pilot, I view the world from an ever changing perspective. From cruising at five thousand feet looking down at the twinkling lights of Jones AT&T Stadium, to clipping the grass in the canyons east of Slaton while chasing after the glisten of sunshine on the stream, I appreciate every moment I have in the clouds. In 8th grade my parents purchased a discovery flight for me out of Georgetown Municipal Airport, northeast of Austin, Texas. As soon as the aircraft lifted off the ground my instructor nonchalantly handed me the controls. The pilot and I executed countless loops, rolls, and zero gravity maneuvers. Looking back, I realize just how irresponsible and unsafe this particular pilot was, considering that the instructor was piloting the non-aerobatic Cessna 172. However, without this experience I

College should be the best four years of our lives. Instead studies are showing that students are showing record levels of stress in regards to college. Academics, finances, family issues, and concerns with finding a job after graduation top the list of stressors. The Michigan State University student newspaper, The Independent Voice (Feb. 2013) noted that “more than half of college students reported above average or

“Enjoy this easy life while you have it, because once you get to college, no one cares how hard you have it.” This common phrase was preached to me throughout my high school years. It was instructed to me so often that I built a fear for college, although that I knew college would be my next step in life. It was a necessity for a successful future for myself. I dreaded the teachers, the social aspect, the homework, the exams, and the people. I became close-minded to something I had not even experienced yet. I allowed for that phrase to get inside my head and build a wall around the idea of college.

Every year more than 60% of students in community college are required to take reading, writing or most of the time math developmental courses (D, Hooker, 2011). According to the National Center for Education Statistics only 32% of high school graduates’ have college academic level (Betting, Long 2013). Developmental Education was described as “a comprehensive process that focuses on the intellectual, social, and emotional growth and development of all students” (D, Hooker, 2011). As a result, developmental courses were designed for new college students as a tool to assist them to improved their reading, writing and math skills and eventually be able to complete college level courses (Betting, Long 2013).

Freshman year, the year of many first; the first time living away from home, the first time being away from friends, the first time a student has control of their own learning. Freshman year requires a lot of discipline, but a lot of students do not possess this trait. The factors that contribute to the success of first year college students are social support, comfort within the college environment, self control,responsibiliy and positive self concept.

There are a vast majority of problems that students may encounter when transitioning from high school to college. For starters, college is extremely fast paced. Because students do not attend the same class every day, professors will expect you to be able to work at a much faster pace in order learn all the topics that need to be taught for the class. In order to get all the key points across, there are many weekly readings that professors assign to their students. While many students coming in to college may already be used to reading outside of the classroom, the amount of reading and the difficulty of

Life as a university student can be tough, but to make sure you get your money and times worth out of it you need to know how to be a successful student. Being a successful student requires a combination of attending your classes, doing your homework, and monitoring your level of stress. This may not sound too hard, but once you are in the moment and need to juggle all of these things along with all of the other responsibilities and challenges life entails it may begin to seem like a much more difficult task.