It's Time To Get To College

During my high school career I was able to make lots of friendships, but had few close friendships. I was unable to have a large amount of girlfriends, because I did not feel a good connection with them. Instead, I hung out with a group of guys and had two girlfriends who had similar life stories. When I was sixteen I started working and that was something I enjoyed doing to make money. Once high school was over I felt like I had so much to look forward to. When college came around I didn’t see the same people every day and had to make new friends here at Anderson. This was challenging for me, because the dorms are full of females which was something that I have not been used to.

Despite the fact that student’s desire is to gain a good education, some students fail their first year of college because they are not ready to pursue college life.

The transition from high school to college is a dynamic time in one’s life that parallels the change from childhood to adulthood. Both of these changes are dramatic and, as a result, feelings are difficult to put down into words. A messy combination of emotions fills the heart, surfacing in strange ways. Confident high school seniors go right back to the bottom of the chain when entering college as freshmen. These students start all over, just like entering grade school or high school for the first time. The move up from high school to college signals the switch from dependence to self-sufficiency. From a personal point of view, going through the experience of graduating high school and transferring to a residential college campus at STLCOP, made me realize I was no longer a kid and capable of making my own decisions.

“As many as one in three first-year students won't make it back for sophomore year” (“Freshmen retention rate”). It just so happened that I followed that statistic. Many colleges do not care much if students drop out or flunk out once their tuition checks have been cashed (Los Angeles Times).Growing up in a very strict household and attending private Catholic school, I was ready to spread my wings and fly. I was looking forward to that independence, my own rules and living on my own. I was enthusiastic to get started on my college journey. In my mind, I was about to live the dream. I would experience my own place to live, no rules, and get to hang out with friends! Oh, and college, too. I was not prepared to be so distracted

My friends and I study together as well as go places and hang out during the weekends. And to be honest, it has really helped calm me down. I frequently got burned out from studying or just felt defeated, but talking to people and doing social things is relaxing. I would say I had decent social capital when I entered NIU, I wasn’t an outcast, but I was not very outgoing. I really do think it is essential to be social and relax with friends, or else you can really put a strain on yourself. It also does not hurt to practice social skills and get to know people who could end up in positions of power. Relaxing and increasing your social capital are two very important aspects I have

“I’ve seen too many high school graduates who have gone off to college in September but are back home with mom and dad in December. And I’ve seen those who have made it through the first year but transferred back home to a community college for the second.” Lawrence B Schlack is a retired superintendent who strongly protests the idea that college is the only path to success and encourages students to take their time to decide whether or not they are ready to move on into the real world. In this generation, teenagers are made to think that without college, it is impossible to live a successful and prosperous life. Schlack claims that there are many paths to a successful life, and that seniors who can’t declare they are college bound are made to feel like failures. Schlack firmly supports his claims with multiple facts, examples, and statistics.

Everybody knows that after high school you attend college, right? College is expected from society that has been placed for decades; it’s what you do is what society expects with these expectations comes pressure. Pressure from peers, choosing the right college, group mind, and deciding whether or not if you would like to attend college. College is not for everyone, so when a student is pressured to attend college, they often drop out before the first semester ends. The pressure doesn’t end with the initial decision, it continues with course selection or declaring you’re major. So they attend college to find themselves, and to see what they’re interested in. In the 21st century, the pressure to attend college causes students to fall under the pressure and attend college even when it not the best fit for the student.

I was always the class clown and would never receive satisfactory grades on my report card. For a short period of time, I was the “disappointment” in the family. But after watching what my cousin went through, I realized that dropping out wasn’t an option. My cousin motivated me to change my ways in school and work harder. Although I had wished he never dropped out of high school and instead excel in an institution of higher learning, he turned me into a better student. Him dropping out made me realize I didn’t want to end up gangbanging in the streets, I would rather excel in academics and eventually attend an institution of higher learning. I made attending a four-year university my goal for the next four years of high school and I eventually accomplished that goal as I am now attending Syracuse

As important as academics are, it is equally important to be social. It is proven that when you don’t have friends and are only engulfed in schoolwork or other things, you will not be

“Every year, over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone. That's a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day. 25% of high school freshmen fail to graduate from high school on time.” But this year, as I talked to my fellow seniors about their future plans, I never once heard, “I’m not going to college.”

A recent difficult situation that I found myself in was in the beginning of my first semester at Beloit College. The transition from high school to college was intense and difficult for me. In order to adjust to the new environment I had to let go of my lifestyle outside of campus, therefore I had to set boundaries with my friends that currently attend high school. I wanted to feel comfortable in my new environment, learn more about the people and the campus itself. I felt as if stepping off of campus more often and only hanging out with the people that I already knew hindered me from growing. In order to not offend my friends I began to get more envolved on campus. Eventually my friends picked up the idea that I had other responsibilities

The next year, my junior year, I started to become a more social person. Not having the proper guidance to balance my education and social life, I started slacking. I pretty much gave up on school, moved out of my parents’ house at 17, and thought I had the world figured out. Somehow I still managed to graduate with a 3.2, but I never gave college a half a thought. I was busy being an idiot.

Going off to college involves important changes to your daily routine. The days you go to sleep and take naps, time-management skills, and stress levels will be changed in a way. And although it’s been barely five months since I left high school and home, I’m expected to be much more independent. College life has become more competitive. It’s much harder to get into college and expensive. Balancing classes, tests, and work are enough to make anyone, such as myself, to feel overwhelmed. Especially with final exams in October. While in college, your focused-on school work and exams, but also having healthy relationships are important. When talking about healthy relationships, it’s sometimes focused on romanticism and bonding. Having healthy friendships

In high, I talked to everyone I was not popular, but I socialized with everyone because I played sports. So, I was had a few teammates in my classes and well hanged out with them at brunch or lunch. Now attending college it is a bit more harder to socialize and make friends because it is more serious, a student tends to be busy with schooling or if not their job. I stayed socializing and making friends because I play soccer so, my teammates I spend time with them two hours a day with them. Even after practice we still hang and also, I keep communication with my classmates that I sit next to me so, I still socialize with many people in college.

My student involvement on campus has given me the feeling of being more than just a number at UNCC. The idea of making friends was a big concern for me during my freshman year because of the size of the campus and student body. Fortunately, it was made easier once I stepped out my comfort zone and began to join a few organizations. By networking through organizations, I could find people who I shared similar interest with. I did not have pretend to be someone else, or fabricate stories to make myself sound interesting. By staying true to myself, I met wonderful people that I still talk to today. I even met one of my friends at The Example. Walking around campus is no longer lonesome or frightening because now I recognize people. Going to sports