My Academic Career : Training For A Marathon

College is an opportunity to truly discover who you are. Often enough, you hear people saying “You should really major in this field, I think you would really enjoy this career.” or, “Do you think you really want to study that? Have you thought about what you will be doing ten years from now?” filling your mind with self doubt, uncertainty, and the anxiousness of not knowing what you want to do with the rest of your life. Mark Edmundson wrote an article titled, Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?, published in Oxford American addressing college students and their families how the most important thing college students should focus on is personal growth. When students take their courses seriously their engagement can help finding out who they really are and which future career will lead not necessarily to great financial success, but to a career and life that is very satisfying. Edmundson wants to inspire his audience and have them take what he is saying seriously. Edmundson uses satirical informal language and hypothetical situations to effectively persuade college students to focus on their personal growth in order to create a life and career that is deeply fulfilling.

The thought of college is often overwhelming and fills a person’s head full of anxiety and stress. If you look back on what you have accomplished up to this point in your life this large step in life suddenly seems much smaller. I have been going to the same small private school all my life so many people could argue that I have been sheltered for most of my life or see the world through “tunnel vision.” Now all of this is entirely true, but throughout my high school years I have gradually become more of the person who I am today. For example, my junior year English teacher assigned my class the daunting task of a junior thesis. At first I thought this assignment was simply busy work and had no meaning to it, but as I began to pick a topic and research it I began to discover a possible

“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

I entered my school academically oriented and athletically lackadaisical. But after seeing how the school took inner-city kids and taught them that athletic victory and academic victory lead to success, I decided to be victorious in both ways… and this meant hard work. Sophomore year it meant playing piano for school-wide chapel every week and tutoring Rico, our soccer team’s goalie, in Pre-Calculus. Junior year it meant starting the school’s first book club, joining the wrestling team, and gaining ten pounds of muscle in the gym. And senior year it meant becoming a varsity soccer captain, winning our team’s first Regional Championship, and being the first student in the school’s history to receive the AP Scholar Award… though I still struggle with Spanish and Tupac references here and

Embedded in my psyche as a child was the fact that college was my only option after high school. This parental sentiment was synonymous with a phrase as simple as “tie your shoes.” For me, high school graduation would be a standard occurrence, but my college graduation would be celebrated. The college I would attend required thoughtful consideration because it will be my rite of passage. When I dreamt of my intended college, I knew it would be set in a beautiful city, bustling with energy, and full of consciously creative people. I didn’t know if my university campus would be urban or suburban, but I knew it would spark excitement, fulfill my need to connect with a global community, and offer several opportunities to propel me to the top of

Gradually, this expectation became a looming thought in my mind; What would I be getting out of my education, if expectations were low, and pushing the boundaries of these expectations in place was ground I had already covered? I craved more intense challenges, intellectually and creatively— creativity corresponding with my chosen field of study. The school itself isn’t inadequate in offering these challenges, but as someone who came from a beginning of competition, I felt out of place, and that I had more potential to discover and to explore. Following suit, I realized I simply needed a place that would have me use that potential, and then to go beyond that. I never wanted an easy degree; I have the ambition to struggle and to be pushed forward in new directions to find the best of myself, especially in the career field I

Although I stumbled quite a bit along the way, taking courses that challenged me mentally, making grades that aren’t indicative of my true performance in a course while searching for a major and career I would be passionate about, at least I was afforded a chance to do so. My education became more than just an academic pursuit; it became

The gap year after high school is becoming more popular among America’s youth. The amount of programs that are available to them is enormous. These programs allow students to explore what they actually may want to pursue in the future, aid them in choosing the appropriate college, and degree program. Though it may not be for everyone more and more colleges are highly recommending that students take a gap year to eliminate the burnt out feeling that most endure after 12 years of study. Colleges strongly recommend that if a gap year is to occur that there is to be strong solid plan in place. Students should take a gap year before college because it is statistically proven that they are more successful when returning to college; it allows for their maturity to grow, and allows them to become more aware of other cultures.

I had no idea. That moment I knew I needed time for myself. I needed to take a minute and re-evaluate who I am as a person and what I really want in life. Calling my parents and explaining this realization, we decided a gap year wasn't a bad idea. Kids did it all the time, yes it wasn’t convenient, but it’s what I needed. So far this gap year I have realized there is so much out there that I want to explore and understand. There are career fields I haven't even been exposed to yet that might peak my interest. I'm taking this year to look at myself and understand what I want. So far I've found passion in criminal justice. Through working with a local anti human sex trafficking organization, I have found that fighting this worldwide epidemic is something that peaks my interest and that I can see myself doing for a long, long

Throughout my high school career, I had the goal to graduate and then attend college. For a large part of my four years in high school, I was unsure as to what type of undergraduate program I wanted to be in. Nevertheless, I continued to work hard in all my classes. My motivation to do well in school was not only fueled by my goal of achieving a respectable GPA, but also my thirst to gain a vast amount of knowledge. I took a wide variety of classes within my high school career, only narrowing my classes to gear towards my chosen college major during my senior year. I took what I learned in high school to springboard me into college.

I’m a sophomore in college, I attend Syracuse University, and this year was the year I became very busy and involved on campus. My first year at Syracuse University was eventful, however now as I right this essay, I can only foresee that there’s going to much more ahead of me as I continue my education and reach for my goals. I consider myself a dreamer, and an ambitious one at that. When I set my mind to something there’s no doubt that it’ll get done or happen. While last year I was on the deans list twice – and plan to be on it again this year, wrote a major article for a campus magazine, and volunteered for a mentor organization, I felt like there was a lot more I could and should be doing.

Those years in college, even though they were difficult, were the best years according to many students. Those years might have been hard and somewhat regretful, but students are students and people make mistakes. “Any notion of the best years comes from clichéd “should have…,” “if id…,” “wish id…” ”(2). Maybe someone missed some assignments here and there; maybe a person stayed out too late at a party, but those are the time's everyone needs to cherish because once college is over that feeling of loneliness can creep in. That thought of having to make up one's mind when he/she has never had to choose before sets in and it's overwhelming. One must not lose that feeling of “The Opposite of Loneliness”: “impressed, humbled, and scared” when moving on.

Time is a precious commodity. You graduate from high school and find yourself needing to get that ticket to your career. You are ready to start getting paid for your time, but you must have that ticket to a higher paying job to be able to start out on your own. The decision to travel down a four-year-long road to that ticket, a college degree, is a tough proposition for someone who just four years before was in junior high school. Four years is one fifth of an eighteen year old teenager’s life. However, this road, although its long, is an opportunity for the college student to

For many, after graduating high school the next big step is college. I never asked myself why or if I even wanted to. Yet, since I was not yet ready to join the work force, and didn’t want to disappoint my parents, I simply followed the path that I was supposed to take. For a while I had no direction, but through the loss of my high school English teacher and my dream of making my family proud, I discovered that college was the place I wanted and needed to be.

Robert Clagett, a former dean of admissions at Middlebury College and former senior admissions officer at Harvard College stats that “students end up “reinventing” themselves during their gap year, discovering where their true interests and talents lie.” (Clagett) A student who studied at Harvard University experienced a gap year off and was able to explore her insights for her personal interests. During her gap year of, she “toured South America with an ice-skating company and later took a trip to Russia.” (Harvard University) She gained a deeper understanding of the world relating to her major and carrier that she is pursuing. Students can remove “themselves from the lock-step mentality that can too often characterize the high school experience” (Clagett) during the gap year. With the opportunity an time given by the gap year, students tend to be more certain about the direction that they are heading and are willing to work harder as they already acknowledge