My College Experience

During the first semester of my college experience, I believe taking Composition 1 greatly improved my skills as a writer. The confidence I have in my writing ability has soared, my time and stress management has improved when taking on an assignment, and I have learned several techniques and tools that will carry on in my future writings. From the beginning of the semester I underestimated the depth topic exploration, drafting, and revision had on the success of a final essay. However, I believe I have successfully organized my thoughts to coherently write each essay from early on. I took every process assignment seriously to help determine what techniques work for me, and I stuck with what worked through the remainder of the semester.

Even though the thought of college makes me quiver, I know I’ll get through it. Dr. Randall wrote the article, How to Survive Your College Years, he’s one of the most distinguished, comprehensive career coaches. There’s a majority of college students that become homesick or just feel like they don’t belong, Dr. Hansen says, “it’s a big problem for a lot of students.” (Hansen) Getting involved in clubs, fraternities, or sports teams is a great way for college students to get connected, make new friends, and learn something new. College students are expected to attend class regularly, remember due dates, meet with their professor, and spend an abundance of time on homework. (Hansen) “Don’t tip the balance,” says Dr. Hansen, referring to students having a robust balance between social and academic happenings.

Living alone, away from home is a challenge millions of students have to undergo each year across the globe. It is like starting kindergarten again. You are entering a new place, with new people, starting a new phase of your life. After being separated form your parents, some may cry, others will run with joy at the taste of independence. However, as hard as it may be for some to admit it, they will miss their family and previous way of living. This is why finding the right college is so important to students. They have to feel comfortable in the new environment.

The biggest challenges from transitioning from college life to the real world will be realizing that you are on your own. Even though you may have friends and family to motivate and help you, no one can do what you can do for yourself. When you're in college, you experience a bit of the real world. You meet all types of people that have different beliefs and traditions. In college, you begin to understand more about who you are and what you want. But you have to know the difference between your wants and needs. Your wants could be mistaken for your needs. Best way to get through college without going completely insane is managing your time and work. You have to relax and breathe. Although it's fun to spend time with friends and share some laughs and conversations, it can cause a problem if you are choosing those times over choosing to do your work, read or something do productive to change your life for the best. If you write a routine and follow through it, you will begin to notice a change in your life. Exercise more and eat healthy to cleanse your body. Scientist have

Fear is not a word that was in my typical vocabulary, as most people who know me I was very active throughout my highschool years. I participated in many things such as Student Council,Cheer,Band, and other extracurriculars. To do most of these you are expected to have courage and so on. One thing I understand now more than ever is that you never leave what you can do today for tomorrow, the opportunities might be gone. Many things would go through my mind these past months before I had to start college in the fall. It finally hit me that I was becoming an adult with many responsibilities ahead of me. This didn’t seem to bother me much since I kinda had everything figured out or so I thought. I wasn’t the first of my siblings to graduate. I forecasted I would have the help I needed occasionally throughout my college journey. As the days went by college registrations were getting closer than ever. I honestly was super excited to be back in school with familiar faces and even to meet new ones. The news I would be receiving two-weeks before I officially started college really set me back physically and emotionally. By this time I had met someone I’ve never in a million years thought I would meet my new friend fear.

People say once you graduate college to prepare yourself for the real world ahead of you. Going to college was the real world I was eager to experience after high school. The ability to be more independent and give the courage I already have to others surrounded around me. Attending Montclair State University has helped me recognize both my strengths and weaknesses throughout my college experience. Without those setbacks, I wouldn’t have been able to learn different approaches in order to be successful. These top ten lessons focused on preparation skills, communication, and passion.

I never in a million years imagined that I would be a sophomore in college at Forest Park at seventeen. I imagined myself at McKinley surrounded by a bunch of seniors trying not to catch the dreaded senioritis. College wasn't on my mind when I was handed a letter containing the greatest opportunity that I've had and possibly the greatest I will ever have. I was chosen to be a guinea pig for a new upcoming program that would allow juniors in high school to take community college classes on campus instead of attending their old high school. Participants were enrolled in both their old high school and at Forest Park but would only take classes on campus. They were allowed to have the freedom to do after school activities and sports at their high school. The program would allow participants to graduate in two years with a high school diploma and an associate's degree completely free with no strings attached.

Being in college is way different then it was when you were in high school. In high school some students take it as all fun and games but once you hit college every decision you make will affect you in your life. College is where someone people start to get their life together. To succeed you need to make a survival skill that will help you get through college and achieve. Skills such as having an agenda that will help you put your priorities straight and on task. Also being careful who you let in your life for they can’t drag you down. Not only that, but make sure you make time for you to study that way you will be prepared for any surprise such as pop quizzes or assignments. For instance, When I was about to start my first year in college I had people telling me to just take one or two classes first. As hard headed I was I didn’t listen and went straight into full time classes. Not only did I notice I should’ve listen but now I completely understand where they were coming from. My head was exploding when I notice how pack and overwhelmed I was getting because I didn't had time to do every little thing I had to do on time.

So this is the paper on what I have learned personally through my first semester of college. Throughout the beginning of my first semester I tried to treat it like high school. High school for me was always a breeze the teachers were decent the classes were filled with people I don’t really like but act like I do for the sake of getting through each day, the curriculum was easy, and nothing really stressed me out. College, as I learned was an entirely different monster. The classes were full of people who I didn’t know and who probably wouldn’t bat an eye if I showed up with my hair messed up or my clothes wrinkled. Full of faces that are only there to take notes and pass a test. That was the biggest adjustment, people don’t care about other people. Theyre there for themselves and their own personal agenda is what comes first. The initial feeling of being by myself was weird, it didn’t matter what the person next to me was doing nor did it matter what you were doing. Every choice you made was solely reliant on you. In high school if you pull out your phone the teacher gets onto you and takes it away. In college if you want to waste time on your phone you can, people do it consistently too. I’ve seen people playing games on their laptops, watching soccer games, instant messaging their mom. There is a lot of not paying attention for some people and at the beginning of the year I would occasionally get on Instagram or snapchat instead of paying attention because I still had

This week has been one interesting, hectic experience. Every since I came back to my father’s place after summer break from graduating, I had did nothing but apply for Columbia Southern University. Afterwards, I applied for FAFSA to get government grants to pay for my college considering I was no longer in High School. During August, I did not anything the entire time until school started online. Whenever I received the Critical Thinking (Third Edition) book through the mail, I knew I needed to learn more responsibilities. First week of my online classes passed by and then everything started to form together.

I feel that I have grown exponentially my first semester at UMD. Reading the letter I wrote to myself at the beginning of the semester, I realized that I didn’t have anything extraordinary to say to myself. The person I have evolved into over the past months is a lot more aware of the future and how the actions I make truly do affect those around me. Also, academically, I have learned about the educational system, the life around us, and how to relieve stress in my life. I can apply this knowledge my life and teach others about what I have learned. I am so blessed to have received an outstanding education.

This semester was a journey I was not expecting. It turned out to be completely different from what I imagined, and I still can't decide if it turned out better or worse than I expected. At the beginning of the semester I was a constantly anxious and angry person, which happens to me every time after a long break. Coming to Capstone class I didn't know what to expect and how it will be connected to the field I am studying in. I am still confused about what exactly I learned in this class, but I will be describing everything I learned this semester from my outside of classroom commitments. In the middle of the semester I received a job offer with a City of Bridgeport. It was a 3-month finance internship with the office of Small and Minority Businesses. My classes were always my main priorities, however, once I accepted the offer, I knew that I'm not only representing myself, but my employer is judging the whole school based on my performance. This led me to the first change I've made this semester: change of priorities. This is important if I want to live a balanced and fulfilling life. Many people are successful in their career but don't have good relationships with their family because of wrong priorities. They put things like money and reputation above their relationships. And I used to do that a lot. My classes, work, and other commitments were always above any social interactions, whether it was family or friends. Yet, I realized that I do not fill accomplished if I

There have been a few places where I been uncomfortable and have noticed many people’s mindsets such as being a growth or fixed mindset. The two places I will talk about where I have been the most uncomfortable are college and on the city bus. I will talk about what I’ve heard and I what I learned about how people think and how that can affect what others think about that person.

Now to recount my college chapter I would have to say that it didn’t end so successfully. I began as a freshman at the University of Washington-Bothell (UWB) campus. There I followed the general path all freshmen went through; completing their prerequisites and adjusting to college life. I was like many students, still unsure of what I wanted to pursue in college but a key factor of college is exploration. However, as the year went by I slowly started to notice that the vision I had of attending this college was not what I expected. I felt that the courses laid out to freshman weren’t beneficial as they combined the essential disciplines of say math, history, English, and science into one class they like to call ‘Discovery Core’. Of course, you are selected to choose a pre-major of your choice where you would be taking the classes you’ll need to complete the set of requirements for that major. At the time I was thinking about going into the STEM field as it was something I enjoyed doing during high school. I took the beginning series of Computer Science and going into the class it wasn’t a problem it was the end of the quarter that caught me off guard; the finals.

I hope to handle the challenge of adjusting to a new environment with minimal setbacks through thorough research and preparation. In order to make the transition from high school to college easier, I will stay grounded and connected to my roots in my town, but I will branch out and see all that my new college environment has to offer. I plan to fully immerse myself in the college community by becoming involved in various clubs, organizations, and activities. Additionally, I will stay organized to eliminate the stress that the change may bring. It is important for me to challenge myself so that I can find my highest potential in a new setting.