My College Journey

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.

My life has been like a dark maze. I have absolutely no idea what's around the next corner. Each path I've taken has lead me to one of two things. Something fantastic that I'll enjoy and remember or something I wished never happened that I can forget. That's why I'm scared to take the next step because I don't know what will happen to me. However a few years ago I learned to give to give each step a chance, no matter how far back that step will take me. Being a senior this year a cartoon word has been shoved in my face a hundred times a week. That word is college. Just getting into college is a challenge. Thinking about all my test scores, GPA, applications is enough to give me a migraine. If just getting into a good college is this hard, I

In a few short months I will be 900 miles away from my friends, 900 miles away from my family, and 900 miles from my favorite coffee shop. All of the familiarity will vanish as I am immersed into a new city with unfamiliar faces and absurd street names. I am fortunate, however, to be able to live among thousands of other freshmen who are learning how to “do life” on their own for the first time. Living in Cougar Village II will place me right into a community of academically motivated individuals who will shortly become my second family.

Going into college, I expect many challenges. The biggest challenge I expect is all of the environmental changes. For eight years now, I’ve been attending Julia R. Masterman School. For eight years, I’ve seen the same people, at the same place, every single day. Every day, I’ve woken up to the same daily routine. I wake up, go to school, come home, eat, sleep, and then repeat. Usually, there’s someone to wake me or feed me, but in college, there won’t be. Ultimately, I’ll be responsible for myself and everything single thing that involves me.

“If you want to continue your education, you should go to the local community college like everyone else here and be a teacher, daycare worker, or nurse. You really cannot afford anything else, and why would you want to leave home?” These are the general comments I heard when the time arrived for me to decide my future after high-school. As if to the echo their words, I was rejected at big name colleges and waitlisted at the out-of-state college I would eventually attend. With my mom being a single mother and I as a McDonald’s employee, it was also true that my family could not afford the price tag of an expensive college. Following the path expected of me would have been easier, but I wanted to see another side of the world and experience something new. This is why I left my hometown to attend a liberal arts college where I knew no one and would make a fresh start. However, striving to be an individual in a society imposing conformation and perfection has been the greatest obstacle I have had to overcome.

While attending a new school provided a challenge both socially and academically, the two combined at once made me question my own ability to handle so much change in such short period of time. In my first semester, however, I found that this new environment pushed me in ways necessary for personal growth. While I continued to challenge myself academically, enrolled in two college courses and one AP class, I also took the initiative to open a

My decision to start college can't be summed up in a few words or even a few experiences.

Rushing my senior year, I couldn’t wait to start college. On May 30th 2015, I walked across the stage graduating from high school anticipating this new journey. Looking forward to college parties, new faces, and new opportunities I could hardly sleep. After getting settled into my dorm, I began to tour my new home. Excited young men and women crowded my vision, and I knew we all had one thing in common: we were entering into a whole new world in which we knew nothing about. If only there was someone who could have prepared us for the long lines in the financial aid office, or how we would grow tired of the cafeteria food, or even how to dress for Texas’ bipolar weather. No one informed us on how to survive.

I have been attending your school for the past few weeks and loving every minuate of it. Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to continue due to the financial situation that my mother and myself are under. Being a Senior at Ponte Vedra Highschool, I am about to continue my education in college and with that the debt that amounts upthrough student loans. After talking with the bank and other finicial institutions, they have stated that I can either get my loans for college or to finish my flight training. My love for flying began when I started playing football at the age of 11. During my football games I would stop playing on the defensive line to watch a plane land at the airport across the street. After watching these planes for two years,

When entering high school, I was satisfied with fitting in and just finding a career that I would enjoy; however, high school has enhanced my ambition and pushed me to set bigger goals and higher aspirations. I currently plan on graduating from college with a major in chemical engineering and then working to contribute discoveries and improvements to scientific technology.

When I came to the college. I don’t have any close friend same faculty. It so hard to live alone when the time past and past. it made me felt homesick all the time. I really love my family. they always cheer up me when I tired. when I have gone to practice a softball. I have to know and make a friend each other. Everyone really difference part of my life because we don’t grew up in the same town. Softball play as team. we have to get along with us because the harmony of team is important. If they have a harmony we will win. Sport can make a friend and have activities to do when I am free. This cause it makes me don’t stay alone. I have a friend to hang out with and sign up for a class in the same section. When we have a

I do not doubt that I am prepared for college I have taken several AP and dual-enrollment classes so, unlike other kids, I do not fear the course load or even the transition into college. I fear to face the same problems that black students often face in higher education. Black students often face marginalization and deal with negative stereotypes alongside criticism from peers and educators. Learning can become a chore when dealing with negativity every day. I have learned in my 17 years that anger will not solve the problem nor will tears. In the past, I have joined clubs whose main goal is to increase equity: club alpha, NAACP, VHS Equity team. I have been involved with club Alpha since I was in my freshmen year of high-school students of

There are many expectations surrounding college. Everyone is eager for independence, a fresh start, or any other aspect that differs from their current life. I expect many things from college, but the most prevalent of these is change. My life will be immensely different this upcoming fall, and with all the stress surrounding college, I am choosing to embrace the positive. Despite how nervous I am to meet hundreds of new people and deal with an unfamiliar experience, I know that I will adjust. Among all the changes I’ll face this year, I’m most excited to learn and get involved. Whether it’s something as simple as making a friend, or something as difficult as traversing a new subject, I know I’ll accomplish great things.

I was motivated to come to college because of how I grew up watching my parents struggling. My parents immigrated from Mexico before I was born, the older I get the more I realize the immense sacrifices they have made for me. It’s very important to me that I give myself the future that they fought for me to have. Not only did I know their struggle was for me, I also knew that the only way to not struggle like they did was to continue my education and better myself. I grew up in a small american town in the southern states, as a person of color I realized I had to work much harder than others to succeed half as much as they do. I was motivated by how people underestimated me. I was motivated to come to college because of myself. I get to

When I was a kid, school for me was waking up early in the morning. I also have to study a lot in school, then after school I have to do homework. I remember my first day at school. My mom and dad, both were so happy and prepared but I was so nervous and cheerless. I didn’t like to wake up early in the morning for school , but as time flew by I started loving school which made me wake up with energy instead of tiredness. I began to enjoy the school as I made new friends and I got to know how it is like when you meet people out of your neighborhood. With my friends I had lunch together and study together. I started to understand what the purpose of the education system. Based on what I understood I think the purpose of education is really aimed at helping students get to the point where they can learn to be on their own. In this journey of education I had a lot of positive and few negative experiences,but the negative experiences also helped me growing. Positive experiences are my teachers helping me improve, and I improved more when I moved to the United States.