My Educational Path, Internship Experience, Community Involvement, And Academic Motivation

When I was accepted into the Rappahannock Scholars program in the school year of 2013-2014, I began to think differently and transitioned into a mature young adult. Before entering the program, I had considered the academic qualifications to get into college to be the most important. This program, and the advisor, taught me that colleges look for more than just academic interests. They are also interested in work experiences, leadership opportunities, club memberships, and honors and awards.

Throughout 9th and 10th grade, I have worked very hard academically. Yet, as I am about to venture into 11th grade, I feel as though I am ready for a challenge. Truthfully, the thought of starting college at the age of 16 sounded just like the type of challenge I needed. Furthermore, there are three main reasons why I want to attend the Mary Baldwin Early College: because I am seeking an academic challenge, because I believe that the Mary Baldwin Early College will help me to achieve my career ambitions, and because the Mary Baldwin Early college offers everything I hope to experience at a college.

The academics are about personal achievement, cutting-edge discovery, and community involvement, with students and lifelong learners selecting from a stunningly diverse array of possibilities, and that is more than enough to attract me. One academic major that I am especially interested in joining is Computer Science, a major that is shared throughout all three campus locations. There are a few factors that determine my choice for this major, one which is my prominent interest in math, a subject in which I believed do very remarkable in. As someone who enjoys math, I take pleasure in performing mental challenges and analyzing problems in order to solve them. Another factor for my choice in Computer Science is my interest in technology. There's no doubt that technology has helped improve our lives and it's only getting more advanced as the days go by. For example, Rutgers University is in possession of the latest technologies and state-of-the-art research facilities that assist students with their education. As the world is connected and driven mostly by technology nowadays, I desired to discover more about the technological world around me. Therefore, by studying Computer Science, I will learn how to utilize technology in assisting other fields and helping solve different types of issues. In addition, I relish in tinkering with items to see how they function. Finally, the Computer Science major at the New Brunswick branch of Rutgers University offer a program in which an undergraduate can earn both a Bachelor and a Master's degree in a short amount of time, thus graduating with two degrees, which will help launch me right into a great career, one that will help make a difference in the

Furthermore, with the skills acquired from the college, I can aid not only myself, but others around me to move forward in technological advances and work for an ever growing future. Not only that, but I am yearning to observe how deep my passion for technology will bring me into learning in the Computer Science Major. No matter how challenging the course may be or how difficult it is to comprehend at first, nothing is impossible and will not stop me from my way of benefiting others around

My time in undergrad served as a challenging, engaging, eye-opening, and an ultimately unforgettable experience. Being culturally inclined, I joined and became president of Purdue’s only multicultural sorority, Lambda Phi Xi. My need for service excellence in the community led me to become an event coordinator for Tippecanoe Villa, a resident home for elderly and disabled individuals. While I was highly engaged in my social and leadership opportunities, my studies proved to be a different matter entirely. Imagine, for a moment, losing your biggest supporter in life. Imagine being the only person you have ever known to attend college. Then, imagine having a scholarship that only provided you with eight consecutive semesters to graduate with no chance to take time off to find your

“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

As a first generation college student, I found it quite difficult navigating through a four year institution during years I attended Northwestern State University. From the struggles of financial stability to the challenge of balancing school and personal life with little to no guidance, the journey through my collegiate career was quite troublesome to say the least. As an African American male with a father who was incarcerated, I already felt as if a stigma had been placed on me that I would succumb to the typical stereotype of multiple children out of wedlock and the distribution of narcotics as a primary source of income. With that in my mind and the hopes of my family on my shoulders, I set out and accomplished my goal of graduating from

When I was in eighth grade, I wanted to attend Northwestern University to follow in my band directors footsteps and study Music Education. Unfortunately, I encountered a number of problems freshman year. Due to these problems, I quit band, and did not see college as an attainable option so I gave up on going to college. During my Junior year, I realized that college was an something I wanted to do so I decided to do whatever it took to be ready by graduation. During my junior year, I went on a college visit to UW-Oshkosh. However, the campus didn’t impress me and I became discouraged about post high school education. Everything changed when I attended Northwestern University on a college a at the beginning of the school year. Originally,

Today’s college students have the opportunity and freedom to choose their major and their career path. Many factors influence the decision of a college student’s career paths including background, general interests, personal strengths, time commitment, and job outlook. Although many important decisions are made in college, one of the most important is the choice of major and career track. Out of hundreds of majors the science and engineering fields are under-represented by women. Although the numbers of women in science technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM, majors has been increasing in the past years, women still are in the minority in the STEM fields. In her study, Lona Whitmarsh

A way I have made my community better by going to school and then furthering my career in college. Thus makes my community better in the interest of younger kids in the community by showing them that they can also finish school and get a degree. Numerous students dropped out or would join gangs and in our community that is a big problem that we can all eliminate by influencing the younger generations to finish school and get a degree.

During my internship program, I had the opportunity to talk to my worksite administrators about the quantity and quality of old and new initiatives been implemented throughout the school year. After more than fifteen years of experience of each of the three assistant principals, they agreed that a leader should never request an educator to implement a new strategy or initiative without eliminating some of that teacher’s workload first. For my first objective on the SIE for Jefferson Elementary School, my plan of action would be to allocate the Human Resources in specific tasks and specific subject areas to ease the load of teaching several academic courses successfully. There are so many things, programs, technology, and other initiatives that could be put in use to help

Computer Science, Software Engineering and Information Systems are international qualifications, enabling people to work globally, and in a very broad variety of roles. There is steady growth in demand for technically adept and flexible IT graduates. Declining student enrollment, while growth continues in law, medicine, biology, economics, and business; the decline among women is particularly alarming (Klawe and Shneiderman 27). Computer science is now a part of everyone’s daily life through the innovations and technologies it enables. From transforming health care to enabling a more robust national defense, computer science is on the forefront of discovery, driving economic growth and transforming our

The moment that I discovered Simon’s Rock, I was inspired by the broad-minded and innovative foundation of the school. I had been spending an immense amount of time and energy in search of an institution that recognized the potential of young scholars and shifted the paradigm that one must be of a certain age before expanding their knowledge. Mid-day on January 27, 2014, I opened my e-mail account expecting to see a new message from the Brown University Summer Pre-College Program to which I was applying, only to discover something far greater than I had thought possible. In capitalized crimson letters, the email read, “START COLLEGE. NOW.” With these three simple words, I knew that my quest for higher education was not in vain.

I sat in the auditorium at Mount St. Mary’s University with about 400 of my new classmates, and the fact that I was a first-year student in college became my new reality. My family drove away after a few tears were shed, and I was left to navigate myself through the awkward ice breakers, overwhelming amount of information during New Student Orientation, and subpar meals in the dining hall. Attending a four year institution was always the next step for me after high school, and I thought I was ready to take on the challenge. Despite my outgoing personality and independent outlook on life, my first semester of college was eye opening and somewhat discouraging. For the majority of the first year, my student experience was tainted by my struggles in many aspects of life: deciding my major, the pressures of being a Division 1 athlete, and the difficulty of balancing a social life and school work. When I went home for Christmas break, I was forced to make a decision. Do I transfer home to my local community college or stay at The Mount? I chose the latter, and soon learned that student services and help from academic advisors was the key to engagement and success. Through student observation and interaction, it is apparent that first-year retention rates are affected by many factors. In order to increase retention rates, two key areas in which administrators should center their focus are student services and early intervention practices, which in turn will create a more positive

College students everywhere are being faced with problems such as what school to attend, financial issues, staying on a degree plan, the change of scenery, and much more once they reach a university, because they are unprepared for the change they are about to undertake. Many are so used to how things work in a junior college that when they get to a university, they are blindsided with whole new situations.