In American society, higher education has become the standard and all over the country young people are being told just how important and necessary this extended learning is. The question is: why? Mark Edmundson, author of “Who Are You and What Are You Doing Here?”, tackles this question with full-force in his essay about making the most of your college learning. Within the essay, Edmundson’s purpose is to inspire a new way of thinking for students just beginning their college education. He gives the readers a personal account of self-discovery amidst the depravity of academics, and emphasizes that this is one of the most important parts of the college experience.
One of my personal experiences that I had was when my family decided to move from New Jersey to Florida. I never planned on moving with them but my mother basically forced me into moving with them. It wasn’t really all that moving stuff because the new house was actually pretty nice, it was just I had all my friends there and I was doing well in school. Nothing I said convinced my mother so after a week of packing we was off to Florida. The first week being there was a horrible week. Nothing was going right for me, I missed the school bus for a whole week, dropped my milk on my new shoes, and tripped over nothing in lunch. It was just trying to move back but parents always have this life lesson speech about trying to make new friends and try to get used to being here until we move again. It’s been about a month since we moved to Florida and I met about zero friends but I got used to living here since I’ve found something that interested me as an after school hobby and that was fishing. There’s barley any lakes or ponds in New Jersey so fishing wasn’t really something you do as a time waster. I usually fished right after I got home but on that day it was rainy and it wasn’t really a good time to fish so I just decided to practice my free shots until it started raining hard. I think I was outside for about 20minutes and suddenly a couple kids from my new school asked if they can shoot
To make sure that students get to know everyone, I will ask students at the beginning of activities to talk to at least three people that they don’t know. To also help with this I will ask students at activities to form a group
Meeting new people is a major reason for furthering my education at college. Although school isn’t necessarily about socializing, it does play an important role in the human need for interaction. Well-informed people can connect with
Sick and tired of not knowing why the majority of college students gravitate to earlier classes? Let’s just say these “Speedy Gonzales’s” with coffee in hand, who are early to bed and early to rise, can give any college student a new perspective. After a thorough investigation, I was informed on the luxury of having a good sleep and breakfast, a quieter campus, and smaller classes with the rest of the day to do as you please and missing the fully rested beauty sleepers ready for a gossip fest.
College is an intimidating challenge that has encouragement to achieve success. According to Dr. Randall S. Hansen, a professor with a Ph.D. along with being a marketer and the founder of Quintessential Careers, he examined and explained how students react and that failure occurs too often. Your First Year of College: 25 Strategies and Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year and Beyond; he expressed thoughts on how to succeed through such a tough part in life: college. “Be sure you set aside some time and activities that help you relax and take the stress out of your day or week” Dr. Hansen explained the college experience for people to be exciting, yet beneficial. Reading this article, helped me understand that it is essential
For many, their first semester in college is characterized by the excitement of leaving home for the first time, collegiate activities, and a small amount of academically induced stress. To the well prepared—the people who worked hard, and had the intelligence, to do will in high school—the first semester of college is just a review concepts already mastered. My story is different.
Life is a journey and I wasted part of it. My freshmen year I was thinking the same thing that the vast majority of other high school students were, “When does school end?” This attitude, where I prioritized personal entertainment and immediate satisfaction as a priority over the hypothetical bump in the road that I chose to ignore, is what led me to get a ~2.3 GPA my freshman and sophomore year. I spent my after school hours spending as much time playing video games as I could and trying to put in as little effort as I could into school while still getting a grade that would not completely disappoint my family. According to source 1, “about 25% of freshmen fail to graduate high school on time.” I was on that path. During my summer after sophomore year, I decided to start looking into colleges and what requirements they had to enroll, and I was shocked at what I found. I found that in my position I would not enroll in the large majority of the universities that peaked my interests. It was this sudden realization that hit me, like a tsunami of life crashing down on me, making me realize that I was wasting my potential and making things more difficult for myself. I had always been so wrapped up in the quests that were made for me in the games that I played, that I became heedless to the most epic quest of all, such being the quest of life. I believe that my realization that my future depends upon the decisions I make, what I wanted from my future, and how close it really is
In an article posted by Jessica Kane, there is a direct quote by Debra Lipson who stated “don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. Try new things. Remember everyone is in the same boat as you are and they’re just as nervous!” College is the place where a person goes to study about the major he or she desires. The knowledge received here equips the person so that they can dedicate the rest of their life to their preferred job field. Even though many hear that the college experience is cool because of the parties, games, and other fun activities, it is not an easy phase as it requires dedication and a lot of time to study and complete assignments so one can earn good grades. This is a beautiful experience that college offers and not everyone is fortunate to have such an experience. Therefore, one should take advantage and benefit from it.
For many, there is nothing more important than to have the acceptance and unconditional love from your mother, sadly this was not my experience. I remember the day that changed my life forever as if it were yesterday. I was 18 years old and I did not feel well. I smoked a cigarette to calm my frantic nerves before I walked into the clinic. I sat in the old and dreary waiting room and awaited my fate. The nurse called my name and I stood up as if I just won an award. As instructed, I took a urine test and sat with disbelief as I waited for the results that would determine my future. The Dr. entered the cold and sterile room and looked at me with disappointment as he questioned my sexual activity. “Ms. Fuentes, are you sexually active? “ “Yes, I am”. “Do you only have one partner? “Yes, I do. “Have you missed your period “? Yes
I’ve never thought of myself as a hero. I never will. However, I must admit that what happened one summer day changed my life forever. When people ask me, “What was going through your mind” or, ”How did it feel” I can't give them a simple answer. Saving someone’s life, while putting your own in jeopardy, is an experience, not a story.
I’m a young woman who’s trying to get her life together and the process of being successful isn’t easy. I currently attend Nassau community colleges, every day, from Monday-Saturday, and it’s no joke, between waking up in the morning, trying to walk to take the bus terminal, is honestly too much for me to handle; I honestly hate it. Sometimes I honestly get depressed and say to myself “why me “I usually wake up in the morning around 6am and get myself ready then star walking toward the terminal, as a I walk seeing the cars pass by, and some drivers would pass by me and stare and I would get so furious because I have to walk while they’re driving and what truly annoys me is that their taking their time to stare at me walking. I hate public transportation. Driving a car is way better then riding on the bus
If you asked me to describe a moment, a specific period of time in which I faced a challenge, setback, or failure, it would be impossible for me to answer. The challenge I face, unique to less than 13% of the population of America’s school-aged children, is something I contend with on a daily basis. One wouldn’t know by looking over my academic records, looking at me, or by speaking to me that I have a comorbid neurodevelopmental learning disability. When I was seven years old, I was diagnosed with ADHD without the Hyperactivity and a Sensory Processing Disorder. Essentially, I have considerable difficulty blocking out any and all audio-visual stimuli and trouble with organizing and processing the information I receive from the outside
Not everyone has to go through a traumatic experience in life, however the experience I had to go through made me a stronger person and changed my life forever. This life experience changed my view of the world and shaped me to be the individual I know I am destined to be. I know that as a result of this shocking incident I could have dwelled on all the negatives in my life, but oppositely, this event made me focus on all the blessings in my life and focus on the all the positive aspects of every situation. For me, this experience took place on a day that will forever be permeated into my brain: August 8th, 2010.
My Adventure to Foushee's Mill began on Saturday November 5th, 2017. I had three classmates with me, their names were Hope, Joel, and Casey. We have been told to go to Foushee's Mill by our Focused Inquiry professor, the week before, to take in what we experience. This was a definitely a new experience for me being only a Freshman in college, and changed how I saw my three classmates. This is what experienced personally on this adventure: