Personal Narrative: Life After Starting Online College

One of the proudest accomplishments of my life was receiving my bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida. As I approached the stage, I put one foot in front of the other and tried my hardest not to stumble. The crowd roared loudly, I could see Knightro dancing in the corner, it was my turn. In the three seconds that I walked across the stage, I felt a plethora of emotion but most of all… I felt fear because on the other side of the platform was the rest of my life. Unfortunately, my “life after graduation” plan was short-lived, as I found it very difficult to find employment within the first three months of graduating.

College has obstacles; however, I hear adults claiming our age group ought to enjoy this time of our lives, but the adults make me question “why?” I wonder “what makes this time so great.” Personally, I look forward to the time after college when I start my career. I know the “real world” has obstacles, but with a completed education I will not have to worry about classes, loads of homework, and work. In the “real world,” I will have responsibilities, yet the opportunity to work in the career I love.

Throughout High School I thought I was proficient in reading and writing in my English classes, from freshman year to senior year English classes were easy and felt I could transition my confidence to community college after graduation until I took the English assessment exam and failed in the spring of 2012. Failing my entrance exam was devastating and I refused to accept my results, I waited two academic year before I can appeal to retest my English entrance exam and after weeks of waiting I was approved to retest. After I retest the results were the same, I was placed in remedial English not only was I devastated again but I personally felt worthless. I did not know what was wrong with my reading and writing but I had no choice to enroll

To earn a degree from a prestigious institution like the University of Texas at Austin has never been realistic goal for me. Becoming a first generation college student has had many challenges that I have overcame. Being from Austin I have always been a longhorn at heart, but was told by my peers that I was destined to follow in the footsteps of my parents, living on the poverty line when I reached adult hood.

I chose to come to community college because I felt it would better benefit me. Most four year universities have difficult obstacles to overcome. Distractions like parties, and other social things can be hard to ignore. For better focus and judgment I chose to come to Faulkner state. Also, I heard good things about the college on how they didn’t tolerate parties and the use of alcohol or drugs and the instructors have good relationships with their students, and to this day I find that very true. Another thing is when I was in the industrial contracting industry I knew going back to school was going to make me happy and make me feel like I had a purpose for my calling in the medical field of radiology. I knew I would feel fulfilled and it would

Upon arriving to school one morning, I noticed two students engaged in a heated argument and heard one yell at the other to tell his "alien friends and family" to stop occupying the spaces in the school’s parking garage.

I used to think that I needed to set aside thirty minutes everyday just for me. That’s easy to do, right? But life gets in the

It’s never too late. These are words I whole heartedly believe. A year and a half ago I decided to go back school to study nursing. Coincidentally, a week after I enrolled in classes I found out I was ten weeks pregnant. As any woman would I had my doubts about whether I could handle going to school and now being pregnant. But then I thought, I now had even more of a reason to go back. I would soon have a child who would be looking up to me. I wanted to be able to set a good example for them. I started attending classes in the fall as a part time student. Considering I had not been in school for over ten years the transition was a lot easier than I had thought it would be. My teachers were nice as well as my classmates. I finished a semester

Going to a private school with my brother, I wasn't prepared for the financial difficulties that would arise for my family and I. After getting accustomed to the my classes, professors, and curriculum my freshman year; I fell in love with Baylor. I didn't think my family would struggle to make ends meet. By my sophomore year, my parents got into an accident and hospital expenses would force both my brother and I to a community college. Due to the uniqueness of my major in Texas and my goal to graduate in four years, I was determined to finish at Baylor. I began working as much as I could to help relief some of the finances off of my parents. My summers went to balancing classes and working full-time to raise money for the upcoming school year.

When I made up my mind that I wanted to go to college. I was unsure about how I wanted to learn. I am a mother of three so I knew my schedule would definitely have to be flexible and fitting for my family.  At first, I was considering going to an online college, but then I thought about my weak subject which is math. I needed the ground time and an actual teacher to stand in front of the board and walk me through step by step.  So, then I was leaning towards going to school every day on ground campus, but that would conflict my children's school schedule entirely. Now that I knew what I wanted to do and how I wanted to learn I started looking for a college where I would have lectures on campus, but the assignments online.

The event that I think will help me with my online school is support. When I was in school the last time online I did not have as much encouragement or support that I do now. In my mind I want so bad to have a degree so I can work in a field that I love so very much. I have been to two different online schools, and have failed at both as in I did not finish. One reason is because of my work schedule that I had at that time, and the other reason was because I had no one to help me at home with the kids and the other things I had going at the time. However in the event that now I have help from my parents and other love ones I now have the support I need to go back to school and finish. That way I will be able to reach my goal and that is to earn my degree, and have it in a field that I love.

Lunch arrives and I'm stuck eating lunch in my friends car, jealous of all the other seniors that eat out daily. I bring my last bag of snacks to U.S. government and politics and discuss the daily events. Calculus is something fresh and challenging and I'm happy to have friends in the class. PE class is entertaining with my girlfriend Jenna as a tennis partner. The school day closes with a socratic seminar in Language and Composition. With the ringing of the final bell at 1:30, I get a feeling of relaxation, at least for 20 minutes. After school, I have football practice at 2. On a team that loses quite often (at least this year, the last two we've been to the finals), the duration of practice is about four hours long or more, six days a week. Football is where I get to relieve some stress by putting my focus and frustration into every hit. While it is an escape from the school life, it is no escape from mental and physical hard work required by the coaches. After a long football practice, a friend drives my brother and I home and we arrive around 6:30 to my mom making a necessary dinner. After eating a dinner with the entire family, I proceed from 7:30 on in my room to finish the required homework into the night varying how late I stay

My week gets started off Monday mornings at eight o’clock in my interior design lecture class. It is my first and last class of the day, so I will go and have breakfast, go for a run, and do a little bit of homework afterwards. Tuesdays are pretty busy, I have a nine o’clock, twelve o’clock, and a five o’clock. Just before my twelve o’clock class my friend and I eat lunch together before we head our separate ways. Wednesdays are easy enough when I get done at noon and can go do my own thing. Thursdays are exactly the same as my Tuesday classes except that Thursdays are my last day of classes. Fridays I have no classes and have time to go get errands done and catch up on any work that I might have. Saturday I like to sleep in like any other teenager and get up around two in the afternoon. Saturday is my day where I like to do nothing at all, like eat, sleep, and watch movies with friends. Sunday mornings I go to church, have lunch, catch up on my studies, and then go to home group. It is great to see all of my calendar filled up with these few things and know that I will never get bored or at least not to have an excuse to say I am

I trudge into my house after school lugging a seemingly fifty pound bag of books on my back and an enormous coffee cup crammed under my arm. I walk into an uproar. The dog is chewing on the remote, the baby is crying, and the kids have glitter glue. In the midst of trying to walk through the door and get a head start on homework, I am informed that I am the designated babysitter while my mom rushes my sister to youth group. My mom pulls out of the driveway. I find myself juggling babysitting, a plethora of calculus homework, and a lab report over gravimetric analysis that is due tomorrow. Through the chaos of bouncing around from babysitting to studying, I manage to defeat my work in its entirety before eleven.

This is me at the moment! For the past few months I’ve been waking up every morning, opening my eyes to see the day and I realize, I’M ALREADY LATE! While I spring from my bed and run straight to the kitchen and mix together my morning protein shake, I remember all those things which I should do today, eventually concluding that I am busy today. My typical day at the moment is deal with college and then coaching classes which itself makes up to 8 hours, then coming back low to hostel and studying for another 1 hour or so and the remaining time I have to pull for my other daily activities. Somewhere in between all these I realized that my life is really going healthful.