Personal Statement : Assignment On College Student Development

I am currently a year 11 students at Beauchamp College. I believe myself to be a dedicated, self-motivated as well as a confident person. I can complete tasks on my own but I can also work well as part of a team. More over I cope extremely well under pressure and always aspire to do everything to the best of my ability. Whilst I have clear objectives, I also take in advice and use it to better my self as a person.

I am a nontraditional student, currently employed by Children’s Mercy Hospital where I work as the Division Manager for the Emergency Department. I am a senior at UMKC, who will move directly into a Masters program upon completion of my BLA degree. I was born in Wallace, Idaho but have lived all over the country (Hawaii, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Dallas, and Seattle) and now reside in the Waldo/Brookside area. I have taken several online courses and have enjoyed them all. I particularly like an instructor who loads the entire class online from day one. I am very busy with my job and family and like to have the option to work ahead a little just in case something comes up at work unexpectedly. I took English 311 American Literature

As a student affairs practitioner I believe I am a cornerstone of the higher education experience. I have made it my mission to help students be the best version of themselves for the benefit of not only them, but of society at large. I work to help create not only educated students, but also engaged members of a global society.

During the time between September 2015 and May 2016 I will be exposing myself to the different environments on collegiate campuses in California and Nevada. These experiences will teach me how to communicate more effectively with my peers, promote mental and physical wellness, and influence ethical decision-making among undergraduate, collegiate men.

My most significant endeavor since attending community college has been has been protesting Capitol Hill at Washington, D.C. demanding congress to pass a clean Dream Act. As a member of the organization United We Dream, I went with them on a 16 hour long bus trip to the capital from Miami. Once we got to the capital, we went to a local church to practice how the protest was going to happen. At the church, I met many students like myself who all came to voice their demands to congress. During the lunch break, I met a student my age in the same grade. He noticed I was wearing a University of Southern California jacket and asked if I went there. I told him that I was a community college student at Miami Dade College planning on transferring there, that's when he told me he also attended a community college in Colorado and was planning to attend the same university.

While auditing courses for her own education and interest a professor realized that the students were relating to her as if she was a student. She was behaving as a student, asking questions, going regularly to class and doing the required readings and in turn the other students began sharing insights, gossip and opinions she would never hear as a professor. Rebekah Nathan (pseudonym assumed by the author, Cathy Small, for purposes of the book) recognized that “even after my fiftieth birthday, I could still be a student, and treated by other students as, more or less, a peer”(Nathan, 2005, para. 71). She decided use her sabbatical to study campus life through a student’s viewpoint, instead of the professor-student perspective.

While auditing courses for her own education and interest a professor realized that the students were relating to her as if she was a student. She was behaving as a student, asking questions, going regularly to class and doing the required readings and in turn the other students began sharing insights, gossip and opinions she would never hear as a professor. Rebekah Nathan (pseudonym assumed by the author, Cathy Small, for purposes of the book) recognized that “even after my fiftieth birthday, I could still be a student, and treated by other students as, more or less, a peer”(Nathan, 2005, para. 71). She decided use her sabbatical to study campus life through a student’s viewpoint, instead of the professor-student perspective.

After reading the first few pages of the textbook, it was difficult to select only one topic that caught my attention. In order to save myself from sounding redundant throughout the paper I’ll go ahead and select two topics that stood out from the rest, at least in my opinion.

The first two chapters of this book set the background for student development and how theory has evolved over the years. As time passed and college student demographics changed, new ideas and views were developed to understand the ever changing student body. Theorists realized that the college experience was different between demographic groups. Being able to develop student affairs practices and activities that can reach the different student groups is probably the biggest challenge a student affairs professional will tackle. It is said that student development is most achieved by involvement by the students. This means that these activities must be designed to accommodate students from all walks of life.

"Tomorrow is the first day of what I will become." I wrote this in my diary the night before my first day of college. I was anxious as I imagined the stereotypical college room: intellectual students, in-depth discussions about neat stuff, and of course, a casual professor sporting the tweed jacket with leather elbows. I was also ill as I foresaw myself drowning in a murky pool of reading assignments and finals, hearing a deep, depressing voice ask "What can you do with your life?" Since then, I've settled comfortably into the college "scene" and have treated myself to the myth that I'll hear my calling someday, and that my future will introduce itself to me with a hardy handshake. I can't completely rid my

Identity development is a critical component of the college experience as students transition from having strong influence from friends, family, and high school expectations to having the autonomy to make decisions on their own. Many students adopt their values from these relationships, but are challenged when they witness the diverse culture on a college campus. In order to further examine the cognitive dissonance, two articles will be presented, highlighting examples of typical traditional values seen on college campuses. These examples will also be accompanied by detailed descriptions depicting the relationship to theories in the field of student affairs.

Freshman year, the year of many first; the first time living away from home, the first time being away from friends, the first time a student has control of their own learning. Freshman year requires a lot of discipline, but a lot of students do not possess this trait. The factors that contribute to the success of first year college students are social support, comfort within the college environment, self control,responsibiliy and positive self concept.

Successful college experiences revolve around three major areas: the transition, being successful in classes/schoolwork, and involvement. These three areas have been determined from my work in the Housing and Residential Programs Department for the past three years, as this is my first lass focusing on student development theories. The three areas are must all be present in some way, shape, or form in order for success. The first step is the transition from high school to college. This is inclusive of moving away from home, and entering into an entirely different miniature society. Incoming students need to learn to adapt to their new surroundings, develop relationships, and a find their support system. Adaptation is important, for many

What are the challenges college students are facing today? Students are under a lot of pressure

As I graduated high school, I thought college would just be yet another four years of high school, and I was wrong. College opens many new doors in a young man or woman’s life. There are new responsibilities and pressures that you will have to deal with, and with more freedom these responsibilities and pressures can be difficult to handle. College has changed a great deal over the years and these changes, such as more freedoms, make college a much more challenging experience. You need to start preparing for college now by making yourself more responsible and having more self-control. Although you think college is merely partying with easy classes on the side, I have experienced pressures and work loads that make the experience challenging