Transition To College

Transitioning from middle school to high school now college. Hardships and victories I have experienced it all. I have gone from the shy student to one of the most involved and active student in my school.

The moment I moved to Florida for college, and left my teenage years behind me, I struggled tremendously adjusting to my new surroundings. There are an infinite number of situations everyday which people experience the complications of culture shock, and how they are able to adjust to the phenomenon. Surviving college made me realize how important my mother and father are to me. The love, wisdom, and support they provided through every obstacle helped me persevere and achieve a college degree.

So far, the college experience has made me a changed person. College changed me into a better person on many occasions. I have learned to be more responsible, when it comes down to getting work done. In college you must be responsible. I have also changed my attitude. Moving from high school to college is a big step; if you don’t change your ways for the better then you might not be successful in college. When you reach college then is the time that you become an adult.

The transition from high school to college isn’t always easy but I will make it. Most students find it hard to transition from high school going off to college. Whether you’re going to college, going to a trade school, or even starting to work you are going to have to learn how to adjust to this new lifestyle. I think the process for me after gradation going a

I started North Park University, a week before everyone else, within a program called COMPASS. This program is to help smooth first generation student’s transition to college and build a strong group of friends to start college on the right path. In COMPASS, I met some of my close friends. We help one another whenever we need help: we have study sessions, emotional support for one another, hang out whenever we just need a little break, and much more. A month into school I was offered a job at my school as a student worker and I gladly accepted it. Since I was living on campus my first year this was an amazing accomplishment for me: I achieved some connections and a wide variety of networking opportunities if ever need them in the future.

Due to the continuing increase of living it’s nearly impossible to be able to live alone. Since the demand of a higher education for better paying jobs is at an all time high trying to juggle a full-time job and returning to college is more than difficult at times. Frank, a full-time employee decided that he’d better himself by returning to college. Never considering that times have changed, he still continued to work and go to school. He stretched himself to the max; he worked late hours and then stayed up doing homework until the early morning only to have to get up and return to class to repeat the long days over. Several weeks passed, he realized that he was never going to be able to get ahead to matter how hard to tried. He was very aware that if he stopped taking classes his chances of being something in the world were even slimmer than if he continued and somehow managed to do both. Frank decided that no matter how tough these next few months were going to be he wasn’t going to let it stop him from meeting his goals.

A fork in the road only appears as such when both paths are seen as viable options; yet, once one path becomes seen as the only one, the other devolves into a deviation. Where the aberration would require justification to travel down, the perceived correct course would require justification to not travel down. This is precisely how the false question of attending college was presented to me: it was a matter of when not if. Upon inheriting white looking skin, a middle class family, and a pat on the back for bringing home white sheets of papers with little red “A”s written in the top right corner, it was ascertained that I was to be a productive and successful engineer after paying for college with hard-won scholarship money. In short, there were several socio-economic factors that contributed to my eventual position in college.

I was a very quiet person, but social in high school. Unfortunately since school was such a challenge for me I always did not take school serious. I had to work hard for all my grades, always being a C student. Since for 12 years I had to work extra hard in school, I was ready for school to be over. I did not have the opportunity to go to college, so I started working and married my high school sweetheart.

For better or worse, for richer or poorer. I was married to my dream because I thought about it day and night. I imaged what it would feel like to walk across the stage and receive my college degree. This dream empowered me and kept me focused on what I needed to do and make it occur. I made an agreement with myself to finish college to finish what I started. I felt like something was incomplete in my life regarding college and college graduation. My eldest brother Willie introduced me to Christ at the age of eleven. He expressed to me that life’s journey did not have to be tackled alone I have a helper, therefore whatever came my way I know I could go to the helper for direction. I requested the helper provide insight in relation to this

“College is a balancing act” I have personally heard this quote numerous times; however, it did not forecast its complete meaning until I began college myself. High School counselors prepare you academically and allow the paperwork process to run smoothly when entering college as a freshman. Although most of these counselors work hard to help High School senior’s transition into college, I believe no amount of paperwork or aid prepares you for such change. According to this survey, career uncertainty leads to anxiety – I couldn’t agree more with the findings of this study and to me it is no surprise. It is evident that the change of majors and anxiety created by the pressure of future satisfaction of jobs remains evident present day. Personally,

Lately, it seems, parents are getting more and more involved in their children's daily lives. A parents constant involvement in their child's lives can be a good thing, when their child is still a child and not so much after they have grown up. A new trend has sprung where parents feel it necessary to ,not only, take their child to college but to stay there with them.

Moving away from home has been one of the biggest challenges that I have had to face so far in the eighteen years of my life. Moving from my home town to the collge dorm was a difficult transition that was necessary for growing up both mentally and physically as an individual. The little more than five hundred miles that separates me from my friends and family has allowed me to become the person I am today, and the distance allows me to grow and become more familiar with things that are a whole new experience for me. One of the many new things that I have had to deal with was making new friends in my environment.

It is the dream of everyone to join college with the hope of getting a better tomorrow and a foundation for them to make it in life. However, this may not be the case with some students as this dream may turn into a nightmare. This is because many students fail to go through or others even fail simply because they have not prepared enough; not just academically but also on the personal side.

Looking back over the last couple of years, I have noticed that my life has changed drastically. After I gave this change some thought, I came to the conclusion that going to college at an earlier age has brought this change. I have noticed that I am more mature and aware of what goes on at school; I spend more time working on my future career than I do anything else, and I am a better student academically.

Starting college as a freshman was a stressful time. I did not know if I would make it through my first year at college with hardly knowing anybody. I took a lot of big steps in my life though to meet knew people and become friends with them. The biggest step I took was commiting to be in a learning community. I chose the best one that would fit me, which was Live Learn Lead.