Average Student Reaches For Above-Average Success
With her curly hair pinned up and her leg shaking nervously, Tricia searches for both potential employers to work for and Master’s programs on the Internet. In the midst of her psychology textbooks lay piles of GRE practice tests and Graduate school applications. For the past year this has been a daily ritual. As she clicks around, her eyes glaze over and a headache sets in; but she tells herself to stay focused. Graduation is quickly approaching, and she feels a lot of pressure to figure out what she is going to do next year.
In May, Tricia will graduate from King’s College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. “My options are limited, especially in today’s world. Four-year degrees don’t matter anymore; higher degrees are what’s expected. With a four-year degree in Psychology I could be a Guidance Counselor at a High School or teach Psychology classes at a Community College. But as for what I want to do- Forensics- I need Graduate School, specifically in Forensics and there are only ten schools that have it. It’s very competitive,” says Tricia Buchanan.
Tricia has spent the last year researching Graduate schools to prepare for next year. “I started looking in July for Graduate schools. I had my mind set on going to Graduate school in August after graduation and that I wasn’t going to work. So, I spent the majority of this school year taking GRE practice tests, studying, getting applications, meeting with the career planning and placement office, and talking to teachers,” says Tricia.
Average Student Discouraged by GRE’s
Tricia’s plan changed in December. Suddenly all of those visions of getting into a Graduate school and moving ahead towards her goal, Forensics, were wiped away. All those hours studying seemed like wasted time.
“In December I decided I was going to go the job route. I changed my mind because I got discouraged. I felt I needed a break from school and some time off. The GRE’s were a lot harder than I thought they were going to be. Also, I realized how competitive Graduate schools are. I am an average student. I don’t have any experience. Graduate schools in my program rely heavily on GRE scores, your cumulative GPA, and work experience,” says Tricia.
Carol Dweck 's piece "Brainology" and Rebecca Cox "The Student Fear Factor" have changed my pursuit towards my academic goals because it changes the mindset on how I approach any aspect in my everyday life, including work, but also how I will be praising the children whom I work with. This is because I am learning new approaches on how I should handle my college life and apply it to my daily life. Both of these pieces seem to have spoken to me because I get severe anxiety and reading what other students went through made me realize that I don’t have college life as bad as many students do. Instead of quitting (like most first time college students do), I will keep pursuing my associate’s degree in child development. I know that reading these
Juanita is constantly questioning her decision to pursue her degree whether it’s questioning if the decision is selfish since her children will be college age soon or if she can even be a decent mental health professional. Juanita needs to address her lingering feelings of doubt in order to feel secure in her own self-image and develop a realistic knowledge of her strengths and weaknesses so she can focus on fulfilling her potential without being held back with feelings of inadequacy (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p.
In Paul Toughmay’s “Who Gets to Graduate,” he follows a young first year college student, Vanessa Brewer, explaining her doubts, fears, and emotions while starting her college journey. As a student, at the University of Texas Brewer feels small and as if she doesn’t belong. Seeking advice from her family she calls her mom but after their conversation Brewer feels even more discouraged. Similar to Brewer I have had extreme emotions, doubts, and fears my freshman year in college.
When planning to enter into the forensic psychology field, the degree you earn will lead to licensure. Earning your masters or doctorate in clinical psychology or counseling psychology will be the goals to becoming a licensed psychologist. Typically the common degree amongst most forensic psychologists are in the clinical psychology department and not in the counseling department as the bulk of your co-workers will
It is a sad time in American history when one can easily recount recent school shootings in their own area. This ease stems from a sharp increase in the number of firearms brought into elementary and middle schools across the country, with an intense focus on the issue beginning after the shooting of 20 children from Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. Most school shooters are male, white, and often upper middle class. They are also more, often than not, under some type of mental stress that is causing them to create this type of violence in our communities. In fact, many school shooters are never suspected of doing any harm to their peers and teachers until it is much too late.
Riczo, Steven. "Guns, America, and the 21st Century." EBSCO.com. USA Today Magazine, n.d. Web. Mar. 2001.
Gun violence has been and continues to be one of the major problems in American. The U.S. has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world and consequently the highest rate of gun violence and fatalities compared to other developed countries. In a study by the University of Sydney it is estimated that there are 270,000,000 to 310,000,000 guns in the United States. According to the same study in 2010 there were 31,672 fatalities caused by firearms and on the following year the number went up to 32,163. Homicides resulting from guns are high in the United States and they are claiming more than eleven thousand lives every year (Guns in the United States: Firearms, Armed Violence and Gun Law). According to Vision for Humanity, an initiative for the Economics and Peace, the United States is ranked 99 out of 162 countries in the 2013 global peace index, homicide rates and violent crimes are among the various criteria used to determine the ranking (Vision of Humanity). Mass shootings at work places, schools, shopping malls and places of worship are happening in an a...
It is easy to forget that a huge part of your success in college is staying healthy, keeping a sharp mind and sound body. It is very important to eat right and to maintain a routine sleeping schedule. Staying active and making sure you get enough sleep so that you can keep yourself healthy. A recent study found that walking once a day increase your memorization, which in turn helps you to do better studying.
Success isn’t given, it’s earned on the track, on the field, and in the gym with blood, sweat, and the occasional fear” -Unknown. This is relevant because it is hard for students to want to play sports but also to do well in school. If high school students can’t find the time to keep their grades up or to keep a certain GPA, they should not be allowed to play sports. Students need to prove themselves to be able to play any sport and still be able to do well in school. Also, having good grades shows the coach maturity and may earn them more playing time if they are working hard in school and in practice.
In the fall of every year, high school graduate begin this journey toward personal success, whether living on campus or with parents. There is a sense of maturity many of them feel when beginning this journey with the goal of graduating college and receiving the best credential possible to getting a well-paying job. “She Can Play That Game, Too” by Kate Taylor. Demonstrate a very important issue many college students face when beginning of this exciting journey. T...
The decision to enroll in graduate school came after considerable time and soul searching. While contemplating the decision to return to school I thought about life, school and work. I realized that my experience in these areas have prepared me for the challenge and I am going to succeed.
Everyone wants to better themselves in life…right? No one wants to graduate high school and be stuck living with their parents or only make minimal wage. There are plenty of ways to have a better life, one in which is attending college. If a person attends college, they have a more likely chance of making more money, being more successful, and securing their future financially. Going to college not only leaves someone with better opportunities but it can instill in a person responsibilities, persistency and work ethic. All of these things are important unless a person is born into a rich family and are automatically given a job, the rest of civilization has to work and that is where college comes into play.
Two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on a shooting spree in their high school in 1999. The two boys illegally required guns, which led to the killing of 15 students and injuring another 21 students. In 2007, Virginia Tech student, Sung Hui Cho once wrote on an assignment in 8th grade that he would like to “repeat Columbine.” This same student went on to kill 32 students and injured 17. Just 11 days before Christmas in 2012, an armed man walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Adam Lanza entered the school with a semi automatic rifle, fatally shooting 20 students and 6 staff members. “It’s not if but when. A string of high-profile traumatic events spanning nearly 20 years has proven unequivocally that school crisis response is not a choice; it is inevitable” (Cowan). Shootings in schools across the country are becoming more and more common. In addition to the three of the deadliest school shooting cases in history, there are constantly reported cases of a student roaming the halls with a gun. In our society, it is unfortunate that parents are forced to worry that their children are in danger every time they set foot in their classroom. When they send their children to school every day, a school-shooting massacre is always a possibility. As long as American citizens are allowed to legally carry firearms in public, the possibility of a shooting will always be
On December 14, 2012 a horrifying event occurred leaving dead children and teachers in classrooms, parents hugging their kids a little more, and the whole world shocked on what exactly occurred that morning. In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting this event changed the view of gun control creating gun control regulations and providing more security techniques. Even though this isn’t our first school shooting tragedy it has definitely impacted the way we perceive our security in this world.
I never thought this day would come. I mean, I did know it was coming, but I just never thought it would be this soon. Since birth, Lina has been my older sister, my companion, my confidant, and moreover, my best friend. As years passed, I acknowledged that we were getting older, and that the date of her departure was getting closer, yet, I did not want to believe it. Since last year, she had been in the exhausting process of applying to universities, and by the end of May, the University of New Orleans (UNO) granted her with a generous scholarship. With a smile full of pride and amazement, she accepted the scholarship and reserved her space in the Psychology field in the UNO. Overshadowed by the great news of her scholarship, we failed to foretell the gloomy days that were close to arrive.