Perusing to obtain a college degree in engineering surely will not be a simple task. Yet, I have clashed with arduous challenges and hardships throughout my life. One issue I continually face is facing the battle of financial assistance, which will continue to grow throughout my years at college. Dealing with economic hardships didn’t affect me critically until after sixth grade when my parents divorced. It wasn’t only troublesome to deal with this fact on an emotional spectrum, but also in a financial perspective. My older sister, my younger brother, and I had to accept the fact that money will influence our everyday lives. We had to use food stamps for our groceries, had to withdraw from the amount of sports we could play, as well as the places we could go. Our mother had to enroll back into college (at the University of Akron) so she could afford to live a decent life while raising three kids. …show more content…
Now, in my senior year, we have developed in a positive manner as a family.
My mother received a Bachelor’s degree and therefore, moved up into a better position in her career. Now, I face the challenge of supporting myself, as an incoming freshman engineering student. It is my full responsibility to pay for college. My main goal for myself is to take out the minimal amount of student loans I can. Even though both of my parents are in a better position than they were at the time of the divorce, they aren’t on the level of supporting someone else on a financial need basis. This has been a motivational drive for me to perform exceptional in both the classroom as well as the
school/community. I am fortunate to have grown up in the friendly environment of the Medina City Schools district. Here I have been provided an excellent education and great opportunities to be the best student I can be. I had to ensure I took advantage of these chances to shape myself as a leader. My biggest involvement of the Medina community was being a part of the Medina Soccer Association (MSA). I participated in the MSA for ten years, all the way up to my senior year. I especially gained many leadership attributes from my time playing for the Medina High School soccer team. I emerged as quiet freshman, slipping a starting position on the freshman JV-B team. I looked up toward the varsity senior captains, understanding this was the type of individual everyone looks toward. I desired to replicate these extravagant players, so I increased my confidence in my abilities. I evolved to be a better communicator, constructively encouraging my teammates to strive to win. I also recognize the importance of respecting the opponent, no matter how intense the soccer match would be. Due to this, I received the Medina Athletics Sportsmanship Award. Aside from soccer, I took the leadership role in Chemistry Club, an after school activity I have devoted my junior and senior year to. This club taught me the values of cooperation and organization. When there were competitions, I would gather my team and stress to work together by listening to each other’s ideas while looking for improvements and adjustments. My group would look up to me, which made me feel like positive leader. As a result, my group took home two first place trophies from the American Chemical Society Chemistry Club competitions. I am grateful to have spent my life thus far in Medina, Ohio. Growing up here has taught me that it takes both effort and responsibility to reach your goals. I have gone through low points in my life, such as the years following my parents separation., as well as striving in my high points, such as becoming a captain of the soccer team. All in all, I learned nothing has been handed to me; I must work hard and intelligently to reach my goals, and endure the challenges along the way.
“You don't want to be like your parents!" triggers memories of the day I found my compelling reason to attend college. My grandfather is a very wise man who exhibits the meaning of sacrifice and hard work in my family. My first visit to the UOG admissions office with him was a dreadful experience. As I gazed at the cost of tuition yearly, I felt a sudden weight on my shoulders. For a moment I felt like a traveler lost in a foreign place trying to figure out where to go and how to get to my destination. I knew at that moment that I could not afford it unless I found a job to pay for the expenses or received some form of financial aid. As I requested a FASFA form and began filling out the application, my hand began to tremble and again I felt
Lee Siegel's “Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans” challenges the current state of the American system of higher education by targeting and discussing its economic impact. He begins by recounting his own story of how he was forced to take out a loan for his education at the age of seventeen. Immediately, his misgivings with the system become obvious as he states that he essentially gave his life away in order to go to college. His background is interconnected with his views on the subject given his statement that he was unable to afford college after his parents divorced and later, his mother entered bankruptcy. As he continues on to discuss how the current system causes students to be forced away from their vocation, he explains how he chose
I am Nursing major and with that degree to become a Nurse Practitioner who specializes in the Cardiovascular System to reduce the rate of heart diease in America. I am a hardworking individual and I take my academics very seriously. I understand that I am at school for a purpose and know my purpose is to further my education. I am just trying to make it. My parents always told me growing up “ In order to get something you never had that I will have to do things I have never done.” No one prepared me for college, because I am a first generation college student. In addition to being a first generation college student ; I am also a first generation high school graduate. I use my my parents trials and tribulations as my motivation, because I want
How does being the first in one’s family to graduate from college impact one’s desire to finish college? Some of the major barriers first generation college students face include lack of motivation, lack of support, and low income finances. Some freshman students might lack the motivation to do well in school because of the lack of appropriate role models or mentors in the academic environment. These difficulties can be tied to lack of support at home; the parents might not be concerned about their child's education, maybe the parent lacks the ability to guide them through college, the parent might not have the process of having not navigated it themselves. Parents might feel embarrassed that they don’t have any knowledge to help them through college.
When coming to college your whole money situation changes, suddenly you're bombarded with housing costs and student loans that you have to pay back or you will spiral into debt. Your whole life changes you don't have your parents paying for your voluptuous wants and needs, you’re on your own. The move from high school understudy to college undergrad is a standout amongst the most upsetting and essential times in an adolescent's life. Not only is your day to day life going to change but your spending habits have to change. The school years are a period where a high school student leaves their support team behind,
In an article covered by CQ Researcher, they examine Jasmin Johnson’s story as a college student and how she is $65,000 in debt and still doesn’t have a degree. She has dropped out of two colleges, because she couldn’t keep up with working and her schoolwork. She is currently in a third college and is working a full-time and a part-time job to pay for her tuition costs. There are many students like Jasmin who are trying their best to earn a degree, but who are struggling to keep their grades where they need to
When thinking about college the same fear is established in just about every student’s mind. How am I going to pay for college? With an increase in college tuition in the past ten years, that question has become more frequent. Whether it is a private or public institution, the price is still no pocket change and how to pay for it has become harder and harder to accomplish. In today’s society, the average person can not get as far as they’d hope without a college education. With that accomplishment of receiving a college education, comes the dreaded loans that some students have and pass on to their children.
Austin, Anne. “Money Concerns and Financial Aid.” Education and College. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003 Teen Decisions. Rpt. From “Financing College: Exploring Your Options.” Career World. Opposing Views in Context. Web. 25. Nov. 2013.
Many factors influenced the fact that I am now attending Louisiana Tech University. Some Micro-sociological forces were present in my decision to come here. My parents who both attended college, were a critical force in my attendance at Louisiana Tech University this fall. My dad obtained an Associate’s degree in business and my mom has a certification in medical coding and 60 hours in college credit. We are a middle-class family so my parents had the ability to help me pay half of the cost of college expenditures that were left. As an alumnus himself, my father’s input helped me in making my decision to attend Louisiana tech by sharing his experience of college life with me. My older sister Marissa decided to attend Tech when she graduated
Difficulties Attending College Today everyone thinks in order to succeed financially in life they need to have a college education, or at least most of the time this is true. I personally think that despite the many difficulties that a person is faced with, they can overcome their troubles somehow, even though sometimes they can not help but think otherwise. I, myself, have three different reasons why people find it difficult to stay in college. For one, sometimes they still have to keep on working while going to school. Two, they have children, too.
Supiano, Beckie. “When Life Gets In The Way Of Paying For College. (Cover Story).” Chronicle Of Higher Education 57.22 (2011): A1-A20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
Frost’s poem, “ The Road Not Taken” begins with the words, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both…” are perfect in their ability to describe the same place that I find myself residing in. The issue is addressing the necessity for a college education funded through parental support, regardless of the fact that the return of the parents investment is less than stellar and accepted. while it is especially present in my life, I am sure that it is not an uncommon place that students find themselves in. This topic is important because the fall semester is starting soon, so it is imperative that the funder is convinced of the benefits in continuing to sponsor support to students whose academic results fail to meet the requested results of academic excellence. While the academic measurement of success through GPA
Most Americans simply cannot pay for college without financial assistance. Loans are easily accessible and seem promising, which is why a majority of college students are diving into debt without considering the future consequences that come with student loans (Leonhardt n.p). My financial goal throughout college is to pay for college tuition and other expenses without accumulating any debt. This means I am primarily going to fund my college education through scholarships, grants, and various forms of employment to cover any leftover expenses. Though the cost of college has drastically changed since the 1960s’, my grandfather is a major inspiration behind my goals to work my way through college and receive a debt-free degree. Through my economics class, I have learned the importance of staying debt-free in order to obtain financial success. Without student loans, I will have the freedom to take internship offers and make other career moves that I would not be able to do if I had a loan payment to make every month, along with my other living
So how does one live up to the system’s standards? The financial burden is a real obstacle in most cases for those who have given up on attending college. One can only assume that those who are thirsty in pursuing a career must succeed in finding their own way to comprehend their resources in order to develop a tangible path towards a vocation. The percentage of college students are increasing and more and more bodies choose community college to start their path to success. In the process of finding the right path, one discovers that is only through a career that they are able to obtain a stable life style and a financially secure future. Unfortunately, not every American has the ability of finding their way out of their financial storm and or cannot count with the same resources as other students have in order to sustain themselves while maintaining a college
Going to college and trying to afford it can be a financially draining experience, and as a student, I know this from experience. It is a universal fact that college is not a cheap investment, and acquiring aid to help with the cost can be hard to come by. Affordibility is the difference bewtween obtaining a degree or not. Due to the recent drop in the economy, it is almost necessary to have a college degree to get a job. Most financial stress occurs when a college financial aid office says they’ll cover a certain amount of the bill, but fail to come through, leaving the student with a large remaining balance and no way to clear it. Not all students experience financial stress. The students fortunate