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Transition between high school and college
Personal experiences studying abroad
Transition between high school and college
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If people lived to age 32, I would have had my educational mid-life crisis last year while I was sitting in AP Biology class. For my whole life, I had an aspiration to be a doctor and had enrolled in this class seeing it as something of a stepping-stone to my goal. But then it fell apart. I remember the moment clearly. Our teacher had my undeserving rapt attention as she droned on about the partial diffusion of sodium chloride through the Loop of Henle in the nephron, the operational unit of the kidney. As I looked down at what few items I had scribbled on my paper (a heading for my notes, the notes themselves, replete with sufficient question marks, and a scribbling of what could have been a large dog, or a banana), it occurred to me that I really didn't …show more content…
care, and I would rather repeat high school than spend eight years of my life studying pedantic details that as near as I can figure, were of questionable importance to a high school student to begin with. I knew more of the intimate details about my spleen than most of my personal relationships. I've completely forgotten the importance of DNA polymerase, but what I did learn from that class is that if my time in school is limited, I'm going to take classes in the interest of learning, not to pass some absurd test or to live up to someone else's unfounded aspirations.
It is because of this that I am seeking a liberal arts education and am unable to conceive of what I will be doing after college. I have learned that any plans I make at this stage in my life are destined to be more of a hindrance than a help to my education. In what was little more than a ploy to get out of the the town I've lived in for most of my life I spent part of last summer in Alaska studying Japanese at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. It was an accelerated language course where I received a semester's credit for a month of work. It didn't come easily, as the class met every day for four hours and there were frequent tests. However, I knew that after three years of forgettable classes and unforgettable work I was finally getting an education that could focus my attention without scattering it among several classes. That, if extended into a college experience, could finally have an impact on my life. Gee, where to find
one? I will be graduating at the end of this semester on January 24th to take a job that has been offered to me by a former boss. I worked for him as a heavy equipment export broker during August of last summer. I discussed with him my plans for an early graduation, and he offered me work on several projects of his in Mexico. If all goes as planned, I shall board a plane in the beginning of February. Why am I telling you this? Because, as one method of satisfying my graduation requirements, I started doing volunteer construction work for Habitat for Humanity in a nearby neighborhood. Working for Habitat has done so many things for me, it's difficult to list them all. Without looking at its results, the physical labor itself is important; I've always been in good shape, but actual WORK is just something not taught at Henry M. Gunn High School. My work with them is also my first meaningful volunteer labor and has opened my eyes to the fact that I don't just have to sit around and feel guilty about the homeless, I can do something about it.
Walking into Walnut Hills High School right now would have anyone thinking the just walked into the middle of a tornado. Everyone you look there are students running in and out of doors, in and out of cars, and most certainly either turning in missing assignments or retaking tests. There is only one way for you to explain all this ciaos, Senior Year, the year that all teens await with so much excitement and ambition and the year that every single hour long study dates pays off. For the class of 2021 this isn’t just their final year at Walnut Hills this is the year that friends separate and head off to their different university to follow their dreams.
When people are younger everyone always ask what do you want to be when you are older? Of course when it is children everyone is filled with wonder about their answer whether it’s a model, astronaut, race car driver, etc. Now that I’m older it’s expected for me to know exactly what to do with my life and how to do it. I realized very soon that I sometimes can be an indecisive person when it comes to life-long decisions. This being a huge decision in one’s life you could only imagine how many times I’ve changed my idea on what to go to school for. Although, changing my mind become a norm, I eventually decided a degree in business/marketing is the right path for me. What are my career and educational goals, what will my job would be like, and
I felt as though I was watching a train barrelling towards me, an inevitable bullet that had come tumbling out of the opposing pitcher’s arm. But instead I stood immobilized, watching my team's only chance of winning whiz by me. Strike three. I heard my team from behind me shouting “SWING!” with my mind screaming the same. But my bat remained unmoving, the pop of the catcher's glove like the nail into the coffin that was our defeat. All I had to do to keep our hopes of winning hope alive was swing, and yet I couldn't. I stayed on the field afterwards, tossing the ball up in the air and swinging away, landing it on the thick maple barrel of the bat.
Many years ago there was a small boy who was woken by a loud scream. Terrified, he ran from his room to find his mother unconscious on the floor. His little sister was screaming as he pulled his mom onto her back in desperation. In reality, he didn’t know what to do to save her and his helplessness was due to his lack of knowledge. She passed away that night. That boy was me. Our past defines us no matter how we protest; it can either pull you down into failure or lift you up towards success. From then on, I was drawn to medical sciences and used that helplessness to motivate my education.
Graduating high school was really exciting for me, but at the same time I was apprehensive because I knew it was a significant milestone in my life and I didn't know what to expect with college. However, the freedoms provided by college ending up being wonderful. I love being able to completely manage my time on my own and make my own decisions. I graduate college next May. If I were not going to grad school I would probably be dreading it because I don't think I'm ready for the "real world" and having a 9-5 job yet. So, since I am continuing my education it's going to be exciting since I will be moving to a new state and meeting new people.
In the reading “Who Goes to College” written by Cecilia Rodriguez Milanes I was able to see myself in her situation. When she was a senior she had no idea what she was going to do her following year, all she knew was that her parents wanted her to attend college. She always wanted to work, she liked being able to provide for herself but her parents always told her that college would come first. She had no clue of how college worked, what classes she would take or what she would do there. After all the confusion she had of what college truly is, she began to love it. I believe that Cecilia Rodriguez chose the right path, even though she was not completely sure of what she wanted to do she always worked hard and never let any obstacle put her
Freshmen year of college had finally arrived, and I was ready to experience life through the lens of an adult. Just turning eighteen, I had it all figured out, my school of choice, my major, and my career. My plan was to graduate with a major in business administration and a double minor in psychology and political science, with hopes of becoming an attorney. It never ceases to amaze me how each semester of college has taught me to expand my realm of knowledge and to become more open to new experiences. After my very first semester, I decided to double major in business administration and psychology. As time went on, my sophomore year allowed me to delve into many major courses, which probed a thirst for knowledge that needed to be quenched. At this point, I wanted to receive a more thorough understanding of both academic disciplines, but it was not until my junior year that I realized my true purpose.
As I entered my older years, unlike many students my age, I continued to take an interest in topics that weren’t required by my studies. I have an extreme interest in politics and a love for knowing information. My biggest pet peeve is being ill-informed and I feel as if that is a direct combination of my elementary school classes and my parent’s extreme concern with my education. My least favorite educational experience would have to be the beginning of college. I was taking chemistry, calc 1, and English and even though I had taken all of those classes in high school, I was completely overloaded with the amount of work I had to do and the individual effort that it took me to achieve in those classes. It was one of the hardest semesters of my life simply because I had never learned how to study. In highschool, I was never taught to read through a textbook on my own, how to pick out information, or the amount of practice I actually needed for a test. This semester taught me truly how I learn best. I have to study something repeatedly and go over things a few times before a
Some would-be students believe it is too difficult to pursue a college degree, believing they are not smart enough or personally powerful enough to see a degree through. And, no doubt, it is no walk in the park, but is and will be the most personally fulfilling and rewarding experience and personal achievement that life will bring, second only to a beautiful, long lasting marriage or having children to share ones life with.
Have you ever been to a point in your life where there were to many decisions and not enough time? This is what happened to me in my senior year of high school. Throughout my teen years, I never discussed college with my family or did they with me. College for some reason was not on my agenda. Then I realized that I wanted to go to further my education. The reason I chose to go to college was that I am an artist, and felt that I needed to learn more about art techniques. I didn’t want to loose my talent, and I realized how much I enjoyed being in class. I had the privilege of being a student of some wonderful teachers at the high school I attended, and they influenced my decision to becoming an art teacher.
What is your vision of your future? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Most students in high school most seniors do not know what their plans and goals are after high school. They do not know where they will be over 10 years because they don’t have any set goals. I plan on being out of the house, making good money, and move back to my home state.
...new classes, I soon realized what would be the biggest challenge of college: deciding on a major. Yes, I am one of those people who started college without first declaring a major. I soon heard every question, suggestion, and response regarding possible options. I even began concocting false majors to throw some people off. Large-Scale Demolition was a crowd favorite.
Throughout my twelve years of school I have realized something. That out of all the classes I have took, I have only truly enjoyed a small amount of those classes. Most classes don’t catch my attention very well or the content is dull and unexciting. That is why I’m looking forward to attending college, so I can find and take classes that actually interest me.
At the start of my undergraduate education, I was taken aback by what I had ahead of me. Now finally out of high school, a bevy of opportunities suddenly sprang themselves upon me. I was faced with the questions of what classes to take, what to study, what to participate in, how to fend for myself, how to accomplish my goals, and countless others. After struggling with these monumental questions, I realized that, in fact, nothing had changed. I was still the same person I had always been, only now presented with much more opportunity and room to grow. Thus, rather than continuing to flounder in grandiose thought, I began to experience what only a university can offer, by embracing the infinite potential presented to me.
As a result of this upbringing, I have always been extremely focused on my academic pursuits. In high school I participated in numerous competitions and had my curriculum restructured to challenge me. In the end, I graduated a year early, over-eager to go to college. In retrospect this may have been a mistake. I fell into the stereotypical trap of assuming I could coast t...