My transition to college was successful, but it was nonetheless one of the most stressful times in my life. Unlike many of my peers at Saint Louis University, my rural high school experience did not truly prepare me for the academic rigors of college. Despite extensive preparation, I performed rather poorly on the first round of exams. While I didn’t fail any particular exam, my performance was seriously lacking. I knew that getting C’s on exams would not serve me well in the pursuit of my dream of becoming a physician. I remember feeling, for the first time in my life, that I was unintelligent and incompetent. I was also heavily fatigued from the excessive hours of studying, which I felt were necessary to reconcile the problem. I managed to
push through the rest of the semester, which is why my transcript shows little evidence of this experience, but I feel that I made the situation much harder on myself than it needed to be. Knowing what I know now, I would deal with a similar situation much differently. I am much more open with my friends and family about my experiences now, and their advice and support has proven to be an invaluable asset to me in times of stress. I have also discovered several hobbies that help me relax and step away from stressors for a brief time. This leaves me refreshed and better able to approach them with a positive attitude.
When I first came to college, I did not have a solid idea of what the experience would be like, but I was excited for this new chapter in my life. I enrolled in courses I though I would excel in but a couple of weeks into the quarter, I felt unprepared for the fast-paced courses that I seemed to be struggling in but that my peers seem to of been excelling in. Early on this cause me some hardships suddenly I did not feel that I was as smart or accomplished as they were. As a result of this my grades in my courses suffered early on. As time progressed, I became friends with a group of people who were also in my similar situation, they were first-generation college students, students, this great support network of students allowed me to gain more confidence in my academic ability and with the help of my lab work, I began to see that I could excel in college.
During my early education, meaning elementary school and middle school, I was a very average student. I gave an average amount of effort to my grades, and I received above average results. This did not bother me, until the end of my 8th-grade year. At this point in the year, I was filling out what classes I desired to take the following year, my freshman year. I realized that from this point forward, I had to take my education much more serious, in order to get accepted to whichever college I desired. therefore, when planning my classes, I decided to challenge myself more than I ever have in the past, and take multiple honors courses. I assumed because of my grades, that I had what it took to be an honors-level student, but I was very wrong. One teacher, Mrs. Johnson, made me realize the kind of effort, time and energy needed to be devoted to my education.
The stereotypical version of the normal life of a teenager proceeding to college would include high academic standards met throughout their high school career and outstanding outside testing scores resulting in automatic entry into the institution of their choice. Many of these individuals have the support of their accomplished family members in the form of financial support. There are those who have not had the luxuries of any easy upbringing but forced to decide between a life with a college degree or full-time employment. For myself I want to have it all and to achieve that I have taken on both.
I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life after high school. I sat at home, on the computer, searching for careers and colleges majors online, night after night. I’d ask my parents, “What should I do with my life?” They would repeatedly give me the same answer, “Whatever your little heart desires.” That response just made me even more confused and frustrated because it reminded me of how many different options I had to choose from. I knew I wanted to continue my education by attending college, but there are so many aspects to think about when considering a college, such as, the type, cost, size, and distance of the college. I would stay awake in bed at night stressing about it. I knew I wanted to attend a college close
During one of my rides for work at O'SNAP, I passed by a group of students gathered around in a circle on the sidewalk. After dropping off my party, I drove by them to ask if they needed a ride. They accepted, but one of the students was visibly ill. I asked if they needed assistance to get back to their dorm, but they insisted they were fine. Due to the policy of NDSP, student drivers aren't allowed to bring back students who are ill due to insurance policies. The student insisted they were fine, but was unable to maintain balance and felt light headed. There was an unopened water bottle in the vehicle I was operating and offered it to the student. The other students with the student helped me lower the student to sit on the edge of the curb.
Many students are struggling in college. According to the New York Times Web site, only 33 percent of the college students are graduating in six years. Obviously students still need much help to succeed in order to get where they want to go. Although college can be challenging, I am going to succeed by using advice from experts, by developing strategies and ideas, and by taking advantage of the benefits offered by my college.
My life has not always been as bright and promising as it is today; I had no idea where my life was going, or how I would possibly be able to attend college at all. Since I was a child, my self-esteem has always been low, and any time college was brought up, it simply made my confidence drop even further. I never believed I could handle college, and never thought I would even be given the opportunity to attend.
Moving to college was one of my biggest and scariest moments of my life so far.I was very scared to go out on my own and move away from the life I have always known. But moving away to college has been the best decision I have ever made. I was forced out of my comfort zone. I had to take care of myself and learn things the hard way by making my own mistakes. I’ve had to get through rough days on my own and be independent but it has made me so much stronger. I have learned many skills like time management and that cramming the night before a test isn’t the smartest thing to do. I have been able to take so many new opportunities like volunteering with Adapted Gymnastics or being a member of the Honors Health Profession Fraternity. I have had
Going away to college was very hard for me. I had never been away at camp before, so going away to college was the first time I would be leaving home for more then just a night for a sleep over. I still remember that the first night at my dorm I cried for hours and contemplated calling my parents at two in the morning and telling them I made a terrible mistake and I wanted to come home. For some reason, that as I senior I still do not know myself, I stayed but was miserable my freshmen year. I went home every weekend, and hated school because I was not making friends and it was like déjà vu with my freshmen year of high school. I also did not have a great relationship with my roommates, which did not help. I lived in seminary so it was three girls, and since my roommates were so close I was the odd ball out which is never fun.
Transitioning from High School to College has been an interesting experience. Theres been a lot of freedom and situations I have not been used to. Its been especially tough being away from being my family and loved ones. But here at Brockport I've been blessed to find a professor who has essentially become my second mother. This professor is Marianne Dalton. I've had prior ballet experience and it is in fact my dream to become a professional ballet dancer. I wasn't sure what it'd be like to take a college level ballet class but Professor Dalton has made this class extremely enjoyable. We begin every class with a yoga infused warm up: to promote cross training and the health of our bodies as dancers. She always comes to class smiling and full
My ability to begin college has been a blessing in disguise. I joined the military without a
My school life is a roller coaster with its ups and downs and loopty loops. During the first two of high school I was doing great and handing in my work and assignments on time, but at the end of grade 10 I failed my grade 10 math by 1 point off. Normally people look back and review what they did and didn’t do at and move forward and improve themselves, but I took the failing a class pretty hard and overthink what I did and didn’t do. Grade 11 was difficult for me and I have trouble with staying focus on my work, because I was too worry and scared of failing my classes and letting my family
With ups and downs in my career and my personal life, I have become stronger, more modest and grateful for all the chances that life offered. I have always been one of the top 10 students in class. But, I wasn’t able to perform my best in my third and final years of dentistry due to some distractions at home. But my mother always encouraged me with the thought that a failure is life’s way to make you better at something, for which you must keep trying. Holding on to that thought, I worked even harder and not only proved my merit in my second attempt, but got a better conceptual understanding about the subjects than most students around
...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.
I have always felt drawn to medicine and working in the medical field. Upon entering college, I oscillated between going into the pre-med program or doing engineering, I had no idea what I was meant to do with my life. In this time of contemplation, I found myself being guided towards engineering, whether this was pressuring from others or God, I’m not sure, but I felt it was the right place for me. Since entering college, my understanding of what it means to be a student has changed. I have found that I needed to make a more conscious effort when studying or doing homework. I have realized that this is the time to learn and absorb knowledge because this is one of the last steps in my education. With this in mind I have been trying to take advantage of the resources the college offers. I have already signed up for a tutor and meet with them once a week. I also visit with my classmates after class or at night if I find I am struggling to complete difficult assignments. By talking to members of my classes, I am expanding my knowledge of the subject, as well as my relationships with those individuals. I have also realized my experiences and performance in