Returning to School
Fifteen years after graduating high school, returning to school was a challenge, because of the Prerequisites, CPD class, and Math. First, arranging an appointment to speak to Admissions and Records to register for classes was a journey. The enrollment center crowded with students, people walking everywhere, and the wait time felt like years. Then, the process to fill out a Financial Aid application was exhausting; I had to provide my personal information, including income taxes. So far, the enrollment was working fine, but when the Financial Aid representative named Mary questioned me for a major, I freeze! And Mary kept staring at me, waiting for my response, my face was as red as a tomato for not knowing what to respond,
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I felt as if I was on a different planet, as much as I tried to understand I was still lost in the woods. That day I got home nearly in tears because I didn’t want to fail the math class, for a second I thought about quitting, but then with a positive attitude, I decided to give it a second opportunity. College was different from high school, attending College is like going to a shopping center, the same people enter the same store, but many of them don’t know each other, and the classroom walls are plain white, no painting or decorations. The students are responsible for their actions, assignments and attendance if they pass or fail their class is their responsibility. Returning to school is a whole new experience, in a way I felt excited to be able to expand my knowledge and prepare for a better future. On the other hand, I am blessed with more responsibilities than just school. Now I am compromised to my kids that depend on me. It’s not just homework, also helping my kids with their homework, doing laundry, cleaning the house, and caring for my kids. To be honest, it’s not easy attending college it’s like having another child. I commit to my classes and assignments, just how I do it with my children. Attending college and being a mother, a spouse, and an employee does squeeze my energy. I knew it wasn’t going to be simple, but I also knew it was not impossible. I continued my education, and I know taking baby steps will benefit my future. “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” (Brian
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
My name is Valorie M Altamirano, and I am a Central Arizona College graduate with an Associate degree in Fire Science Technology. Unfortunately, my degree does not meet the liberal study requirements to seek a Bachelor's degree. In order to achieve my goals, it is necessary that I complete seven General Study courses. The hold-up for continuing my education is unemployment, ineligibility for a Pell grant and a hold for a $252 charge that will prevent future
Growing up, my parents never expected perfection but expected that I try to accomplish my best. The effort I’ve put forth in learning has been reflected in my grades throughout my high school career. I’ve entered myself in vigorous course work such as AP Government and AP English to become well prepared for my college career, all while maintaining a 4.4 grade point average this year. Not only do I engage in AP classes, but up until this year I had no study halls. I wanted my day to be packed full of interesting classes that I would enjoy learning about. My grades and choice of classes prove the effort that I put forth in my learning. Working hard now can only pay off in the future. Learning now creates a well-rounded human being. Working to learn is why I am so dedicated to my studies now.
Brendan Kosteroski is an excelling high school dropout who is trying to make a word for himself. He then got a GED not just because he needed to, but because he wanted to. He wanted to become what he loved. So when I asked him what he majored in he said that “Philosophy is what I’ve always loved, so that's what I did. But something has to bring in the bank; So for the rest of the years I tried to becoming a teacher.”He told me about how he always hated school, and he emphasized “hate”. Brendan never was an outstanding student. Although he was a smart kid, he never felt like doing the work. He said while going through college, that was the toughest adjustment.
Ultimately, what is at stake here is the fact that parents are making excuses for students who do not want to work hard in school or are not able to handle it, therefore, parents need to stop making excuses for adults and let them decide their paths in life. If parents stop excusing their kids, then teachers can continue the challenging work for student resilience to increase. College is a privilege, not every child in the world can experience and no one said it would be easy, but no one said it was acceptable to hold each student’s hand for the ride
The path I have taken toward obtaining my Bachelor of Science Degree in Business, Management, and Economics, with a concentration in Marketing, has been different than I expected when I first started college. I started at Brooklyn College at 17-years-old and frankly, I wasn’t ready for it. I struggled to balance an awkward schedule of classes and inconsistent study habits. I never felt completely comfortable there and after two years of performing poorly, I enrolled at Kingsborough Community College. I viewed it as a new start and seized the opportunity. I decided to major in Business Administration; I made the Dean’s List, and saw my grades improve dramatically. After completing 74 total credits, I decided I was ready to return to a four-year-college. I initially considered returning to Brooklyn College but at this time my grandmother had become ill. I applied to the College of Staten Island which was near her home and would make it possible for me to help her out with whatever she needed and attend school locally. This worked out great for my first semester. I carried a 3.47 GPA and decided to major in Business, with a concentration in Marketing. At this time, I was working part-time while in school. But due to certain circumstances, I was forced to obtain a full-time job in addition to other part-time commitment. This made it very difficult for me to enroll in classes as most of the upper-level marketing classes that I needed for graduation were only offered during the day when I would now be working. I enrolled in night and weekend classes for the next two semesters but my grades began to suffer. In the last semester I tried to register at the College of Staten Island, I couldn’t fit the courses I needed into my ever-growing w...
I met Goustan almost two years ago when he came to California on a school trip. The program he was with is called Horizon du Monde, and their goal is to help broaden the horizons of students all over the world. Most schools justify this vacation as a school-related trip by saying it will help students better their English. A week before he was going to arrive he started to email my father, but I would email him back. I was surprised at how well his English looked, he was able to write about his school experiences, music tastes, and everyday life. One could really tell from the way he kept writing that he was most likely an extrovert. Goustan stayed with my family for about two weeks and was almost completely surrounded by English-only speakers.
I am conscious that returning to school, will accompany stress and anxiety. However I am also aware that my decision may encourage others to overcome the fear of returning to school. I can help my peers or leaving behind the “old way of thinking and behaving” (Bais and Hayes, 2011, p.5). The strategies that help me in this transition as describe Spencer and Adam were to find a mentor who can provide support when needed and accept help from family members when in doubt or overwhelmed.
It seems as though the majority of college students these days aren’t looking to further their education because it’s what they really want, they do it to please their parents, to be accepted by society, or because there’s nothing else for them to do (Bird, 372). These expectations have led to students being unhappy and stressed, and have pushed them into a school or a job that they don’t particularly care for.
I spent countless hours bickering with my loving mother about bills and school work and boiling dozens of boxes of Kraft’s macaroni and cheese for my siblings. I told myself: “My family needs me”. The reality was that I was afraid of becoming an adult and leaving my family. I could not imagine myself walking into college, preparing myself to take exams and make new friends. For years, this fear had impeding me to be my best self and seek the opportunities that are at my fingertips.
"Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.” (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam) I am a young single mom who always dreamed of attending college, but I grew into the belief that somehow I could only achieve this by attending school part-time. I worked twelve hour shifts, four days a week, thinking that this was the only way of realizing my dream. I wanted to graduate without sacrificing time with my daughter, my reputation as a mother, or our finances. Every time I recalculated how long it would take me to graduate, a sense of dread would pass over me. I had to acknowledge that going to college two classes at a time was going to be too slow and that I would not pass if I went full-time and worked full-time. Meanwhile, my life continued. Soon, I was expecting to get married and have more kids. I thought of giving up on my dream of a college education, but I eventually realized that going to college was the way I could achieve a happier life. I also had to come to the conclusion that I was not a bad mom, nor should I feel ashamed for being poor while attending college. I then began my college life with one constant reminder running through my head, "It's better I do it while I'm still young."
The other day I was reminiscing about the simpler elementary school days, before I started college. It made me think of all the things that I miss about my elementary school days. There are many things I miss including, recess, school events, and field trips.
It was the third week of school. Jessica was sitting on the bleachers for PE, she was wearing her blue jean jacket and her hair was tighten up, and did not dress out for the gym. Because of the bullies that they usually come to her and call the “The skinny little lady”, Jessica was always aware from her legs, which guys always saying were bony and skinner than the pen, and that wasn’t the only thing that she was aware of but also the way she talks and smile, her life was entirely miserable. The PE coach came and witnessed Jessica when she wasn’t wearing the uniform, his face turned red while he looked at her outfit , Jessica did not what to do so she hide behind her best friend Collin, Collin was a very funny
It was the middle of June and I was about to finish the last day of middle school. I went to Parkside Intermediate School, which was located in San Bruno. I felt so accomplished and proud of myself that I made it this far. Graduation in this case was going to happen the very next day. If you could see me the day before graduation, I was filled with joy and couldn’t wait to see all my friends in high school.
I walked into my kitchen to see my mom cleaning up after dinner. After playing this conversation in my head for a while I asked her, “Did you register us for school? It was yesterday.” She walks over and sits down next to me. “Listen..