Russell
August 4, 2013 My Unrealistic Expectations of College
Since graduating in 1998 I have dreamed of going to college. We lived in a small town called Corunna, Michigan with a population of around 15,000 people. This town had no college so the only choice for higher education was at least an hour away. I lived with my grandmother and grandfather and they couldn’t afford to send me away to college. After graduating I decided to move to Florida to go to college and give myself better opportunity. I have always wanted to further my education and peruse a nursing degree. I thought that moving to Florida and being in a large city would give me that opportunity. Looking back on my assumptions of what I thought college was going to be like, I realize I had some unrealistic expectations. Upon arriving to Florida I immediately had to get a job and a new place to live. So I figured I would put college off for a little bit until I was stable. I thought once I was settled I could work and go to school. I didn’t realize that it would be such a difficult task working to support myself since I had never done it before. I was working many hours and realized I couldn’t go to school and I would need to wait until I got a better job with less hours. Once again I had to put college off. Two years later, I just gotten a new job. I was only working 9:00 am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday. I had met my boyfriend and we had moved in together so it was helpful having someone else help pay the bills. I figured that this was my time, I could now go back to college. I soon after found out I was pregnant. I knew I would have to wait to go to college until after the baby was born. Obviously, after having a child I realized how difficult it was going to be working, taking care of a baby and going to college. On top of not having the time, I also didn’t have the money for someone to care for my child. I had to put school off longer. I continued putting off going to college due to having additional children and financial reasons until summer of 2013. In April of 2013, I enrolled in Seminole State College. I decided to peruse my dream of becoming a nurse. I am 33 years old now, I have a husband, three younger children, and one being a new premature baby just born in February, 2013. I figured, now or never. I was thinking in my head, that it couldn’t be too difficult, I could do it. I can take online courses and it shouldn’t take up too much of my time. I just wanted to get enrolled, go full time to get it over with. Well I enrolled into four classes my first term, and one being an “A” term. I didn’t even know what I was getting myself into at that point. I know am reaching the end of my first term in college and it has been rough. I jumped in head first thinking it would be easy, that I could take online classes for now to be able to stay home with my newborn. It has been rough. I have spent hours daily on my computer. It has taken up much more time than I had imagined. I have even had to get someone to help me care for my children. I took math online, and it seems as if I forgot everything from high school and it has been very difficult to learn online. I have had to get additional help just to make sure I can pass. I might as well just have taken math on campus as much as I have been there getting tutoring. One course I thought that would be easier on me was English I. It has proven to be more difficult than I thought. I have been working for Attorney’s for years, and I thought I was decent in grammar and writing. I had thought that this class was going to be easier, and I thought I knew how to write. I continued saying to myself, how difficult could it be? I was wrong. I have learned a lot in this class. I never did a research paper up until this point so I had no clue on how to do it. I ended up spending weeks on it. I never realized how important citation and quotation was. I have learned so much from this English course. I now can say I have wrote a research paper, I know how to properly cite research, how to format an essay properly and use quotations more efficiently. Even though I put off going to school so long, I am glad I finally decided to go. I had the misconception that college would only take up a few hours a week and it would be easier taking courses online. I think taking online classes take more dedication and time, especially since I have been needing to go to the school for testing and tutoring anyway. I have spent hours a day on my homework and studying. I thought that all the things I had learned previously would come back to me and I could start off where I left off. It is proven to be more difficult having a family, working and going to school. I wish I had went to college immediately after high school. It may have been difficult but not as difficult as it is now having a family. Going to college takes a lot of dedication, and time. Regardless of when you go it is not easy, and it is important to have realistic expectations of school and yourself.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
I know I am not the only person that has had a hard time getting into school, or understanding how. Now that I’m in it, I feel lots better but of course it has been a very hard time coming from a 9-5 job and then straight to another job to pay the bills. First off, I learned that it is not free. No matter how many ads and people I had spoken to telling me “oh yeah, school is free”. It certainly has not been for me at least. I had a few small grants but nothing that was enough to help out with my living costs/ tuition/ books, thus leaving me to the device of taking out student loans. Since then I have been seeking scholarships but have not had the greatest luck. With this information that I have provided, I have now taken one loan out and this is my first loan. I still work two jobs picking up shifts at a bar on a weekend and receiving a student loan. I shouldn’t have to take a loan out that I am going to pay back years from now. I am having to work two jobs and do two classes a semester which to get to any or the degree that I want, will take years thus leaving me with a huge amount of debt I owe. Now, I am still lost just finding my own balance of work and…
- 615 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In the article “Is College Overrated?” by Holly Epstein Ojolvo, mentions and explains Peter Theil’s program. This program grants $10,000 to 24 student under the age of 20 “to drop out of college to pursue tech start-ups” (Holly .1). By “tech start-ups”, Mr. Theil want student to drop out of college and do something with their lives with those $10,000 and maybe start up their own business, invest to improve or make technology, whatever the case may be, he wants to prove that college isn’t the only way someone can become successful. Programs, like Mr. Theil’s fellowship, are essential due to the benefits it provides to those student who don’t have the requirements, such as money, a certain SAT score, to attendant colleges or universities, or they don’t want to follow trends that everyone else is following.…
- 570 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
At the time, my sister was attending Kennesaw State University and I had no intentions of following in her footsteps there. I loved the small town atmosphere of Dahlonega and how it was not too far from home but not right around the corner. My friends who also went with me that day may have also had some influence on me going to school here. However; choosing a major was not as easy as choosing where I wanted to attend school at. I always played school growing up, waking up at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday just so I could replay the school day with my imaginary class and the whiteboard I so dearly loved. I struggled my first two years at deciding when I finally decided I would just choose nursing. After the countless hours in the chemistry lab, all nighters studying molecules and bonds and the dread to attend Anatomy class, I came to the conclusion that a nursing degree was not the degree for me. The following summer, I got the chance to work at a special needs camp for eight weeks. I instantly fell in love with these children and all their different personalities; especially one child named Malachi. He was a six year old boy who was non-verbal and had the speech of an eighteen-month hold. Through the course of the summer, I watched Malachi make such minute progress, but I was instantly intrigued by what was going on in his brain. I decided then that I wanted to be a Speech Therapist and would get my Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood. I would then make my way to graduate school to earn my degree in Speech…
- 946 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
My decision to re-enroll in college was a part of a plan solely to provide for my daughter and motivate her to become independent. When I first started college, I was not thinking about my future in-depth until I discovered I was pregnant. This made me set up a plan to finish college get a degree and have a steady career by the time my daughter would be in the first grade. I stayed in college until the semester before I would deliver. Things got rocky on after the birth of my daughter but I could re-enroll after a couple of months as a new mother. I enrolled in the Remington College where I was very successful there but I was not happy. I originally wanted to go for an Associate’s degree but decided that I minus well get my Bachelors, so I transferred schools to University of Phoenix for A Bachelor’s in Business concentration Accounting. I have been to the university for a year now and have a year left. My daughter will start Pre-K this August and by the time she is in first grade, I should be doing working in career field of choice.…
- 550 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
I decided to return to school for personal reasons. Returning to school is something that I have thought of doing for a very long time. I guess you could just say that I have been very lazy and procrastinated for a long time. I tried to go to college right out of high school but it did not work out. I don’t think I was quite prepared to make that big step. I was headed down the wrong path and decided it was time to do something with my life. I knew it would help me to grow as a person. I now find myself in sort of the same situation. I’ve been a cashier for 18yr and now I work hard every day loading a Goodwill trailer to support my kids I know that without a collage education that most likely will not happen. I also want to be a positive influence to my children and show him how important education is. I want to be a good influence to my son and daughter but most of all I want to better myself as a person. Plus most of all I know in 4 to 5 yr. my fibromyalgia will not be getting any better. By that time my R.A. in my back will be getting bad, I still have 8 yrs. left to support my little girl. I know I can’t do it working on…
- 380 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
I can still hear the echo of my mother’s voice when I told her I was leaving my job to go back to school full time. In her loving demeanor and ever so softly toned voice, she said, “If you would have focused on education instead of your social status back then, you would be a doctor by now.” I could not believe my ears! However, I knew exactly what my mother meant and sadly responded with, “you are right mother.” I was twenty seven, a mother of two, and about to sacrifice so much for higher education. This was not going to be easy but I was determine to do it for myself and my family. In the past, my parents stressed the importance of education and did all they could to support us through it. However, my priority as a teen was my appearance.…
- 1487 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
My motivation to succeed in life and college starts with my ambition to want more than just a job that pays well, but a career that I love doing. I was in the navy for four years active and I loved it, but I didn’t feel fulfilled in life. Something was missing. So I made the decision to become a reservist and finish my degree and pursue my dream of becoming a Register Nurse. That dream is put on hold for now only because the school that I attended told me that even if I had all the necessary points needed, I still might not be accepted into the nursing program. I had a tough decision to make. Do I stay in this school and keep wasting time or do I go to another school and pursue something else in the medical field? That is when I decided to come to California College San Diego and pursue a degree in Medical Specialties. When I am done with this program, I would have two careers that I would enjoy doing. I would be certified in multiple areas such as: medical assistant, home health aide, pharmacy technician, nursing assistant, and medical billing and coding. Although I want to be a Register Nurse, I will use this as a stepping stool to reach my goal and dream.…
- 971 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Whenever I hear the phrase "college isn't for everyone" my mind cringes at the thought of all the lazy people who walk amongst this earth. There are many things people deal with on an everyday basis that "aren't for everyone". Cancer isn't for everyone, losing a loved one isn't for everyone, and being put in situations, you don't ask to be put in certainly aren't for everyone. However, as human beings, we have to continue living our lives to the best of our ability. There are no excuses in the real world. There are no excuses to not have a decent education in order to make a living in our country. Some may not like the system but that's the way it works. If you have an education, more times than not you'll make enough money to get by. If you don't, you will be left with an underpaying job which usually involves hard work, and you will be the one petitioning for $15 an hour minimum wage. Education is important and sometimes a wake-up call is needed in order for people to realize this. I was one of…
- 1110 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
After careful thought and consideration, I made the desire to return to school into a realistic goal. I had finally come to the conclusion, that it was time to take control of my circumstances, rather than continue to let my circumstances control me. For the first time in twenty years, I have a window of opportunity to fit a degree program into my daily schedule. Returning to school had always been a desire of mine, but in the past, I did not think I had the time or the money to pursue a degree. I was a single mother, I was working all of the time, my children were very young, and half of my wages went to daycare expenses.…
- 833 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
However, I ended up failing my calculus class and barely passing my economics class due to the numerous activities I was taking a part of and having to work part-time to cover my living expenses. The struggle that I had faced academically was a huge shock to me because I had been among the top ten percent students in my high school, and never once in my life did I had to take tutoring. Even though I was going to tutoring twice a week and setting more time aside to study, I still failed my exams which caused me a tremendous amount of stress. As a result, I packed up my stuff went back home to enroll at El Paso Community College to relieve the tensions of having to live by myself and to rethink of my goals about what I wanted to do in my college…
- 597 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
My last point of college going wrong isn't even universities fault it is societies and yet it causing college to go very wrong in some cases. College is the time to make mistakes, however, thanks to social media almost every single mistake a person makes is on the internet forever and could even affect their future employment opportunities. Think about any of the great college's scandals that have happened from the SAE to different snap chat incidents that have happened all over the country. Every time a college student says something that could be construed as maybe not the best idea it becomes national news and that student is often expelled. While I don't think students should be making racist comments ever or posting inappropriate things…
- 238 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Over 15 years ago, I had the opportunity to attend undergraduate school at Howard University. Unfortunately, my vision was unclear and my confidence non-existent. However, I soon realized that to be successful, productive, and compete with the best I had to do something. So I made the decision to enroll in the nursing program at Prince George’s Community College. I made a conscious decision to be the best and graduated in the top five of my nursing class. I feel that same determination will contribute to the successful…
- 890 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Summer 2008 I began college as a freshman looking forward to all the new thing that I was going to be learning and also looking forward to all the new people I was going to be meeting. Overall I was overly excited about the new environment. It made me feel a sense of independence that I had never felt before. I was out there on my own and I was ready to make great things happen. Beginning as a freshman I had so many things that I wanted to accomplish. I wanted to become a dental hygienist, a cosmetologist, a pharmacy technician, a nurse and a wardrobe stylist. I knew that if I worked hard I could accomplish and achieve being anything that I wanted. As semesters rolled onward I began to accomplish things that I wanted: pharmacy technician, accomplished; associates degree, accomplished; cosmetologist, accomplished; certified nursing assistant, accomplished. I achieved so many great things but I still wanted more. I felt that there was more out there for me to achieve and I wanted to have it all. If there was more to be learned, I wanted to learn it and be a part of it. With that being said, I worked and I strived for more great things.…
- 693 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
For four years I have know that ETSU was where I wanted to obtain my Nurse Practitioner Degree. I have been obsessed with the medical field for as long as I remember. I was that child who was always watching things like Grey’s Anatomy, Untold Stories of the ER, and HOUSE instead of normal kid shows. From the moment I learned that I could obtain my Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) licence in high school and work my way up, I knew that was what I wanted to do. In all my science classes I strived to learn everything I could. Any health class offered, I have took. My life has been consumed with learning, studying, and volunteering in any health care area. By the time my senior year came, in my own mind I felt I was already a nurse. That is when I got the biggest reality check.…
- 804 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
When I started college, I thought I had it all figured out. I would obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, subsequently attending graduate school to achieve my goal of becoming a nurse practitioner. Two years of prerequisites, two years of nursing school, and two years of graduate school. I worked hard for two years and earned exceptional grades that led to my acceptance at one of the top nursing schools in the country. However, the more I explored the field, the more I realized that nursing was not the right career for me. My subsequent withdrawal from nursing…
- 599 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays