Society views college as the door way to success. However, many people fail to realize the same effort put into college also needs application after or failure starts creeping in from the side. Anna Chinero, a recent graduate, moved back home after failing to find a job. Chinero concludes her article, “Elevated by the Train”, by expressing, “instead of always looking out toward somewhere else, I’m beginning to look around here, wondering how I can make this neighborhood the better place my parents always sought for me.” Many graduates, like Ana, loose direction in attempting to achieve their dreams they possessed entering college.
As a nontraditional student, I found the article “Mapping the Misunderstood Population of Adult Students”, (Ashburn, E. 2007) to be a close representation of myself as an adult student. Financial aid is one of many areas that seems to fall short for the adult learner. The decision to return to school is different from that of a traditional student. As a forty-eight year old woman with a productive career, still raising a family, and many social obligations, going to college was a decision that would affect all of these
In his article, “Are Too Many People Going to College?” Charles Murray argues that too many people are going to college universities when they should be focusing on other lifestyle options. In his opinion, whether or not to attend college is a personal decision that should be thoroughly thought through. When weighed with the unrealistic prerequisites, the financial expenses, and the time needed to obtain a degree, many people will find that attending college will not be beneficial to them. Speaking of this Murray attests, “The question here is not whether the traditional four-year residential college is fun or valuable as a place to grow up, but when it makes sense as a place to learn how to make a living.
Addison’s tone is also optimistic when she adds that “the community college system is America’s hidden public gem,” and that “they offer a network of affordable future, of accessible hope, and an option to dream.” Through this remark, Addison not only exhibits a hopeful tone but, also makes others optimistic that community college is an option for them. She does such by listing that it is “affordable,” meaning achievable for those that don’t have much, as well as, being a place to “dream.” This shows that in and after community college, there are opportunities
For many people college is a time where they find themselves and become independent. That wasn’t really the case for my aunt, Lisa Dennis. She explained to me how her college experience was different than others because of the fact she didn’t go right out of highschool, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. She had to find her independence in other ways than going to college. Here’s a woman who couldn’t afford to go to college right out of high school, but was determined to work hard at her job and take classes part time.
Remembering how long and uncertain our journey has been, from leaving our hometown and family sixteen years ago, to obtaining green cards, to years spent saving enough money to afford citizenship, I realize all that my parents have sacrificed to create a promising life for me. Thus, I have decided to never let past obstacles prevent me from creating a successful future. Reflecting on the reasons as to why my family moved half way across the world—the high crime rate, insufficient job openings, and no real opportunities for improvement, allows me to realize that attending a college in the United States is the key to making those dreams a reality—dreams of safety, opportunity, and success. Being a first-generation college student means that I have the opportunity to make my parents proud, honor their sacrifices, and give back to the country that has given me a new identity and allowed me the opportunity to improve my
In a world with ever-growing challenges, there is a lot that is still left unknown and I would like to contribute to find what is still unknown; also, college would serve as a representation of a new stage in my life. I would like to go to college to gain knowledge and to accomplish a rite of passage. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to know what a certain concept meant or was, I wanted to know how the earth revolved around the sun, and I wanted to know why the dinosaurs were not present. Now, I want to understand what human nature is, how neurons generate electrical impulses, and why humans are considered a superior species. It is my natural human instinct: the desire to gain knowledge!
Many Americans today face an impending struggle as they advance into adulthood. That impending struggle that so many Americans face in this stage is college. College has problems ranging from being able to not afford college to not meeting the eligibility to enter certain courses in college. The truth to this is that these problems are not that scary and can most certainly be easily solved through scholarships or diligent work. College helps all Americans seek a better educated life that helps them overall the course of their
College is one of the most significant times in a person’s life. Every year high school kids will visit many different colleges so that they can be confident in their college decision. Some kids will follow in their parent’s foot steps and base their decision on where their mom or dad went, though, not all kids are fortunate to have help from their parents. Many kids nowadays may be the first in their family to take on higher education. The article, “First Generation College Students: Unprepared and Behind” by Liz Riggs explains that kids who are the first in their family to take on college are at a disadvantage compared to kids with parents who attended college.
Finding motivation to attend college is easy, keeping the motivation to finish is the difficult part. I decided to enroll in college to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Business with a concentration in Finance. I hope that the degree will give me the opportunity to apply for a better position within the organization that I currently work for. A secondary goal of returning to school is to demonstrate to my son that attending college is required for many jobs and that returning to school as an adult has various difficult challenges. I have been working for the past nine years as an Assistant Financial Officer and am highly competent at my job.
It is 7:56 PM, I step out the bus, hopping over a mysterious liquid on the sidewalk. Speed walking my way home on the torn up gravel sidewalk. I walk by a group of fellow residents of my neighborhood. Questions immediately surface to the front of my mind, with apprehension: “Did I stare for too long?” “Does my walk look too flamboyant?”
As a first generation student to attend college from a family of seven, the journey to a higher education has been arduous and overwhelming. My family gives me all the encouragement I need and are very optimistic about pursuing a higher degree. Unlike myself, my parents did not have the opportunity to attend college. My parents were born and raised in a small town in Mexico where the highest level of education they received was fifth grade. I have worked since I was 14 years old to support my parents with bills, and also saving for college and my own vehicle.
Parents across the nation have found it much harder to pay for their children’s education due to these rising costs. For example, in states like Arizona, Georgia, and Oklahoma “parents have seen a 77 percent increase in costs. In Georgia, it's 75 percent, and in Washington state, 70 percent” (citation). These rising costs would be especially challenging for young adults. Working for a college education is a challenge, and many cannot overcome it.
It has taken me longer than the average person to make the decision to pursue a bachelor’s degree. In North America, most people graduate university in their early twenties. My path has been quite different from the norm; I am in my mid-thirties, married, a mom of a toddler, I have a full time office job and I am currently taking four 3 credit hour courses in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. I often look back and wonder why it has taken me so long to complete a bachelor’s degree. It is not because I am a lazy person or because I do not know or understand the value of higher education; I have been working since I was eighteen years old and have achieved quite a lot in other areas of my life.
