Personal Narrative: My Decision To Return To College

The decision to return to college to work toward my bachelor 's degree was not an easy one for me. As a mother of three, the loss of not just income, but time, has been substantial. The sacrifice has not been carried only by me, but by my entire family. In making the decision to return to school, I had to weigh the importance and value of a bachelor 's degree against the time and cost that it would require. After careful consideration, prayer, and many conversations with my family, I made the decision to return and attend Kennesaw State University. My intent to major in nursing was a driving factor in my decision to attend Kennesaw State. However, the program is extremely competitive and would require a near perfect GPA in order to hope for acceptance. To this end, from the moment that I began my first class, singular attention was required for academic success. I was nervous and afraid when I began. As an older student, I was afraid that I would stand out, have trouble fitting in, and would have more difficulty being successful in the classroom. On the first day of class I walked shyly to the front of the classroom and sat down in the second row. I sat down, took out my notebook, and

I have lost sleep, missed soccer games and parent-teacher conferences, but have not missed a single class since I began. It has been challenging and more rewarding than I ever could have imagined. I was admitted to the nursing program for the Spring 2015 term, and this has changed my life. The community of students and faculty in the nursing program has been incredibly supportive, but the program is rigorous, and it has taken significant effort to be successful. In just this short time, I have become so at home at Kennesaw State that it is difficult to imagine the time when I walked around campus lost, sure I would never be able to find my way