1. What is your story and how did it lead to college? Why was this the right next step for
you? Who helped direct you to this decision?
I come from a single-parent household, so I have seen my mom work her whole life to have me
succeed. She put her dreams aside to raise me and paid a lot of money for me to go to a college
preparatory school. I knew college was the next step for me because I wasn't going to waste my
mom’s money and not go to college. College also gives you a chance to broaden your learning
and make connections to help you in your career. I think my family, in general, helped me make
this decision. My family wants me to be successful, and they believe the way to be successful is
a college degree. I also thought my teachers and friend helped me with this decision. I heavily
believe that you are who you hang around. I surrounded myself with people who wanted to
succeed.
2.
If college is a process of becoming (not just attaining a degree), what character or
leadership skills or abilities do you want to develop during college? How will you be
formed in college? List and explain three qualities and their importance.
Communication: I feel like communication is one of the most important things you can learn in
college. A lot of people have great ideas and they are never heard because they don't know hot
communicate. I feel learning how to communicate and be heard will help you out in the long run.
Motivation: I feel that college is definitely about how motivated you are. If you come into
college lacking motivation then you won’t succeed. You have to be willing to do the work and do
it well without someone telling you or pushing you to do something.
Independent: In college, you have to be independent and you don't have someone holding your
hands. College is often the first time most people are living on their own and have to be
self-sufficient. Independence is hard for many to achieve, but it is so important.
3.
What strengths, skills, and abilities do you bring to the college experience to help you
succeed? Please list three and how you might utilize them in college.
Hard-worker: I believe I am a hard worker and willing to do whatever it takes to get the grades I
desire. It took me a while to get to this point in high school. Often I would care more about other
things and not my school work. Now I have the time and resources to fully commit to my
education.
Patience: I don't know my life calling yet or my major and that has kinda scared me. I use
patience to help me feel better about it because with patience and time everything will work out.
I am now not in a rush and will just let time run its course and when I know I will know.
Time-management: Time management is something I struggle with for a while in high school
and sometimes I still struggle with it. I think time management is very important to be successful
in life in general. You have to know how to manage time if you want to graduate from college.
4.
What are some challenges you face? Please list three challenges and how you might
address them.
Homesick: After the past couple of weeks of school I have become homesick. I always was so
excited about leaving and being on my own and doing what I want. I now miss home and my
family and I know it will probably go away, but I will address it by still keeping in touch with
my family and maybe going home every couple of weeks or months.
Comfort zone: I don't like being outside of my comfort zone a lot and I need to work on it. I
think that will help me in making connections and be a better communicator. I feel this is also
important in finding my life calling.
Focus: I tend to take a lot of breaks while studying and doing homework. I need to learn how to
better handle my time and have time for just studying and then have time to do other things.
5. What strategies for success in Chapter 1 can you use to overcome those challenges? List three
specific methods from the chapter and how you will utilize them.
Meet with my instructors, set long and short-term goals, set realistic expectations. I feel if I do
these things I can knock out the challenges and turn them into strengths. Meeting with my
instructor will get me out of my comfort zone and help me build connections. I am competitive so
setting goals will keep me motivated and focus to achieve the goals. Setting expectations and
being prepared will help me with being homesick when coming back from breaks and vacations.