University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

Someone once told me that the word job stood for "just over broke" and that having a career is much better when trying to establish a stable and comfortable lifestyle. Going to college is the first step in starting a career. Many students didn't truly earn their High School diploma. They cheated and got in good with teachers in order to make it to the next level but how can you make it to the next level with no foundation? August 25th I moved into a new chapter in my life, college at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. This was a big transistion that I had to get use to. I'm in my last week of my first semester and through this experience I have realize that I have to earn the right to be here. I have to stay up and study. I have to remove myself from my comfort zone and endure every obstacle that comes my way. It has been vaulable to attend because I know that it will secure me and my family's future. I will graduate college and show my little brother that it's possible and make my mother proud.

My college experience has taught me that college is not all about living on your own and being able to party, as most high school students think. To make it through college you have to be commited to what you are doing and have a lot of self discipline. In college the students are not going to be on your back about turing an assignment in. It will be your responsibility to get your work done and turned in on time. Also you have to have discipline because if you don't you will want to party all the time and you won't get any of your school work done.

I have gotten the best education. Time to learn more about my ability and myself. Being in the Nursing program at South Texas College, has been the best opportunity given to me. Being in college is a great experince especially when it comes to focusing on my future. I have made great friends and i have the honor in having great teachers. I've gotten a new point of view about college, since i started working for my college also, as a Student Information Clerk. I get to do college tours to new up coming students and i get to see how excited the new students are about college. I also get to let them know how Valuable Education is. I would never take school for granted.. I love my college!!

During my first semester of college I have learned so much, really I have fallen in love with learning. There is so much there. My professors and classes have been amazing, and I am looking forward to the rest of my education. Honestly, the most valuable thing about college is that it enables me to reach my dream. Everyone has a goal or a dream they are trying to make a reality. College has been helping me do just that: make my dream my reality. I am going to school to become a nurse. It has been my life-long dream to become a pediatrics nurse and work in third-world countries where healthcare is not as prevalent. My passion is the AIDS orphans in Africa or the street children in India. I don't know exactly where or how yet, but I am ready for anything. And until then, college is equipping me to become that.

This far in college I found out that I have the ability to succeed in education with the help of the high standards I have set for myself. I also realized that going to school full-time and working part-time is a major struggle but I can keep going if I push myself. It is valuable for me to attend college because it is the only way I will get to be what I want to be and where I want to be. My education is the first step in pursuing my dream of traveling by creating a suitable lifestyle to do so. In the future when I am in a great profession, hopefully in healthcare, I will realize just how hard I tired in college and the financial struggles I had to go through to get there. From the beginning I knew I would not let my mom's finances stop me from going to school and I still have that same movitation in order to continue. It is important that I attend and graduate from college to show myself how my hard work will pay off in the end.

I learned that in order to be successful you need to be willing to learn. Keeping an open mind and learning to listen to professionals within my field have made me a better teacher. Attending the University of Illinois gave me a sense of accomplishment and I can carry that over to my classroom and teach my students the importance of trying hard, and never giving up.

College has not only changed me but everyone around me as well. Some changes are good, others not so good. But without attending college, I would never have been able to have the opportunity to change as much as I have or to expand my knowledge and horizons as much. I've also learned how to be independent and do things on my own. This newfound independence, a shock at first, has shaped who I'm starting to become. I make my own choices and learn from my mistakes. While school and learning is a big part of college, and the University of Illinois is an excellent institution in those areas, there's more to life than just classes. Even classes teach you more than just about their specific subjects. They teach you about life. You can decide whether or not to attend them. You can interact with people in class and learn about the world around you. Professors bring their own experiences into the classroom and use them as a teaching tool. Going to college has helped me view and interpret the world around me better than I ever previously been able to.

Life is like a roller coaster. It sends you on a series of unexpected jolts and turns. My experience at the University of Illinois thus far has taught me to prepare for the unexpected. I have had the importance of time managament, self-motivation, and setting an alarm engrained into my mind. At my school, you are not pampered. You are expected to get yourself moving and to stand on your own two feet. This lesson in independence will come in handy when its students are vaulted from the school after graduation because it will help them land running. The fountain of knowledge available is spectacular as well. Not only are there extraordinary professors and a gigantic library system, the school also brings in speakers who are experts in their subjects for their students to learn from. Finally, an extremely important part of any school is housing. Within the dorms at my school, there are living-learning communities that can connect you to others who share common interests. I am in one of these LLCs ,called "Global Crossroads", and have found it extremely valuable in understanding other cultures, as well as in preparation for entering a multi-cultural business world.

True learning in college does not come from the difficult classes. Rather, classes are just a small part of the huge learning experience one gets from going away to college. One learns to create their own schedule and manage their own time and money wisely. Up until college, many students have been spoon-fed by their parents. There's nothing wrong with this, as I was among the helpless freshmen that couldn't take care of himself when first leaving home. These skills carry on into the rest of our lives. Time management is especially important in the workplace, when multiple deadlines are set for multiple projects, and all need to be done. Money management is important to make sure you are able to pay rent and feed your family, and leave enough for entertainment. Also, when you are on your own for the first time, you truly begin to value your parents and the sacrifices they made for you. Personally, I was never very grateful of my parents until I moved to college and started cooking, doing laundry, cleaning, and managing my own money, on top of taking classes. Your parents love you. Don't ever forget that.

Simply put, college is the best thing that has ever happened to me (I intend to use this phrase with the upmost emphasis) when one is to consider where I have come from. Coming from a gang infested neighborhood where one is expected to indulge and be influenced by negative and suggestive exemplifactions everywhere, one would have most likely expected me to fall short of any positive opportunity. Fortunately that has not been the case at all. Being the self -motivated individual that I am and still becoming, I have ignored all obstacle that would deter me from experiencing the many joys of college. Here at the U of I I have gotten the chance to be surrounded by individuals with goals and passions similar and different from my own, and this has been extraordinarily valuable to me . Merely being around individual with a drive to be positive, intelligent, and successful has motivated me to volunteer, study hard, make friends all for the goal of becoming a better person. College is the piece of the puzzle that my neighborhood lacked, and because of my experience here thus far, I am and will forever be truly thankful.