I understand college is a the transition into adulthood, but college’s should consider focusing general education courses on survival. Workshops on balancing the demands taken on by college students should be offered instead of courses like philosophy and physics , that won’t be remembered past that given semester.
Sure, I remember the talks about college students living on ramen noodles, but no one told me about the plasma banks and the clinical depression students suffered from the financial hardships.
In elementary school I was always told what I did then would reflect upon how I did in high school. Once I got in high school, my teachers always stated how there wouldn’t be anyone “holding my hand” in college and teachers wouldn’t care for my excuses. I wish I would have listened. I’m constantly living by the notion of, if only I knew then what I know now.
Upon graduating from high school, I thought by going to Southern Illinois University that I could be far away from my parents but still have comfort and security still being in the state of Illinois.
The campus was huge, it had the most beautiful scenery—pretty trees with the greenest leaves, southern air, a peacefulness I never knew existed and let’s not forget co-ed dorms—but no one prepared me for what college was really about.
Suddenly, one by one, faces I began to recognize began disappearing and students were missing in action. Succumbing to the pressure of a freedom like no other, students were flunking out of college and no one did anything about it.
I’m sure there were campus resources for students who couldn’t handle the pressure, but who was interested in that when the dormitory halls were filled with fliers for fraternity parties, which were more of a priority.
I would find myself in class, checking my Facebook page instead of listening to my professor. But then again, the professor didn’t notice me because I was only one out of 800-something identification numbers.
When I finally realized the traditional college wasn’t for me, I did what I saw most of my former SIUers did, I left. But unlike them, I still had financial aid available, so I was able to enroll at Columbia and am finally finishing my degree, even if it took me six years.
I didn’t need to seek a counselor or adviser to know that once I left SIU, I wasn’t finished, but sadly that isn’t always the case. It took my best friend to graduate and earn her master’s degree for me to realize I wasn’t taking the college privilege seriously. But what is it going to take other people my age to realize?
But with the cost of college and the potential cuts in financial aid, what are we supposed to do then? After seeing close friends having to drop out because they couldn’t fund their educations, the problem is only going to get worse. And the ones who are able to take out private loans are going to end up a substantial amount of debt.
Point is, there were plenty of things I wasn’t told about college because the professors and administration didn’t want to “hold my hand,” but is it a price worth paying? Fortunately for me, I will be able to finish college before depleting my financial aid. I overcame, but there’s a young college student maxing out their credit cards right now, just to stay above the water.
If college courses actually focused on ideals to keep on trucking while enrolled, maybe more colleges would be cranking out graduates.