College Life

COLLEGE LIFE

When I hear the word college, I first think fun, fun, and more fun. I recall all the frat parties, late night room visits and being out without my parents telling me what to do. What others failed to tell me is how college can also change one's life completely. Going to college just may be one of the greatest experiences of a person's life. Being a college student has impacted my life in terms of responsibilities, finance, and independence.

One way being a college student impacted my life is my responsibilities. One of the most common words I hear through college life is "responsibility". There are no teachers to chase students down and ask for your homework assignments. I'm completely on my own. There may be counselors that will assist me, but not with every little task. Unlike high school they help students with any and everything and all they had to do was sit and listen. Another responsibility of being a college student is just simply waking up for school. It may sound cliché but that might be one of the hardest duties to do. No one has to wake me up for school but myself.

Another impact of being a college student is on my finances. One of the most challenging things a college student faces is paying for school; they are qualified for financial aid, but it can be very difficult. Financial aid can take up to four weeks go through, but students may need your books the third week after school has begun. Not only is that stressful, there may be other business like rent, gas for your car, children, and food that need to be paid and taking care of. The financial status of being a college student is very hard. In fact, 75% of college students are not ready to deal with the financial challenges ahead of them (www.hesc.com). Meaning there is not really a lot of thought that goes into going to college.

Last but not least, independence has been affected by my life as a college student. Some young adults believe that college life I filled with partying and the typical laid-back lifestyle. Students may think that college is much like high school where classes will be during the day and with all their friends. Many come to the conclusion that it's harder than one think. The role of being a college student is to go out and experience life as an independent young adult. For many this can be as easy as tying a shoe, yet for others it's one of the scariest things to do. I realized life isn't as easy as I might have hoped.

In conclusion, being a college student has impacted my life in terms of my responsibilities, finances, and independence. November 15, 2011 was the first day of my college life. Being fresh out of high school came with many questions, such as do I really want to go straight to college? And am I really ready to attend college? Looking back on the decision I made, I couldn't be happier with my choices. I look forward