My College Admissions Essay: My Journey To A Community College

Former baseball player Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” The journey of our life is full of winding paths and concrete obstacles whose sole goal is to slow us down, and to attempt to block us from reaching our ultimate goal in life, whatever that may be. These barriers are there for several different reasons, whether it be mental or physical. Sometimes these obstacles are motivated by fear, other times they exist simply because we have to make a decision, and that decision can be life changing. But through our determination, and through our perseverance, we can achieve what these barriers told us was impossible, and can pursue the path in our life that leads us to our ultimate self. Throughout my life, I have had thousands of barriers stand in my path. And the only way I was able to defeat them was through conquering my fears, and breaking my limits in order to achieve excellence.

Growing up as a first-generation college-bound Hispanic woman has proven to be a difficult journey. Both of my parents left their home countries at a young age and came to this country without any ideas or real opportunities on where to begin. At a young age, I have been taught that having a higher education is the key to having a successful and plentiful life. However, the journey towards achieving my dream of receiving a higher education has been filled with moments where I have challenged the stereotypes about getting pregnant and dropping out of high school, facing my grandma’s unexpected illness that affected me both academically and mentally, and the challenge of being a first generation college bound student in my family.

In the College Transfer Success class I have learned about what is needed to be successful in college and in my career. So far we have learned about degree choices, college culture, student development and our own personal learning styles and skills. Through this class I feel more confident about my future and my success in finding a college and career I will enjoy.

Ever since I was a kid I have always thought about what college I was eventually going to go to. I made the decision in high school that I wanted to be a special education teacher, so I thought about some schools that had that teaching program. My number one school I wanted to attend that had the best teaching program was East Carolina University. Having ECU as my number one choice lead me to apply there. Weeks after I applied I got a letter telling me some sad news that I was not accepted. Since I applied to ECU and did not get in, I was now thinking about applying to other schools like Methodist University or maybe a community college.

After high school, I chose community college to work on basic courses while I decided on my future bachelor degree. At Tompkins Cortland Community College, I maintained a 3.37 GPA, qualified for the Dean’s List in two semesters, and graduated with honors. As a reflection of my abilities at the time, I would say that despite my achievements, my GPA was not as high as it could have been. None of the classes were overly challenging and I was dedicated to my studies, but my job took up valuable time. On average, I worked thirty-eight hours a week in order to support myself in college. I often felt crammed for time, and cut corners in order to get assignments in on time. For the quality of work I was able to put in, my GPA is accurate. However, given better means, I know that I could have graduated with a more appropriate GPA.

When I was a senior in high school I was accepted to Penn State and a few other schools, and was really pleased with how I had done at the end of my four years at my school, Council Rock North. But after a few weeks of investigating the potential costs and realizing that my savings would not be able to cover the costs of attending a 4 year school without putting my family and myself in a lot of debt, I realized that I could instead go to the local community college. I really liked this option because it allowed me to explore many of my passions for Computer Science without making a huge investment and locking myself into a certain path. Having now spent the last 2 years at Bucks County Community College, I've really deepened my passion for

As a first generation Chicana scholar, I have to say that receiving my bachelors degree from UCSD, has been my most meaningful accomplishment within the past 4-5 years. First of all, growing up I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to attend a four year university. I was unaware that a young girl from East Los Angeles, could have been given the resources to pursue higher education. Nonetheless, in high school I found the unconditional support of friends, family, and mentors that I had been needing all along. I was able to achieve academic excellence and attend my dream school, UCSD. Once in college, I was challenged socially, psychologically and academically. It was the first time I was away from my family and community. I felt

Initially after high school I decided to move across the country in order to find myself, my passions, and my career goals. I attended WW-P South in Princeton Junction where many of my friends chose TCNJ. I always loved TCNJ but I knew I wasn't academically ready to be part of the community just yet. I started at a private university in California which turned out to be an amazing experience but also a lesson learned that it was not for me. Everything was new and overwhelming and it was the first time being completely on my own. After completing my freshmen year, I moved to a community college to do better academically and work a little on the side. My passion for pursing a degree boosted during my second community college that I attended.

This is my first year in college and I'm currently an exploratory. At first, I had an idea of what path I want to take after high school. I didn't know what exactly I wanted to achieve, but I undoubtedly want to do something in a medical field. Human's body is quite fascinating to me, but after spending time volunteering at the hospital, taking medical-related classes, and dissecting, I was unable to picture myself in the scrub, working breathlessly in the frantic hospital hallway. I am clueless about what I what to pursue in the future, but I believe that the eighteen years old me still have a lot of potentials and opportunities. This is why I'm in Santa Fe, I deem that community college would be a better option for me to slowly explore and finding out about what I want to proceed in the future.

     It seems in the society we live in today, having a college degree is a necessity. Years ago it was the norm for people to just go right into a full time job after high school, if they even finished high school; they did this to support their families. In today’s society a person has a difficult time getting a decent job without a college degree. During an adults working life, bachelor degree graduates will earn about $2.1 million and a high school graduate can expect to earn an average of $1.2 million (Day and Newburger, 2002). This is quite a difference and it puts a college education in

For as long as I can remember I dreamed of one day becoming a very successful and accomplished engineer. During high school in Guyana, I crafted great plans. I would attend a prestigious university, gain my degree, then I would go on to be a productive, if not influential, member of society. My dreams turned into reality when the opportunity to study in the United States as an international student came before me. This time I had a solid plan. I wanted to study civil engineering with a minor in architecture and a specialization in sustainable construction. I would start out at Essex County College, then transfer to a four year university where I could complete my bachelor’s degree. I quickly completed my paperwork and was soon on my way to a world class education and to make a name for myself.

Taking more college units than usual as a full-time student, on top of a part time job is a challenge that I am currently going through. College became slightly more difficult when I could not immerse myself in my studies, since I had more classes to be aware of. I nearly lost my motivation to do well in community college when the demanding workload was almost unbearable. It affected my life at home since I stayed up late at night working on assignments, realizing that I still had more to work on. I became stressed when I could not take a day off, fearing that I would eventually fall behind in my studies. However, I did not want it to hinder my well-being or academic achievement, so I sought advice from a friend and a professor. Their encouraging

I am the first born of two Hispanic immigrants with little or no formal education. I am surrounded by gunshots and the turbulent stream of violence prevalent in a troubled community, and to make matters worse, I am only seventeen years old. My path towards a four year university is littered with roadblocks and gaping potholes but lucky for me, upon my arrival to the U.S., my parents were able to enroll me in school nestled beside the sea due to its proximity to their work. I didn't take this into consideration throughout my childhood, but as time has passed, I realize how fortunate I am to be attending a school in such a community, one surrounded by wealth and opportunity.

Everyone has a story, and I am here to share mine. Since as young as I can remember, I always wanted to be a doctor. I am infatuated with giving my all to help others. While this is true, during my senior year of high school I allowed others around me to choose my destiny. My freshmen year of college, I declared my major “petroleum engineering” because I was told that making it out of medical school was tough and most people were not able to do so. It was embedded in my head; they had sold the idea. The first two years of college were rough for me, and it showed in my GPA. The classes were difficult, not because I was incapable of learning the information, but because I had no interest in the information I was learning. I was very involved

What has my journey to graduation been like for me? My journey has been a crazy, fun-filled learning adventure. I met many goals and accomplishments I set for myself but I also faced some challenges on the way. For example, I finally met my goal of graduating with a 4.6 GPA and maintaining it. Also, I accomplished completing my last four years of grade school and now I am on the way to college. My last year has been interesting and there are many goals, accomplishments and challenges I can reflect on.