The Hard Road of Finishing College Life

One reason the road to finishing college has been hard being because of physical health. Throughout the school year, I will get sick whether with a cold or a more serious illness such as, the flu multiple times. According to Richard C. Schiming, “By far, the most valuable and important time commitment in a course was the time actually spent in the classroom. That time was the most important determinant of student success and each unit of time in the class itself provided, among all the class related activities, the greatest improvement in student performance”. Being sick often causes students to miss class. Students will miss work and important lectures causing them to not succeed. Because I get sick often, I usually come to class anyway and try to work through it. This not only causes other students to get sick, but I feel worst and the work done is mediocre. Being sick causes students to miss class and they will have a harder time getting a good grade. The students may also simply come to class even though they are sick. They will still not be successful in the work completed.

Another reason that the road to finishing college has been hard is adjusting from high school to college. I am a Running Start student, so this is my first quarter at Big Bend Community College and my first college courses. Sabelle A. Bento-Wittman says that, “But as it turned out, moving on to college from high school life was tough. First, academics proved to be a struggle, as classes became more demanding than what I had experienced in my high school courses. College required more effort to study for exams and stay on top of assignments”. As a Running Start student, I was thrown quickly into the college life, two years before the average student experiences college. This adjustment was made quickly and thus I learned quickly to keep my grades high so as to stay in the program. Students who can not make this adjustment quickly may fail their first courses which is not a good start for one who is experiencing college for the first time and has little knowledge on how to get through it. Making it a waste of thousands of dollars 

The final reason that the road to finishing college has been hard being because of transportation. As one who failed the driving test the first time I took it and was yelled at constantly as I was learning to drive, driving quickly became an anxious ordeal. Like most American teenagers I began driving at 15 and a half, which is the age you can legally acquire your permit. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges that, “In 2015, 2,333 teens in the United States ages 16–19 were killed and 235,845 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes. That means that six teens ages 16–19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries”. Teenagers and new drivers are more likely to get into a car crash than an adult who has years of experience. Not only can that cause anxiety but can increase the anxiety I already have. If I go throughout my day and driving to or from school is in the front of my mind and I am worrying, I can not concentrate on more important issues, such as my classes or homework. When I can not concentrate on my classes I will not learn as well and will not progress which is part of the reason one would go to college. This puts members of the community in danger with new drivers on the road causing all transportation to be dangerous. With car crashes being one leading cause of death among teens, anxiety can fill our streets making it difficult for parents of teens or the teens themselves to focus on much more than driving to or from school safety.

In conclusion, I don't regret about having an experience as a college student. Life during this period was usually interesting and full of joy, but sometimes I had difficulties that was hard to manage. The end of the college sounds both fearful and wonderful: the current stage of life is almost over, but the next stage is almost here!