Education Essay Sample: Hardships Faced in the College Journey

Final Project Outline

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Introduction

From the first time a joined college as a freshman, life was not easy. It was full of ups and downs, but as days passed, I learnt how to overcome them.

College life is full of hardships, but one needs to be determined so as to overcome them. (Thesis Statement)

Body

First main idea

a) I face difficulties in the form of time management

b) Time management is a concept which needs to well taken off to have a good life in future.

c) Lack of time management can be handled by getting help from professionals

Second main idea

a) The second hardship was related to depression

b) Depression comes when one is not able to meet the set standards and also when one is under pressure.

c) Depression is an issue is mainly solved by getting some counseling from professionals or people with similar issues.

Third main idea

a) The third hardship entailed too much partying

b) Partying is not a bad idea or activity, but it depends on how it is done and time spent doing it.

c) Partying needs to be done with moderation and a lot of responsibility should be observed in that line.

Conclusion

Indeed college students face difficulties, and I was part of it. My life in college proved my thesis statement as I was able to overcome each of them

Hardships Faced in the College Journey.

College life is full of activities, and each of them tends to educate one on how to tackle issues and problems when they come. Some people go through happy times while others find it difficult to comprehend the negative things that they come across. In college, there are people of different types, and each of them behaves in a manner they deem fit. What is good for one person might not be good for another. It takes a matter of time to learn and be able to identify what is good and what is bad in such a setting. In addition to this, there are misleading cases that one has to find a way of maneuvering if at all one wants to find peace and stability in life.

I while in college the kind of life I experienced there was somehow hard. The kind of hardships that I faced was sometimes taught in class while others were self-explanatory as I had gone through them. The time I spent in college was a fond memory and most of the things me happy and a different person every day. Regardless of all the good things that were available in college, there were rough patches that I had to encounter, and they made life a bit unbearable. Since I was a student from a different background from the rest, my experience was somehow unique, but there were those that were experienced my many of us college students.

The most challenging and hard time that I had while in college was time management. It had a problem in allocating time for education, partying and handling my personal issues such as family relationships. I was poor in time management such that I could not be able to beat deadlines for submission of assignments and to get to the right place in the right time. It was a challenging academic part of my college life. I realized that the courses that I took in college needed me to put in more effort than I did while in high school. In my school, the topics that should have been covered in two years were handled in a single year, and this meant that more pressure was imposed on me. I was not able to make it to 15 credits in a single semester as I did not know how to plan my time and allocate it well for use.

With time management as my problem, I ensure that I knew my limits. It was one of the major ways that I could use to overcome this issue. I realized the purpose of being in college was to learn as much as I could and I, therefore, tried to handle all the 15 credits in a single semester. I learned how to schedule some time for fun and more time for studies. I realized that my mind was always fresh whenever I sat down to read my books. The issue of time management was solved by upholding Kolb's Theory of Experimental Learning. This theory holds that whatever one learns as an individual has a great impact on the development styles. (Astin, 1984). The theory is informed of a cycle where it has a concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experiment (Astin, 1984).

The process of not being able to manage my time was like involvement in a learning experience. I later realized and learned how to change my skills for the different parts or practices. I was finally able to incorporate new ideas that I got from people and also practiced on time management. The other problem that I had was connected to homesickness. I was always dreaming about being at home with my family and enjoying all the fun that was at our disposal. In most cases, I refused to admit that I was homesick but I could not get away from it. The reason as to why I was homesick was the fact that my school was many kilometers away from home and I could meet my family members only once in a while. I suffered homesickness mostly while still a freshman as it was my first year away from home.

I tried to consult my friends and teachers over this issue, and they told me that the only way I could handle it was by planning my time well so as to be able to visit home periodically. I also made proper use of my phone for emailing, calling and send messages to my family at home. After a period of around three months, I was able to overcome the problem of homesickness. In addition to this, I joined a group on campus which had people with similar problems like to mine. I formed friendships with some of the people there and, hence, I ended up being less homesick. My life still revolved around a given theory that changed my perceptions and the way conducted my activities.

From the theory devised by Chickering (1969), I realized that some psychological aspects needed to be corrected and adjusted so as to be able to deal with homesickness. Chickering carried out a study among college students both in sophomore and senior levels as a way of trying to make their professors be able to guide them well (Chickering and Reisser, 1993). From the study, he realized that college students have their lives revolving around achieving of competence, getting through autonomy, managing emotions, developing relationships, developing purpose, establishing identity, and getting some form of integrity (Pittsburgh, 2008). My life was not linear and had to go through the idea of maintaining a relationship with my family but later this changed as I became independent and managed the new identity that I had in school.

I had a challenge that had to do with depression. My depressive moments were caused by the fact that I was always homesick and I was not able to get good grades in school. All my friends were able to plan their time well, and they ended up scoring high marks than me. These events summed up to my emotional lows. I tried to engage in partying so as to seek relief but it was not helpful in any way.

To solve this issue, I decided to communicate to get advice from my friends who directed me to get professional support. It came at a time when the campus had started offering free counseling to students who had a similar case or issue like mine. I implemented what I was told by the councilors who were highly trained to help people like me to get back on track. The problem of depression and issues of loneliness were cultivated under moral development theory of Kohlberg (1976). I learned this theory while I was undergoing counseling from of the professionals in school. The theory shows that people experience different types of a dilemma in life and this needs one to make rational decisions (Dan, Maureen, Suzanne, and Jane, 2011). I was not able to make the decisions informatively, but when I managed, my sad life changed and became smooth all over sudden.

The other issue that I had to deal with was partying. I was so obsessed with partying and even though most people say it's not a problem, to me it was. It made me go off the stream and forgot all about my purpose in school. While partying, I engaged in taking alcohol and drugs which forced me to make some of the poorest choices in school. I participated in dangerous behaviors, which had the potential of leading to my death. I found myself being traumatized from the fact that I engaged in sex without taking the necessary precautions.

I had to get counseled on this aspect too so as ensure that I participated in making informed decisions. I was told to make sure that I partied responsibly and used legal means to have fun. In addition to this, I extended my responsibility to by friends where I ensured that they were safe by the time I went home. I learned and understood what it meant by having an "affirmative consent." While in class, we taught on Schlossberg's Transition Theory. The theory states that events in one's life lead to changes and chain of routines and assumption that one has (Evans, Deanna, and Florence, 1998). My life has been modified from the fact that I learned things from the events that took place such as partying and having fun with my friends. All this took place in the context of my relationships and the anticipated changes that I had in life.

In the end, I realized that it was worth facing the challenges and hardships as a student. Regardless of the fact that I had some bad times in school, college life was very informative to a point where I realized that the good times overweighed the bad times.

Annotated Bibliography

Astin, A. (1984). Student Involvement a development theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25 (4). 297-308.

In this article, Astin highlights some of the theories under which people grow and develop while in higher education. The report cites the ideas and the way they relate and connect to students in college. It is a credible source in that it describes the life story in college and principles that guide it.

Dan, D., Maureen, M., Suzanne, B., and Jane, H. (2011) Student Development: Solving the Great Puzzle Using Quality Benchmarks for Assessing and Developing Undergraduate Programs. Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint

In this book, the authors did research to determine some of the things that students do in college so as to get better lives of transformed different people. It provides answers to questions asked on student behavior. It is a credible source as it highlights the steps taken by college students before they graduate.

Evans, N., Deanna F., and Florence, D. (1998) Student Development in College: Theory, research, and practice. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

This article is all about development and changes that one undergoes while in college. It does this by providing some of the theories that guide development and modifications in the long run. It is research which was conducted to come up with new ideas on student development. The source is credible as it relates well to the life changes that I went through while in college and how I overcame some of the challenges.

Pittsburgh, C. E. (2008). Students face a long list of obstacles on the way to college degree. Post Gazette. Retrieved from: www.post-gazette.com/local/2008/08/31/students-face-a-long-list-of-obstacles-on-the-way-to-college-degree/stories/2008088310171 26 Apr. 2017

Pittsburg illustrates some of the barriers that college students are likely to face before they graduate. It states that students face challenges that transform the way they think as it leads the development of the cognitive part of the mind. It is a credible source in that it lists some of the problems that I went through and also lists their remedies.

Works Cited

Astin, A. (1984). Student Involvement a development theory for higher education. Journal of College Student Personnel, 25 (4). 297-308.

Dan, D., Maureen, M., Suzanne, B., and Jane, H. (2011) Student Development: Solving the Great Puzzle Using Quality Benchmarks for Assessing and Developing Undergraduate Programs. Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint

Evans, N., Deanna F., and Florence, D. (1998) Student Development in College: Theory, research, and practice. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Pittsburgh, C. E. (2008). Students face a long list of obstacles on the way to college degree. Post Gazette. Retrieved from: www.post-gazette.com/local/2008/08/31/students-face-a-long-list-of-obstacles-on-the-way-to-college-degree/stories/2008088310171 26 Apr. 2017