Uribe 1

Brian Uribe
Professor Bieber
English 115 Honors
22 September 2015
Progression 1
College is an indispensable opportunity where students can explore their passions and
discover themselves. Those who seek a higher education will find that their experiences can help
shape them into outstanding individuals, as everyone has the potential for enlightenment. College
should be seen as a pathway, with ones degree resembling a milestone in obtaining a complete
education. Everyone should consider attending college at some point in their life. A college
education should be about finding out what kind of person you want to be, taking the steps
towards becoming that person, and going on to improve your communitys quality of life.
Making the transition from an adolescent to an adult often can be a volatile process.
Taking on adult responsibilities can be a daunting task that many people arent prepared for
immediately after high school. Universities offer an environment that nurture students and
provides courses that promote self-growth. College graduates experience nostalgia when looking
back at their years in college which allowed them to mature by opening up their senses,
heightening and deepening their alertness, and introducing them the ability of articulating
thought (Delbanco). To have your senses opened is to become aware of cultures and activities.
By acknowledging what goes on around on campus, you can see the diversity in the area and see
what other people enjoy doing. You should be able to decide which activities capture your

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interest the most and whether your views could change or be reinforced. To develop alertness is
to become a better critical thinker. By identifying patterns and the design of why things are and
how things work, you start to recognized similarities between objects and cultures. You can
break down and construct reasoning or arguments so you can express your thoughts thoroughly.
But most importantly college allows students to look at themselves through introspection.
Reflecting on events is the best way to learn more about yourself. Recognizing what went well
and what didnt is a way to improve on aspects that need more work. People learn from their
mistakes and it is better to learn lessons in a controlled setting as opposed to a situation where a
job or even a life is at stake.
Ever since I showed an interest in medicine and completed my training to become an
emergency medical technician, I have been given the responsibility of a health care provider.
Whenever someone would fall, cut themselves, hit their head, or felt sick they would ask me for
help before anyone else. Sometimes I would save them a trip to the urgent care by offering firstaid, but it was mostly staying calm and providing assurance that would ease their nerves and get
them back to what they were doing. Helping others is what I want to do but without a higher
education I am limited in what I know and can only pray nothing serious were to happen to
where I could only wait for EMS. I plan on going to college to gain more experience and have a
higher scope of practice so I would be there for more people. I wish I could be conditioned to
remove all feelings of ignorance and doubt and perform at an efficient capacity consistently. I
hope to have college develop me into the person I want to become.
In grade school you had your time allocated and activities planned, some could compare
it as an incubator for young minds. With independence, it becomes your responsibility to decide

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where you put your time into. Time management along with work ethic goes a long way towards
staying on task and in control. Personal responsibilities such as hygiene and sustenance should
be accounted for in a schedule and so should time for socializing. There is always something
going on, its about finding a balance to avoid stress and anxiety. While college may be about
taking courses to get a degree, an important aspect of it is about making connections with others
and opening up opportunities through those relationships made. Professors are experts in their
field and have time where students could learn the material thoroughly on a one-on-one basis.
Classmates are peers who share common interests and are generally willing to work with each
other who can offer different perspectives. It is about working together to learn the material and
prepare for the final: study groups, office hours, and tutoring should all be used throughout a
course. It is about distributing the work and asking for feedback that will see results, not
cramming the night before and hoping for the best. College is there to help you learn to manage
your time in order to succeed. Without the time to study or go to classes that would lead to
failing the class and not open any future opportunities in a career. As for social activities there
has to be a balance or else a student would become highly stressed over assignments and lose
motivation to continue a higher education.
I hope to build up relationships that will follow me outside of college. Clubs and
fraternities present creative outlets and comradery that I hope to be a part of. I hope to start my
own club that promotes friendship and unity on campus. I dont want to rush into the greek life
my first year and feel like I will be more prepared after a year on campus and finding out which
one is right for me. Once someone presents them self and become a part of campus, they will
meet others with similar goals. Its about letting your conversations move fluidly and expressing

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yourself and displaying qualities that will show your worth. Most schools have a diverse
background and there are all sorts of different ideas and cultures to learn about. If I decide to
continue in the medical field there will be different religion and culture that I will come across
this could give me the chance to gain a better insight of those cultures by meeting new people.
The possibilities are endless when Im here in college since Northridge has one of the most
diverse populations for a university. Foreign exchange students exhibit their culture and give
insight through different perspectives which would not have been possible if by keeping to
oneself (Hart). A diverse place gives me the ability to have a better understanding on what is
outside of our country because of these social interactions that brings everyone closer together. I
learn more about myself by these people because our lives are completely different. I hope in
college I can continue to learn the different cultures out there and possibly study abroad to have
an actual experience outside of what I know. A university gives opportunities to have an open
mind of these places so students are able express themselves while they get an education.
There are different sorts of standards set in different degrees. Northridge offers courses
for undergraduates and graduate students by following a major. A major outlines the core
principles a professional utilizes throughout their career and a degree indicates competency in
those concepts. The aim of an education is to teach reading, writing, and the moral development
of character (Nugent). You have to cover material that was published by to gain information and
comprehension of a topic. Then you have to communicate formally and analyze the main ideas
and key points while using rhetorical devices to personalize your ideas. Most importantly you
have to develop a stance on an issue and a unique approach to the subject. I am working towards
a degree in athletic training and in the future hope to prepare me for a career in the field. This

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will give me the chance to look in depth at my career of interest while also taking courses that
would help me in my endeavors. I am taking my general classes and becoming familiar with the
demands of classes and how to become a better student. I hope to become a complete character
and communicate confidently.
A lot of things led up to my choice in attending Northridge. I have known the importance
of an education as my father was given a workers visa because of the experience he gained in a
technical school. He had always supported me and would stress the importance of applying
myself and becoming active in my community. My brother was given the chance to attend his
first choice but decided against it and is now going to a community college because he is doing
what his profession requires of him. I knew time to adjust and I needed lenience since Im prone
to mistakes and I felt like I made the best decision. I weighed up my possibilities and figured I
could contribute the most at Northridge and that I would grow more as a person here.
Not everyone can dedicate the time to a four year degree, or have the financial means to
put towards tuition, but everyone should make an effort towards it. Students who are independent
do not have the backing of their parents or the work experience to obtain a position that will offer
financial stability, its why they go to college. While education seems like a no-brainer to pour
money into, the national government views it as a liability and is reducing subsidies. So those
independent students are even struggling to find a loan to pay for their education, let alone pay it
back. While there are the students who could not afford college, there are those who have trouble
learning and never had the resources to get them up to speed or help them with a proper
education. There needs to be more educational options for all so that students reach their

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ambitions and destinations (Tabarrok). Everyone should have the opportunity to go out and find
their passion.
Whether it takes a change in legislation or a crisis, the nation must adopt European
emphasis on academics. I believe it is never too late to receive an education, in your senior year
of high school or the day after retirement, you can always become a better person.
Works Cited
Delbanco, Andrew. "3 Reasons Why College Still Matters." The Boston Globe, 04 Mar. 2012.
Web. 10 Sept. 2015.
Hart, Jefrey. "How to Get a College Education." National Review Online. N.p., 29 Sept. 2006.
Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
Nugent, S. Georgia. "How to Reinvent Higher Education." Slate. The Slate Group, 17 Nov.
2005. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.
Tabarrok, Alex. "Tuning In to Dropping Out." The Chronicle of Higher Education. N.p., 04 Mar.
2012. Web. 10 Sept. 2015.