Friday, September 7, 2012

College.



College is a subject I have spend a lot of time thinking about; which college will I attend? What will I end up majoring on?  What will my experience will be like? I am only in my sophomore year of high school, but these are all definitely questions I revisit in my mind daily. Given all the time and hard work that is put into the college application process over all – including efforts prior to actually submitting your application – it definitely builds our expectations on what those initial four years of our lives are going to be like. Despite being fluent in English and having studied in an International School for eight years, knowing I wanted to go to college in the United States for a considerably long period of time – taking in consideration my age – being an International Student is definitely on my list of concerns. This is not only because of the language, but the overall “cultural shock” that I might experience; unlike many of my classmates that I have had over these eight years, I have only lived in one country and one city all my life, leading me to believe that, although I will definitely be able to adapt to my new lifestyle, it might also be harder and take longer for me to do so. Going back to my daily college-related thoughts, my main concern is definitely centered on what I want to study. For me, this question might be way too nerve raking for being about five years early, but it is no doubt something that everyone in my age group thinks about – I hope. As my teachers have continuously told me, it is not something to loose sleep over, especially not when you’re sixteen. 





This brings me to one of the main reasons why I do want to attend college in the United States. I do not have to go into college having my mind set on what I want to study, but I have the opportunity to take various courses over two years, being then able to find something that I am truly passionate about. Being an Academic Leader will give us a head start on many things throughout our lives, including college applications; by knowing what college recruiters are interested to know about you, and things that they are looking for in prospective students will help filter all of the information that you have to offer. Being aware and know what you want and are looking for in the college of your choice will cause a good impression that you have looked into the institution and what they have to offer you. Being Academic Leaders will help us be able to correctly transmit our thoughts in an elaborate manner, allowing colleges to receive the information that we want them to have about us. As seen, college is something that, despite not being in our immediate future, is on our minds constantly, driving us to strive for our best while building and preparing for the college experience.