Cheri Gallegos

Is college in your future?

College for many people is a big/scary word. This is understandable because there is a lot of thinking that goes with just the thought. For instance you must think about what course, session, and college you want to go to. How you will pay for college? Do you want to apply for financial aid or loans, so on and so forth? It takes some people years to prepare themselves for college, not only because they’re unsure of what course to major in but also because they are just not mentally ready.

There’s not only a lot of thought that goes along with college, but stress also. I think many college students would agree with me on that, especially when it comes to “crunch” time. Many students find it hard to stay calm when it comes to them having several papers do at the same time, which is usually followed by final exams. This happens pretty often when you take several classes at the same time. It’s mainly with full time students because they are taking anywhere from three to five classes a semester. You don’t have to take that many classes, but many students do to get through their major faster that way. You can go to college part, three-fourths, or full time. How many classes you take depends on how often you go.

In my own personal opinion, the sooner you think about college the better off you are. I say this because then you have more time to think about the course you would want to take and the college you want to go to. The more time you have to think about these things the easier it will be on you. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Another important thing to keep in mind is a “Plan B”. You should always choose two courses you want to take. This is important because you might not be able to get into the course you registered for. This might be due to the class being full. To avoid this you should choose another course you might be interested in. So if this happens you have something to fall back on. You might want to keep a second college in mind for this particular reason.

I would also like to bring to your attention that it is always okay to take only two classes at a time. This can be valuable because it can give you a feel of the course and to let you see if the major is something you are really interested in. This is something you will see mostly with freshmen students, but it is very common throughout the colleges. It is something you should always keep in mind.

Most colleges have many helping resources. Greenfield Community College for example has a men’s and women’s resource center, students willing to tutor, student advisors ready to help you in the best of their ability, and more. The only thing is that you must act like an adult and ask for help, because it will not be offered otherwise. It is very important that you ask for help when you need it.

Another very helpful resource is financial aid, loans, grants, and scholarships. You must apply for financial help when you apply for college (if desired). Most people who apply for financial aid it get it. There are certain things that are considered when you apply, such as your yearly income and expenses. Another way of getting help paying for college is loans or grants. You can go to many different places to apply for a loan. The only bad thing about getting a loan is that you must start paying back your loan six months after your graduation date.

You do not have to have a high school diploma in order to go to college. In fact at Greenfield Community College a lot of their students are G.E.D graduates. Also it has been proven that 40% of high school graduates cannot in fact pass the G.E.D test. So if you are letting not having a high school diploma keep you from going to college, think twice and go get your G.E.D. Even if you decide later that college isn’t for you, you can still have your G.E.D to show that you bettered yourself.

So yes there is a lot to think about when someone mentions college, and yes it can get stressful, but what isn’t these days? Is college in your future?