Some people went right to college or university from high school, while others took a gap year to figure out what they wanted to pursue. Some people never wanted to see the inside of an educational institution again and headed straight into the working world. Which were you?
Choosing your college or university.
Did you know in high school where you wanted to go? Did you get your first choice? If not, what was your Plan B? Did your parents have any say in where you would go and what you would study? Did you ever have arguments about that? Who won? Did you want to move away from your parents or stay closer to the family?
Finances.
How did you pay for college or university? If you took a loan, how much did you get and how long did it take to pay back? Who did you borrow from? Did you have to take a job while going to school? How did that affect your studying? Did your education suffer because of financial problems? Did you worry about paying for rent and food? Did your parents help in any way?
Programs.
How did you choose what program to go into? Did you change your program or majors at any time and why? How long did it take for you to complete your program? What did you find the most difficult in completing your program – teachers, learning, focusing, exams? If you graduated, did you go into the field that you graduated from? If so, are you still there? If not, what field did you get into and why?
Dropping out.
Did you drop out of school and why? How did you come to that decision? Was it for mental or physical health reasons? Did you lose interest in continuing? Did you have financial difficulties? How did your parents react and did it cause any problems between you? Do you regret it now?
Living accommodations.
Did you have to live on campus or in an apartment while going to college or university? If you lived in a dorm, did you get along with your roommate, or were you able to afford a single room? How did you find an apartment, if that was the route? Who paid for these expenses? What was the hardest thing about living on your own or with a roommate? Were you prepared for being away from the family?
Extra Help.
Did you need tutors at any time to keep up with the class work? Were teachers available to help when needed? Did you ever fall behind and feel like giving up? How did you handle that?
Mental and Physical Well-Being.
Did you ever suffer from any mental or physical issues while at college or university? Did you have to deal with stress and anxiety? Did you ask for help, and if so, from whom? Did any of these problems cause you to become addicted to any substance, and if so, did you overcome that? Were you able to cope with any problems on your own? Who did you trust to speak with? Did the schools have counsellors for such situations? Did you go to them and if so, did it help? How did you look after yourself on a day-to-day basis? Did you exercise, get enough sleep, eat well? Looking back, what do you wish you had done to help yourself?
Your Turn:
- Locate your grade transcripts. What did you excel in?
- Find any essays or writings you wrote during these years and reread them.
- Which teachers helped you the most and what did you learn from them?
- What do you believe you learned about life from going to college or university?