essay about my journey as a student

My Journey As A College Student Essay

This essay is written by a college student who reflects on their journey towards academic and personal growth. Through experiences, challenges, and self-reflection, the author shares how they have grown as an individual, and the valuable lessons they have learned along the way.

Essay about My Journey As A College Student

Introduction:

My journey as a college student has been an exciting and challenging experience. As a student, I have encountered numerous challenges that have helped me grow and mature as an individual. In this essay, I will reflect on my personal journey towards academic and personal growth, highlighting the experiences, challenges, and lessons that have shaped me.

My journey as a college student started when I entered my first year. It was a daunting experience as I had to adapt to a new environment and a higher level of academic rigor. I struggled to manage my time, prioritize my tasks, and stay motivated. However, I was determined to overcome these obstacles and start my journey towards academic and personal growth.

One of the significant experiences that helped me grow was joining extracurricular activities. Through extracurricular activities, I learned the importance of time management, teamwork, and leadership. It also helped me to make friends and feel more connected to the college community. As I continued to participate in extracurricular activities, I gained confidence in myself and my abilities, and my personal growth improved.

Another significant challenge I faced was balancing academics with personal life. I struggled to find a balance between schoolwork, social life, and personal time. However, I sought help from my peers and academic advisors, and they provided the support I needed to succeed. I also learned to manage my time more efficiently, prioritize my tasks, and seek help when needed.

Through self-reflection, I discovered my passion for a particular field of study. I explored various courses, attended lectures, and conducted research in my field of interest. It helped me to gain clarity and perspective, and to become more self-aware. I also learned the importance of self-care and mental health. I started to prioritize my well-being, and I developed healthy habits such as exercise, meditation, and journaling.

Conclusion:

My journey as a college student has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Through my experiences, challenges, and self-reflection, I have learned valuable lessons that have shaped me into the person I am today. I have learned to be more empathetic, compassionate, and kind. I have also learned to value myself and my abilities. As I continue my journey towards academic and personal growth, I am excited to see where it will take me and what new experiences and challenges I will encounter.

Hello! Welcome to my Blog StudyParagraphs.co. My name is Angelina. I am a college professor. I love reading writing for kids students. This blog is full with valuable knowledge for all class students. Thank you for reading my articles.

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Home Essay Samples Life About Myself

My Journey as a University Student

Table of contents, introduction, academic aspirations, adapting to university life, engagement in studies, extracurricular activities, building relationships, personal growth and challenges, contributions to the community, goals and aspirations.

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1.2 Your Academic Journey and Personal Story

Questions to Consider:

• How can your academic journey develop skills needed for college success?
• How can your personal story prepare you for applying to college?

Your Academic Journey

Now that you have a better understanding of what college can do for you, it is time to focus on how high school is preparing you for college, or better yet, how you can prepare yourself in high school to become college ready. It is clear that what you do (or don’t do) in high school can affect your ability to get into the colleges of your choice, but there is more to preparing yourself than just earning a high GPA or class rank. Your high school education can provide you with ample opportunity to help you hone your academic skills.

Take Difficult Courses

Any student who is serious about applying to college should consider taking challenging classes while in high school. Why? Because those classes can help lay a foundation of high expectations and hard work and they are often highly regarded by college admissions counselors. These classes are sometimes called Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or honors/advanced classes. If you are considering taking such courses, talk to your guidance counselor or current teachers. They may be able to offer suggestions for how to get selected (if there is an application process) and give you a realistic picture of what will be expected. There is no need to take all AP, IB, or advanced classes to prove you are ready for college, but taking a few can provide a college admissions committee evidence that you are open to challenge.

Manage Time and Tasks

If there is one skill that you can develop now that will help you throughout your college career, it is the ability to manage your time and complete tasks. If you already use a planner to track what you need to do and when it is due , then you are on the right track. You can enhance these skills by setting reminders for yourself—and not relying on teachers or parents to tell you when to complete or submit an assignment. The most important part of managing your time and tasks effectively is to build in time well before something is due to complete the work and to overestimate (at least initially) how long you need, which can provide time “buffers” that will keep you from rushing through work to finish it.

Learn to Learn

Earlier, you were introduced to the argument that the purpose of college is to become a learner. You don’t have to wait until college, though, to figure out how best to learn different subject matters. This is one reason you should consider taking challenging classes–they require that you put more time and effort in them to learn the material. And those skills will make transitioning to college much easier. How can you “learn to learn”? You may have little control over what you are learning and how you are tested, but you can control how you approach the learning. One way to learn how to learn is to space out your learning over time (as best as you can—sometimes teachers like to give you a pop quiz when you least expect it!). Reviewing a bit of material for a short amount of time over several days (as opposed to cramming it in right before a test) produces better results. Another way to learn how to learn is to monitor how well your learning strategies work. Did you do well on a test? Take some time to reflect on what you did that resulted in a good grade. Did you space out your studying? Did you look for connections in the material? Likewise, if you do poorly on a test, determine what led to the result. The more you can identify what works and doesn’t for you, the easier it is to make improvements in your learning strategies.

Demonstrate Integrity and Ownership of Learning

Being a high school student often means having a lot on your plate. It can be easy to put off homework and studying, not do it at all, or cut corners to complete the work. While you may be able to get away with some stumbles like forgetting to turn in an assignment, other behaviors, such as getting someone (including Artificial Intelligence software) to do your homework or write a paper for you can get you into trouble. Now is the time to build the skills you will need later in college. Taking full responsibility for your learning as well as demonstrating integrity in all assignments no matter how big or small are the foundation of those skills. How do you do this? For one, you acknowledge that every action or inaction will produce a result. If you put in the work to write the paper, you will earn the grade you receive. If you do not put in the work or find a way to shortcut the process by using someone else’s writing, then you have missed an opportunity to improve your writing, your thinking, and your project management skills. Plus, you may get into trouble for academic dishonesty, which could mean failing an assignment or a course, or getting a more substantial punishment, such as expulsion. The stakes only get higher when you are in college.

Keep Test Scores in Perspective

You will learn more about standardized test scores and their purpose for getting into college later in this chapter, but it is worth noting that while what you make on the ACT, SAT, or equivalent standardized test, may factor into your ability to get into and pay for the college of your dreams, it is not necessarily a reflection of who you are and what you are capable of. Definitely do all you can to raise your test scores through practicing, prepping, and doing your best on the day of the test. But do not assume that a low test score will be the end of your long-term goals or educational journey. They are just one piece of information by which an institution may evaluate your potential, but it shouldn’t be the only thing that tells who you are.

Your Personal Story

Just as important as your academic journey is your personal story. You will need to develop and reflect on both for your applications to college and scholarships. Those who read about you will want to know not only about your accomplishments, but also your challenges and how you have overcome them.

What Makes You Unique

It may seem cliché to say “There is only one you!” But there is some truth in the fact that you are unique—there is no one else like you. To that end, you may want to draw upon those unique characteristics as you begin to shape the story that you will share with college admissions staff and scholarship committees. Will you be the first in your family to go to college? Do you live on a working farm and feed the goats, cows, and horses every morning before school? Can you ride a unicycle or juggle or both? There may be both personal characteristics as well as experiences that make you stand out from others, and if there are, consider weaving these details into the tapestry of your story. Start by making a list of your characteristics—no trait is too small or typical at this point. You can eliminate items later when you start building your story, but for now, create the list and add to it as you think of new things that you are or can do.

Getting Gritty

Many college essay prompts include an opportunity to share a time in your life in which you faced adversity and overcame it. For some students, this prompt is difficult for they have either not experienced a life-changing setback or not considered themselves challenged. It is important to remember that any setback or disappointment—no matter how inconsequential it may seem to you—can be the basis for an essay that responds to such a prompt. There is no need to embellish the circumstance if it is truly not harrowing, but it is acceptable to frame the experience as something that was difficult for you. Most readers of essays are less looking for a made-for-Hollywood story and more wanting to see someone who has demonstrated tenacity, resilience, and reflection no matter how big or small the adversity is. Even if you are not required to write an essay on a time in your life in which you failed or experienced disappointment, having a story handy for interviews (for scholarships, internships, or jobs) can help you share insight into your personality and strengths in a succinct way.

Finding the Themes of Your Life

In Katharine Brooks’ (2010) book You Majored in What? 3 she shares a writing and reflecting activity called “Wandering Pathways and Butterfly Moments” that guides readers through a series of prompts to develop a list of life experiences for the purpose of discovering what career pathway may be most fruitful for them to pursue. These life experiences could be as monumental as moving to a new state and starting a new school or they can be as mundane as spending the summers fishing. The goal of the exercise is to record what you have done or what has happened to you to get a sense of a “story.” These stories are built upon the connections and themes that you see in the experiences. Here are some of the life experiences Brooks wants you to consider when you are crafting your personal story.

• What have you done during the summer or holiday breaks from school?
• What did you play when you were a young child?
• What are some of your major life experiences (e.g. family events such as births, deaths, marriages, divorces)?
• What do people say you do well or have a talent for or seek you out for?
• What do you consider your greatest achievements?
• What jobs have you had?
• What groups have you belonged to?
• What awards have you won?
• What lessons have you learned?
• What do you like to do for fun?
• What kind of “secret” talent do you have?

The goal of answering the questions is to capture as much about who you are and how you have been shaped to develop clear connections among the life elements and create themes. These themes can drive your personal story that can share on a deeper level who you are or who you are becoming.

Consider this scenario: Raphael has taken the time to write down his life experiences so he can build his personal narrative. Some of the answers to the questions above include the following:

• Raphael’s jobs: lifeguard, babysitter for his nieces and nephews, tutor, art teacher for elementary students
• Raphael’s hobbies and interests: watching old movies, volunteering at the library, creating original jewelry from natural objects
• Raphael’s awards and accolades: he won a writing contest in 11th grade, his friends come to him for advice, he has earned high grades in all of his classes
• Raphael’s major life events: parents divorced when he was 6 years old, he started a new school in junior high, his aunt passed away when he was 14 years old

From this short list, Raphael can begin to draw out themes that he can use to create a detailed picture of who he is. He has found himself in teaching roles with his jobs. He has a love for the arts as evidenced by his hobbies. He is a good communicator evidenced by his awards and accolades, and relationships are an important part of his life. Raphael can use those themes—and details from his experiences—to craft his story as someone who has demonstrated an interest in connecting with and helping others by sharing his expertise and experience.

Recognizing the themes in your life helps you to describe how you've become the person you are now, and helps you to understand who you will become.

"For me, becoming isn't about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn't end" —former First Lady Michelle Obama , Becoming (2018)

Analysis Question

In what ways is your academic journey in high school shaping your personal narrative? Describe how the following experiences are helping you “become":

• The classes that you are taking
• The activities you participate in as part of school (e.g., sports, performing arts, etc.)
• The learning that you are doing outside of school (e.g., community language class)

In what ways are your personal experiences shaping your story? Describe how the following experiences are helping you “become”:

• Major life events
• Favorite activities
• Awards and accomplishments
• Jobs or volunteer work
• 3 Brooks, K.(2010). You majored in what? Plume.

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Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/preparing-for-college-success/pages/1-introduction

• Authors: Amy Baldwin
• Publisher/website: OpenStax
• Book title: Preparing for College Success
• Publication date: Jul 12, 2023
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/preparing-for-college-success/pages/1-introduction
• Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/preparing-for-college-success/pages/1-2-your-academic-journey-and-personal-story

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Personal Experience — From Struggles to Success: My Journey

From Struggles to Success: My Journey

• Categories: Personal Experience

About this sample

Words: 789 |

Published: Feb 7, 2024

Words: 789 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, childhood struggles, a. family background, b. personal struggles, c. overcoming challenges, educational journey, a. school experience, b. academic struggles, c. achieving success, professional development, a. career path, b. career struggles, c. achieving career goals, personal growth, a. relationship struggles, b. self-discovery, c. achieving personal happiness, lessons learned, a. reflection on journey, b. life lessons, c. impact on present and future.

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My Journey as a Medical Student

Reflecting on my first day as a medical student, pre-clinical and clinical years….

Change Your Mind Change Your Life

I still remember my first day as a medical student , excited that I was finally embarking on the journey that I had worked so hard for (with the help of my supportive friends and family). As I entered a hall full of unfamiliar faces, I began to feel dread and excitement in equal measure. After years of being with the same friends in a small state school, I realised I was completely out of my comfort zone. Anxiously waiting to find some friendly faces, I tried to blend in with a small group of students. Everyone was very warm and friendly, making me feel welcomed and putting my mind at ease.

After a full day packed with introductory lectures, I received my laboratory coat and stethoscope. Buzzing with excitement and joy, the first thing I wanted to do was buy all of the textbooks on our reading list and join all the medical societies! I was eager to dive into anatomy and physiology textbooks and do all my pre-reading starting from day one.

My anatomy sessions were the best part of my pre-clinical years at medical school! Although I found the first few sessions very stressful, as I had never dissected a cadaver before, I quickly got used to it and found them incredibly beneficial and enjoyable. Due to the pandemic, universities have been looking at alternative ways to teach anatomy such as virtual reality and interactive anatomy apps .

Bedside teaching was my favourite part of clinical years. As I listened and learnt from the patients, I was reminded of why I found this profession so satisfying and rewarding. Unfortunately, we did not get as much experience with patients during the pandemic but our university organised some virtual learning experiences which added value to our learning. Additionally, I have found simulation teaching of emergency medicine really valuable because it aims to mimic real life scenarios. This learning would hopefully give me the confidence to effectively deal with unwell patients during on-calls and night shifts as a junior doctor.

During my clinical years I found my passion for Paediatrics and realised that this career route perfectly matched my personality. I took every opportunity to attend conferences, careers talks and organise extra experience in this field.

As another chapter of my life as a student comes to a close, and as I transition into the world of work, I would like to carry the following lessons with me:

1. Small and consistent efforts lead to big results:

It was a shock to me at the beginning when I was mixed with students from high achieving schools, as I came from a small state school. The pressure mounted on me, as I struggled to keep up with my peers and constantly compared my progress to theirs. Everyone seemed to have it all together apart from me. However, with time, I realised that we were all in the same boat and we all made it thus far so we were all capable of achieving good results as long as we put in the regular and consistent effort.

2. Let go of perfectionism:

I remember spending days in the library trying to write perfect notes and remember every single detail from my anatomy textbook. I was putting myself under a lot of pressure. By the end of medical school, I realised with time that it was impossible to know everything and I slowly accepted the fact that although it was interesting to learn about the ins and outs of every topic, I needed to prioritise my time and focus on topics I am more likely to be tested on . Therefore, I ensured that my knowledge on the most common topics and conditions was solidified.

3. It’s ok to make mistakes:

At the start of medical school, I was reluctant to contribute to group discussions, afraid of making mistakes and not knowing enough about a topic. By the end of medical school, I realised that the more mistakes I made, the more I learnt and the more I contributed, the more feedback I received, which all played to my advantage. I started viewing mistakes as steps towards success rather than barriers.

4. Take the journey one step at a time:

During phase 1 of my learning I was trying to get to grips with how university life worked. I was staying away from home, bombarded with lectures and anatomy sessions and was introduced to completely different ways of learning. All of this was overwhelming and I doubted myself. I learnt that with patience and perseverance I was able to take one step at a time and reach my goals.

5. Embrace your uniqueness:

I have met with so many medical students in university that come from different backgrounds and cultures and they all brought something unique to the table. Our individual experiences, skills and talents make us unique and special. I have learnt to embrace my individuality and use my unique set of skills to add value to every team I work in.

6. Know your limitations:

I have never had to worry about work-life balance before coming to medical school. In high school I was able to achieve good results, join sports clubs and rest without worrying about my wellbeing. As a medical student I learnt a lot about how far I can stretch myself before reaching my breaking point. It was challenging at first, as I was a really keen and curious student. However, I realised that in order to look after my patients, I had to look after myself and maintain my own wellbeing.

Being a medical student has been a difficult but incredibly rewarding journey. As I reminisce about the memories of the past five years, I would like to thank everyone for all their support in helping me get this far and I hope to continue to develop both as a doctor and as a human :)

Written by Huria Met

Foundation doctor | Passionate about Paediatrics and Medical Education | I enjoy reading, writing and running 📚🖊 🏃🏻‍♀️

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Home / Essay Samples / Education / Academic Interests / My Academic Journey: A Reflection on Challenges and Triumphs

My Academic Journey: A Reflection on Challenges and Triumphs

• Category: Education , Life
• Topic: Academic Interests , Personal Experience

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