Why Are You in College?

I have been reading final papers from an Early Entrance Experience  program I taught one week before our regular semester started.   One of the topics the students wrote about was their decision to attend college. Many of them wrote that they found it useful and motivational to consciously think about their decision now that they were actually on campus.

As I am writing this it is now a few weeks into the semester.  You are probably finding the work more demanding than you expected.   This is a good time to pause and reflect on the same topic – why are you in college?  Why did you make this decision?

* Was it assumed you would attend college and there was no other option –OR- did you make a conscious choice?

* Does everyone in your family have a degree –OR- will you be the first?

* Do you have successful examples to live up to –OR- are you setting the example for younger siblings and relatives?

* Do you want to live up to someone’s faith in you –OR- do you want to prove wrong the people who said you could not be   successful?

* Do you have a clear career goal –OR- are you searching for the right major for you?

Whatever the answers are to these questions, you are the one responsible for your success.  Thinking about why you are in college will go a long way toward keeping you motivated and on track.