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Essay On Student Development Journey

1551 Words7 Pages

Lost and Found:
The Journey of a College Student’s Development
My journey through life is characterized by many shifts and changes in who I am and who I want to be. During my undergraduate college experience I went through several life changes that led me to develop into the person I am today. Though I am still developing and growing as a person, I am much more authentic and true to myself than I was before college. My experiences through those four years, although unique to my own life can be described through various student development theories which explain how and why students develop in college. Thus, this paper aims to utilize such theories to explain my development journey and apply them to the major events and moments that influenced me during my undergraduate experience. Specifically, I will examine how my background and my situation affected who I was leading up to college, followed by my experiences as I move through each year of my education until I reach who I am today.
Life Before College
Before delving deep into my college student development …show more content…

This process is best explained by the work of Chickering and Reisser (1993), who recognized seven vectors that college students move through on their journey towards establishing their identity. During my first year of college, I experienced the first two vectors, developing competence and managing emotions (Chickering & Reisser, 1993). When I entered college I exhibited a lack of confidence in my abilities and knowledge about how to navigate all aspects of university life. However, by receiving support from Marley and the SOS office, I gained more confidence in my academic ability and obtained the skills needed to be successful in college, which caused me to progress to the next vector, managing

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