Thomas Nelson Community College Student Analysis

There are many difficult challenges we as humans face on a daily basis. Yet some of those challenges can be more difficult as time progress and we grow older. Some challenges that I have been facing are getting ready to do an audition at Bowling Green State University for the band in which we also have to take a music theory exam before we audition in front of the many band directors. This faces many small challenges as well as, playing college level music, not practicing as often as we would like, and having to understand music theory. College level music is an entire thing on its own compared to high school music.

You have to try your best and work hard if you want to make it out of high school in 4 years or earlier. You don’t want to stay in high school longer than your supposed too. I thought myself thought high school was like middle school, I slacked off and didn 't study, but there were consequences. I failed a class and now I have to retake it next year. I know now that I will study and work hard for every class.

At the state’s community colleges, more than 90 percent of students would not qualify for free tuition based on those requirements. Wherefore, I could not attend college full; so since I only attend college part it will take me extra years to complete my degrees so Excelsior Scholarship would not help me. Excelsior Scholarship requires that students complete 3o credit per year. Since I can only attend college part time this would make it impossible for me complete 30 credits for the year. This make it quit difficult for me to benefit from this program.

Critical thinking is an important skill in academics and life. It is difficult because it requires an active mind, and as a result there are many natural mental barriers to utilizing it. A time when critical thinking was challenging for me was when I was debating the necessity of going to college with a close friend. This was in sophomore year when we were beginning to seriously contemplate our future lives after high school. In this debate, I took the side that college was necessary in order to be successful in life; my friend believed there were other paths one could take and still achieve the same level of success through other avenues like trade schools or apprenticeships.

Sometimes we don’t have enough time to finish lunch and barely have time to do activities. They would be able to keep electives and short class time. Then sometimes we can’t finish our work and we will have to ask the teacher for help and they might not be there. We need more class time so we can finish our work and have it all memorized for the next day. We also need more energy for every class so we won’t fall asleep in class.

According to college professors roughly 42% of college students are not adequately prepared by their high schools to meet the rigor of college coursework (Center for College Readiness, 2015). SLIDE 4 - WARRANTS There is no doubt that a majority of high school graduates aspire to earn a college degree. However according to (Policy Report, 2013), only 68% of them enroll immediately in a four or two-year post-secondary institution after completing high school. Out of this low number that enroll in colleges, it is still observed that many fail to complete a degree. According to (Policy Report, 2013), only about 60% of students at four-year institutions complete a bachelor’s degree within 6 years of initially enrolling.

Managing your time can be very difficult and often stressful. Especially when transitioning from high school to college since most of us are starting our first part time job. In college, students are struggling to balance school, studying, a part-time job, family, and friends. There will be times where you want to hold off studying and go hang out and party with your friends but you should remember that your academic work should always come first when prioritizing your time. Friends and family will understand that your focus as of now is your education.

In 2008, 68% of graduates enrolled in college by October (Goldman, Jordan). With this being said, jobs are becoming that much harder to find for someone without a degree because they don’t have the skills that many jobs are requiring these days. Someone who has gone to college has experienced challenges and many employers value that (How To E-D-U.). People who go to college have to face tough tests and that is something that someone with a high school degree may not experience. Someone with a college degree can also be more diverse and more talented than someone with a high school degree (Goldman, Jordan).

The need to go to college to have legitimate knowledge in the field is often lost. A sense of obligation surrounds lots of students. College is treated as a mandatory goal throughout high school. Why? So that students can be prepared for the workforce by having a thousands of dollar piece of paper that shows their dedication, not for the actual knowledge that they have collected along the way.

First-Generation Students to Academic Success Research shows that in the Washington post a reporter by the name of Linda Bank-Santali stated that over 4.5 Million First –Generation Students have enrolled in a post-secondary institution in the United States (Bank-Santali, 2015, para. ). Not all First –Generation College Students are all the same but many experience difficulty with four distinct domains 1) professional 2) financial 3) psychological 4) academic. First Generation Students have a lot on their plates and face many obstacles that keep them from succeeding in college. There are many Barriers that first generation students face such as Low-Income status, Lack of Motivation and Low-Self Esteem.