Why Did I Attend College? Good Question! (Revised)

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       When I was asked, "Why did you decide to go to college?" I've got to be honest and say that before that moment I had not really thought about the reasons behind my decision. So I sat down with a cup of coffee and thought of the the main reasons why I'm going to college. I came to realize how big of a decision it really was, and how lightly I was taking it.

Photo Credit: JSU

       My main reason for attending college was the satisfaction of knowing that I was challenging myself to go above the academic standard that I thought I could handle. I was never a very intellectual person. I was always the kid who sat in the middle of the class and busted out a good joke every 5 minutes. Sometimes I just wanted to give up trying in school, because I would study hard but still make below par grades. My breaking point was in the 3rd grade, when I just gave up trying in school and ended up getting held back by my parents. I had this attitude because I always felt pressured in school. I've personally grown up in a household where my brothers and sisters all got into college on full-ride scholarships. For example my sister, Courtney Crosby, and her husband Andrew are going to JSU completely free with the help of the Elite Honors Scholarship and they are both tutors at A.C.E. Growing up around people with the smarts that I couldn't dream of having really intimidated me, and in some cases made me feel dumb. However, I kept on pushing myself and ended up getting a partial scholarship to JSU! Everyone in my family was so excited and proud of me. For once in my life I felt like I was smart like the rest of my family.

             Another reason for going to college was that it would be helpful to me as I headed into the life beyond high school, or the so called "great unknown". In high school, I was always around the same people everyday and we were babied as students. We were given way to many chances to get our work done that we honestly didn't deserve. Once you get into college it is a whole different ball game! If you need to get a book for class then you have to go and buy it from the bookstore. There is no more getting books for free, or having lunch for 2 dollars a day. If you need to get up early for a class, then it's your responsibility to set an alarm. College is the stepping stone into becoming a true adult. Everything about college helps an individual grow up. It teaches responsibility, gives you great people skills, and also helps you to figure out who you are as a person.

        The last reason that I decided to go to college is the fact that I get to learn to do something that I feel passionate about! I'm going to major in Hospitality and Culinary Management at JSU and that is so exciting to me, because I have a passion for cooking and owning my own restaurant one day. Ever since I was a little kid, I have loved to cook. I've gone from cooking eggs in the morning for breakfast as a 5 year old, to now I'm cooking whole meals and dessert for everyone in my family. I've always dreamed of owning my own restaurant, just the thought of putting smiles on peoples faces with something as simple as food that I made is remarkable to me. The true American dream is to have a job that doesn't feel like your working, rather that you feel like you are doing something that you truly love. With a college education, I will be able to learn everything that I will need to further pursue my American dream of owning my very own restaurant! That reason alone is enough to make me want to go to college.

         These are just a few reasons why I decided to go to college. I cant wait to see what is in store for me in the future. God Bless!

Hey Stranger! Come On In!

           Photo Credit:  Puplove 

            I recently read a very interesting essay from a lady by the name of Arianna Davolos in the book Share or Die. She came up with the interesting idea of hosting "stranger dinners" as a way of being able to communicate with people who she would otherwise pass by on the street without a second thought. She also brings up a few more interesting thoughts and ideas throughout her writing that I would like to talk about.

             To give you an idea of why, what, or how Arianna came up with the idea of "stranger dinners", I need to first talk about some of the interesting things she brought up. Arianna, like many people, came out of college ready to face the world head on and be able to focus on what she loved, which is art, and also be able to expand her knowledge about art. To her surprise, whenever she got out of college and into the real world she found out that living consisted of 3 things: work, pay rent, and have fun when you can. So she started becoming curious about how other people lived their lives, how they manage their time, and also what they sacrificed or invested themselves in. She felt as though she didn't belong in the world that she lived in, and felt that everyone, besides herself, were as happy as could be. She wanted to know the answer to how she should live her life. "Slowly it dawned on me: no one has the answer. There is no right path. Everyone stumbles their way through. Some people get lucky breaks; some people have lower expectations; some people are unhappy; some people are happy" (Harris, Gorenflo 107). In my opinion, she hit the nail right on the head, because I have personally learned that no one in this life is going to do the same things that you are destined to do. Everyone's plan is different and unique to them as a person. When I was a kid, I used to always pretend that I was Bill Dance. I would go out fishing and act like I was an old man from Tennessee who knew everything there was about fishing. Hit the fast forward button to the present day Kenneth, and now instead of being a famous fisherman, I'm on my way to becoming a Hotel or Restaurant Manager! It just shows that everyone lives their own unique life.

Photo Credit: Rounds.com

                

                   Another great point that Arianna brought up was the unfortunate reality that today, we as a people have more cyber relationships than physical relationships. This part of her writing hit me pretty hard, because shes right! As I was reading, I kept thinking of everyone's status on Facebook that I had liked the day before. Out of the twenty plus people's statuses I liked, only 5 of the statuses were by people who I talk to on a regular basis. She also brought up the notion that anyone who is a friend of yours can go on your Facebook page and look at all your past statuses, pictures, and videos that you put on you profile. Once again, she made an excellent point that I had never thought about before.

               All this leads into why Arianna hosts these "stranger dinners". It is so that she can get back to how everyone used to behave before all of these distractions, specifically the internet. To get the strangers to come to the dinner she gets her friends to invite one person they know, and Arianna emails all the people going the time and date. They would all get together to talk, socialize, eat, and go from strangers to acquaintance’s. I think this is a really cool way to meet people. It would be especially hard for someone like me because of how shy I am, but it would be an experience to say the least! 

               All in all I think that Arianna Davolos has really good ideas and views on things. I hope you enjoyed reading my Blog! God Bless!

College...is it enough these days???

              

                 Is college good enough? For some people this is a question that they have asked them self’s many, many times. Then are some people who honestly think that, that question isn't a question at all! They believe that college is an absolute, nonnegotiable part of life that must happen. As college gets more and more accessible to every young adult in America, we honestly do need to ask ourselves if we need to attend college.

             The first main topic that comes up when discussing if college is enough, is the very real issue of debt after college. This is a problem that people need to deal with personally, not a topic that should be answered for everyone as a whole, because the fact of the matter is, that not everyone will be able to handle debt after college. In the words of John Lawrence , “I challenge the conventional wisdom that with a college degree you will be better off in the long run. For one thing that debt can never be discharged in bankruptcy. It will follow you the rest of your life. Even social security checks can be garnished to pay it. Student loan debt has more than quintupled since 1999. Earlier this year American collective student loan debt passed the one trillion dollar mark, more than the nation’s collective credit card debt.” It all depends on the career you pursue, as you might recall from my previous blog, if you project that you will have student loans of $10,000 dollars a year, then you will need to find a job with a beginning salary of $40,000. So, all in all it is a personal problem that you need to discuss with yourself and the people you trust the most.

             

                 Another reason of concern is if a regular bachelors degree is good enough for a job these days. This a very touchy subject just by the fact that for some careers is it perfect, for some its not enough, and also for some it might even be over qualified. If your wanting to go into areas of occupation in the form of the medical field then it is a given that you would need to pursue a masters, and in many cases a doctorate. On the other hand if you are wanting to become a construction worker or for some reason a waiter/waitress, then pursuing more than a bachelors would be overqualified and in a way it would be pointless. In the case of the majority of the job market in this day and age, a bachelors degree is plenty enough for a good job. Let me add also that for all of the jobs you apply for after college, there is likely to be a numerous amount of people putting in applications for that very same job. So I would take in to account the words of David Dunkerley who addressees the question about a bachelors degree being good enough, “There is no straightforward answer to this question, although with the competition for jobs being fairly intense there is little doubt that people with higher qualifications will have the edge in many cases.” So whatever you can do to increases your chances of getting the certain job that you want, and you feel that the risk is worth the reward, then do it! Whether it is getting a good grade point average, or being in a certain club, if you feel it will help you, then there is no reason not to pursue something that will benefit you in the long run.

            

                  I recently read a very thought provoking comic about college, one part in particular got me thinking, “You are here to do whatever for three to five years in order to get a piece of paper that is essentially a claim check for twenty percent more life-time earnings. Meanwhile, enjoy these free novelty hats.” The minute I read this I starting thinking, and the more and more I read it, the more and more I agreed with what was said. There are so many different degrees of study in so may different areas that you really can do whatever you want. Its amazing how many different degrees are available in college. There are some we don't even know about yet. Like my teacher, Tanya Sasser, said in class one day, “Just think, the jobs that will be needed the most in the future haven't even been created yet.” That my friends is crazy to think about.

        

           My final topic on the question is college enough, is that college is actually becoming easier. Based on many studies done by Zoesvg, the most commonly given grade in college is an A, and is that just cause we are smarter or we study more? The sad fact is no, we are not smarter and we don’t study more. In 1961 the average student studied 40 hours a week, as of 2006 the average student studies only 27 hours a weeks. The most shocking fact that they found was that in 1961 only 15% of the grades given out were A's, but now they make up an astonishing 45% of the grades.

I hope you enjoyed this blog!

God Bless!