Christina B.

$1,000 Resolve to Evolve Scholarship Winner - Sophomore

With a high school diploma in hand and a heart full of ambition, several students look forward to the excitement that is college. An U.S average of 36.2% of citizens ages 18-24 are enrolled in a private or public college. Out of those 36.2%, only 19% graduate in four years. Theses statics startle government officials and educators.

The first major factor in the dreaded college drag is immaturity. Most students come to college with ideas of fun and excitement, only to be discouraged with the pain called reality. Truth is, college isn't all fun and games. College is hours spent studying, professors with strict deadlines and the sad realization that money doesn't grow on trees. Colleges are businesses trying to attract students, but it's important for students to realize that the pictures of happy smiling students on the front of the college brochure is not real. To combat this dilemma, it's crucial that students get to see the college campus before they go to school. Seniors can still be excited to go to college, but see that it's going to be challenging. Towns with colleges should arrange student events where the seniors can go tour the campus. If that is not an option, many colleges offer private tours, which the naive seniors and their parents can take. Getting students on to campuses is important for the students to get a grasp of reality.

Another problem causes an increase in students graduation time, is being indecisive. With a world full of opportunities, it can be hard for students to choose one major. For many college freshman, the thought of having a career for the rest of their lives is unthinkable and hard to comprehend. For every change in major comes another year of college. A student may only change majors once or twice, but each time they take another semester. The time often gets away, and before the students realize it, it has been a year without any progress.

In a perfect world seniors would walk out of high school with a clear image in their minds and stick to it. Unfortunately, this is not, nor ever will be, the case. School counselors do their best to get students on the wrong path, but sometimes students need the hands-on experiences of college before realizing this isn’t the right path. Getting more hands-on experience into the high schools, would greatly help students choose a major, but this would be a big price tag for the schools. Students should take advantage of summer classes. These classes may be just what a student needs to get back on course. Yes, constantly changing majors is a part of the college experience, but students should do whatever they need to, to get back on course.

It is most certainly a challenge to graduate in four years, but it's not impossible. If students keep this goal in mind and put the work into it, they can graduate in four years. It may take time from social events or less time spent at home, but it will be worth it. If students come to college with a clearing picture of college and a willingness to get the job done, then that four-year college plan is possible.

I believe that with a college degree, I can change the world. I want to be a neuroscientist. The brain is such a delicate thing, that can be altered by even the slightest change. Families all over the globe are effect by the pain of different mental illnesses, which bothers me. I want to change that by being a part of finding a cure.

My biggest obstacle in attending college is the price. Neuroscience isn't a very common major. Most of the schools that provide this majors are private causing the price to be nearly tripled. I'm trying to do everything I can to minimize this obstacle, because it's an obstacle, not a barrier.