Central Washington University Top Questions

In my college experience, from attending two universities, I have learned about the truths and hardships in this world. A friend of mine in a foreign country once told me that, growing up, he imagined that everyone in the US respected everyone elses opinions and thoughts. During my college experience, I have learned that this is not true. Colleges will pride themselves for being diverse and respectful of everyone, but in truth this is not the case. If you do not share the same opinions that other people have then you will be cast aside. Students will glare at you, say that every word that is coming out of your mouth is hateful and a lie, even professors will not respect your rights. Any information that you try and put out will be quickly torn down and your opinions and thoughts will end up in the nearest trash can. People will through you away. You are the trash. From this I have learned to stand up for my rights and beliefs, in a respectful manner, and encourage any person I come across to do the same. College has taught me to be strong, and have a voice.

Most people think college is just a place to get a degree to help towards a job in your future. In my opinion college is a place to help you find out who you are as a person and create a life of your own. Since I have came to school I have learned that I can live on my own and control my own bugget. Aslo college is about meeting new friends and creating friendships that will last forever. The classes taken in college also open your eyes to many different aspects of life an then to help you choose your major. In my experience I have enjoyed the educational and social parts of being in college. I can not wait to complete these next two years and obtain a degree in Business and minor in Art.

College has been everything to me. I am a single mother of three young children. For the past three years of my life, i have been a stay at home mom. Every day just buzzed right past me, only worrying about my children and all of their needs, rarely taking a moment for my self. In that tmem, I really had lost my whole sense of self. For the past year I have felt a sudden craving for knowledge. I decided to jump on that and went to the local community college to see if it would even be possible to attend at this time. That day I signed up for a program called Moving On. This 12 credit program was based on career and and self-exploration. I recently graduated Moving On not only with straight A's for the first time in my life, but I now know who I am. I am extremely confident in myself and my ability to excell in college. I am more dtermined to graduate to become a Neonatal ICU Nurse than I have ever been. I have learned to set attainable goals and not to let your life make choices for me.

College has been said to be a time of discovery for the young person that chooses to attend, and I cannot refute this statement. In my time attending Central Washington University, I have gained a more holistic perspective of myself and the most importantly the world in which I live in. The value of a college education is priceless because some of the most important lessons while enrolled at an institution of higher education are never once discussed in a lecture in a class. Besides the knowledge that I have gained in my major, I have also learned valuable lessons with regards to people and how the world works. The manifest function of a college education is to achieve a desired degree in the intended major; however, the latent functions should not be ignored either. The primary reason I decided to attend college was to attain a degree, but I have learned that without the experiences in the university the degree would be pointless. The latent function of a college education is the experiences one has that helps them to achieve a more hollistic view on themselves and the world around them. This is the true value of college.

Attending Central Washington University has and is still helping me make the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The staff here is very helpful and makes figuring out finacial aide, buying books, and participating in activities easy and fun because most of the staff is made up of Central students. I am able to take on responsibilities I have never had before and actually do things on my own. This experience is very valuble because for me, my education comes first and I feel that I am learning on a high level here at Central and I really enjoy my classes. Since the classes are smaller the student participation and student professor interaction level is greatly increased compared to other larger universities. But the most valuable experiences I have gained while attending this college are the many memeries I have made with my fellow peers. Central really makes it easy for everyone to get out there and start making freinds. My college experience has been very fulfilling so far and is only going to get better with every freind I make and with every class I take. I feel that Central has greatly helped me grow in many ways.

My college experience has been one of the best experiences for me besides the birth of my daughter. College has opened so many doors for me in my career and personal life. Because of the specific degree I obtained while attending Central Washington University, I was able to work in a variety of fields and further expand my opportunities. I contribute my success directly to my college experience and the completion of my four year degree. Most importantly I am the first child of my parents to finish a four year college degree. I believe I set precedence in my family by taking the initiative to further my education. My only daughter is now ten years old and I am proud to be once again, setting an example for the most important person in my life. I know that she will be watching my steps as I return to Central Washington University and work on pursuing another degree. My hope is to influence family as well as collegues I work with. It makes me feel glad that my employer and co-workers support my decision to return to school. I am know I am setting an example for them too.

As a highschool student, getting "good" grades wasn't really that hard unless a person was involved in AP studies. Furthermore, even in AP classes, it wasn't really that difficult to maintain high grades even without major studying. College is a completely different experience entirely. Just from my first quarter at Central Washington University, I've come to realize that college demands quite a bit out of a student's life - namely exceptional study skills which I'm finding are hard to develop if you've never had any need for them in the past. College also has a way of enforcing the responsibilities of a student by making attendance an important grade aspect, forcing independent studying, and making deadlines crucial to the grade of its students. I've found my experiences in this university incredibly valuable because its made me a more responsible individual and challenged me by making it important to me to build good study skills to grasp what it takes for a grade to go from a B to an A.

The living experience has definitely been the best part of college (so far). The fact that people live with each other usually makes people treat each other with more respect, which is definitely a welcome change from high school.

I came into college a very sheltered young women. I didn't understand the way life truly worked or how to achieve real goals. My college experience has not only taught me how to study and other learning skills, but it has truly taught me life skills. I learned how to take on life responsibility and be reliable in every aspect of my life. Not only did I learn this from classroom life, but also from living off campus and being able to survive on my own. This has been extremely valuable to me because now I have the life skills to be a good career women, wife and mother. If I hadn't gone to college I could have seen my life going to a very different direction and I am thankful everyday that I have been lucky enough to attend.

So far in college I have made so many new and wonderful friends. I've had great teachers and classes. I've learned who I want to be and what I want out of life. I learned how to manage my time better with school work, classes, and my job. At first I was struggling but then I pulled myself out of that. Also, at first I was having problems socializing but then I learned that I need to get out and do activities to make friends. Central Washington University has a lot of wonderful activities like movie nights, games, a gym, etc. The people I have met this year, have changed me for the better.