Rhode Island College Top Questions

College is not as easy as it might seem to many students. I have gotten many important lessons from my college experience. Many of the lessons have been responsibility, commitment, and most importantly I have learn to manage my time even though not completely. The classes that I have taken at RIC have helped me compare what I have learned with my everyday life. It has been very valuable because first of all, I have enjoyed my classes, and I have gotten a lot out of them. Also RIC is a good college that fulfill my needs, becuase it is not too far from where I live, and it is also a good Institution that has a good environment to study and also have fun while learning.

I have gained a lot of understanding about what the real world is. It not only about education or studying, i can now adapt to different real lifesituations.I have gotten good communication and social experience through college. In college my teacher gave me just as much attention that is desired of other students,not making me feel like the only person in class, but while i was in high school my teacher always wanted to know more about me and my personal life. College has given me the chance to know what i like to do and what i desire in future, when i was younger i gave out proffessions like "angel," and so many fantasies but now my decision is clear and simple i want to be an accountant. Most of all,college experience has given me independence to think by myself and use my brain not relying on my parents or siblings all the time. I am fortunate to gain such experience in college and i am happy that i made use of the opportunity i had.

I have only attended one semester of college and have experienced and learned a lot. Before I attended college I was very shy and introverted. After my first semester I met so many different and fascinating people. About half way through I began to come out of my shell and start to converse with the people around me. If someone would have told me back in high school that I would come out of my shell and start to finally be okay with myself I would have told them they were crazy. I took many courses and learned a lot of different things. The one thing I learned the most is, how to take chances and be yourself.

Personally, I got a reality check in college. I come from a town where everyone knows everybody else's business, where there are at least two cow farms, a main road that only lead to the library and teachers knew students on a personal level and how far to push them. I had always been self-driven, but, living on campus, self-driven took on a whole new meaning. Though the classes were interesting and and important, something else shaped my freshman year. I had taken DARE programs in elementary school, but I never expected to witness everything I saw at school: teen drinking (and what comes with it), financial difficulties, drug abuse, rape horror stories, abortion, crushed dreams, and so much more. I took care of friends that were too drunk to remember in the morning and cried with friends who didn't know where else to turn. Back home, this either never happens or everyone is just too proud to get help. I think the college experience prepared me for what I need to know- I now know even something as simple as a smile and a wave can have a huge impact on someone's life.

They say high school will be the best years of your life. I'm opposed of that saying. In my world, college is. It's a whole new experience and reality slaps you in the face really hard, but it's a good kind of slap. From college, I was exposed to more diversed people with different goals and dreams. Everyone here was here because they wanted a better future for themselves and their generations to come. Out of the people here and college, I learned that determination and hope goes a long way. Unlike high school, I actually want to attend classes in college because everyday was a different day. That's why I graduated high school early. Although I haven't been in college for very long, everything I've learned so far, I was able to apply it to the real world.

What I have gotten out of my college expierence thus far is really dedication. I've learned dedication and hardwork is the way really to succeed in any of your studies. I went from not putting alot of time to study in high school, to dedicating many hours to my studies here in college. It has been a good expierence and I am getting new things out of college each day. Its a new welcoming expierence that is making me a better student with my studies espeically. College is alot but with dedicated and hardwork you can complete anything. It has been valuable for me to attend because I have learned alot and also have changed myself and came more welcoming when it comes to doing school work. College so far has been a good thing especially at Rhode Island College and I plan to attend here most likely for my four years.

I initially majored in Print Journalism, but newspaper jobs are rapidly disappearing. Now, I am pursuing Web Design certification. That, combined with my journalism and insurance sales experience, will enable me to transition into public relations or marketing. It also will enable me to continue writing, but for online publications and will open a whole new world to me. The future of journalism is pointing to electronic communications, so Web Design will enable me to upgrade my skills and compete in a rapidly growing market. Unfortunately, I can't afford to continue my education without additional financial assistance. And, if I don't continue my education, I will not be able to compete in my chosen job market. Attending college is my ONLY option. I love learning, and interacting with students and professors who hail from different parts of the world. College teaches us all about time management, how to meet deadlines, prioritize projects and other skills that will be put to use in the real world. College provides opportunity and teaches discipline while showing us how to work with people who might be different from us. I wish it was mandatory for everyone to attend for one semester.

In attending community college, I have learned that it does not mean any less to obtain the general education courses and/or transferrable courses at a community college as opposed to starting at a four year institution. While community college is significantely less expensive than a four year school, the financial aid received through FAFSA and PHEEA have been of no help; making attending college that much more difficult. Making the choice to take my first few years at a community college are helping me achieve better grades than I did in high school in hopes of becoming eligible for more scholarships upon transferring to a four year university. Another asset of community college is the size of the classes and the staff always being readily available for counseling, assisstance, and any concerns a student might have. Making the choice to attend a community college has really opened up my eyes as to just how beneficial a community college can be for students.

I am a proud graduate of an affordable state college. A liberal arts education is essential to modern success and my college provided a solid foundation. Facilities were not ideal and academic standards were not always appropriately challenging but I graduated with little debt and with certain invaluable skills. I learned to set higher standards for myself than were imposed and I learned how to find the resources to meet those higher standards. I commonly researched professor credentials before registering for courses and ventured off campus to connect with local professionals and professors at other institutions. Ultimately, a college education is worth only what the student is willing to invest. The value in my experience was learning to ask the right questions, find solutions and evaluate information and opportunities. I advise college applicants to base their decision on the institution?s ability to meet their individual needs and to proactively seek alternatives as their needs change. The independence, self-motivation and critical thinking skills obtained during these undergraduate years have enabled me to excel in the professional world and as a graduate student at a more prestigious institution. For this reason, I hope to be your choice for this award.

What I have gotten out of my college even though its a short amount of time that I have been there is the feeling privledged. I feel privledge to be there everyday. I am the first out of my family to attend college and felt that I would not be up to college standards but this college took me in. And I try hard to get to class everyday with commuting and doing my best to give the grades that the college should be able to see and get back from giving such and opportunity to me. I am learning everyday; my favorite class would be Anthropology: Introduction to Archeololgy because the class makes you think differently about the world around you something I would never question in any lifetime. But I am expanding my thoughts and my knowledge.