Journal Entry: Pursuing Higher Education

Journal Entry 2 Pursuing higher education is what many students strive for. Unfortunately, many do not achieve their goal due to many factors such as lack of commitment, finances, or other life situations. Thus, it’s important for each future student to carefully consider the different life situations that could and will arise in the course of completing their master’s degree. Likewise, it’s wise for the student to have a plan of action for when life situations do come up and make it difficult to complete their school work. In this journal entry there are a few thoughts and feelings related to becoming a Counselor in Training (CIT) that will be helpful for others who are also considering enrolling in graduate school. For starters, future …show more content…
Each school is different and while there are many schools that will hold your hand throughout the enrolling process, Ottawa’s team works a little different. The online counseling program has many steps that need to be completed before being ready to start a course. To begin with, the future student must apply for the graduate program and wait to be approved. Then, the letter of acceptance has steps one must follow in order to be successfully enrolled. Compared to other schools that offer online courses in which an assigned advisor helps the future student throughout the enrollment process, the process at Ottawa University is left to the student to complete on their own. For this reason, the individual must be able to navigate through the system, be able to be self-motivated, and be able to stay focused all of which are great characteristics for those pursuing an online …show more content…
For instance, the student must have a good support system to help throughout the process. This is especially important because being a counselor in training not only requires spending time in their academics, it also requires three-hundred internship hours. As mentioned above, the commitments to the counseling program need to be carefully consider since it also requires the student to spend a considerable amount of hours away from family members. In some cases, this might also could interfere with the family’s budget if the counselor in training needs to reduce their hours at work. All in all, becoming a counselor is a satisfying endeavor that while it has its own rewards prospective students must not consider lightly. There are many aspects that need to be weighed carefully before starting graduate school such as time and financial commitment as well as the impact it will have on the person enrolled and those close to them. Once the person has begun the program, a good support system as well as personal commitment to success is important. Above all, the person considering a career in counseling must have a desire to help