Moving Away To College Essay

In many ways, the experiences of an immigrant can be compared to those of a student leaving for college. Both persons seek to grow as individuals and allow themselves to gain experiences and opportunities that were previously unimaginable to them. To contrast this, many American college students are not leaving a home ridden by poverty, malnourishment, or neglect. The majority of immigrants who flee their countries have the intent to return. They leave behind their families, their belongings, and everything that they have grown to know. They come to America to seek freedom, employment, and for some of them to fight for the survival of their families.
For many college students, moving away to school will be the first time they have left home for an extended period of time. They pack their clothes, pictures, cars, phones, and other belongings and bring them to a new place, filled with new people and new opportunities. The majority leave with the intent to better themselves, while some may just want additional freedoms as an adult. Being in an unfamiliar environment and lacking knowledge can put these students at a disadvantage, but with a little time, many American students can become fairly well adjusted. International students, however, may find themselves faced with additional …show more content…
Many will be free from curfews, household ideals and traditions, and rules in general. In the first year of college, a large number of students find themselves faced with alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, and general lack of motivation to succeed. The idea of pushing through these hardships and ending your time away with a degree and the potential for a more successful life with more prospective careers and a better understanding of how the world works is motivational for most students. Many are in the mindset that seeing their hard work, and where their money has gone will be very rewarding, for them, and for their