Personal Narrative Essay: Obtaining A College Degree

Improved Essays
Student
Holly
CC092
14 Nov. 2013
Narrative Essay
For me, this is my second attempt at earning a college degree. My experience with college prior to this semester was right after high school, when I enrolled at a community college in my hometown in California. I was supporting myself, working full-time at a restaurant where a lot of my other friends worked. Because of my demanding work schedule, I only took a couple of credits each semester and missed a lot of class. I also spent a lot of time hanging out with my friends and that took away from the time I spent doing school work. I ended up failing my classes and dropping out after two semesters. This time around, I don’t want to waste as much time and money; I want to be successful
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My idea of success is earning an Associate of Arts degree in two years so that I can transfer to a 4-year university. In order to successfully achieve an Associate of Arts degree in the next two years, I will need to register for a full-time load every semester, attend class sessions regularly, and develop study habits that are effective for my learning style needs.
The first step toward graduating in two years is to maintain a full-time load every semester. The first time I was in college, I only enrolled part time and didn’t make much progress. I felt like I was spinning my wheels because after a whole year went by I still didn’t have any real credits on my transcript (after I failed a couple of classes and had to withdraw from a few more). It was also a huge waste of money to only attend part-time. I was paying for a lot of classes that never made it on to my transcript. This time around, I want to make the most of
Student 2 every semester and the financial aid I receive, so that I can move on to a four-year university after just two years.
I will also need to be sure to attend class sessions regularly. The first time I was in college, I skipped lot and failed or had to withdraw from my classes. This was because work
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I needed to eat and pay the bills! Sometimes I would work really late at night so this also made it difficult to get to my morning classes. This semester, I scheduled most of my classes in the middle of the day so that I won’t have to worry about sleeping in late. I also made sure I am aware of the attendance policies in each class so that if I do have to miss I am more prepared for the consequences.
Finally, I will need to learn what study habits work for me. Whenever I study for an exam, I earn a much better grade. At the beginning of the semester, we learned about our own personal learning styles and the best ways to meet our own individual learning needs. I am a kinesthetic learner so it helps if I can move around while I am studying or reading for my classes. I might have to go for a walk or take frequent breaks, or hold something in my hand to play with while I am reading so that I can remember. I think this will help me pass more of my classes than when I was in school before.
To me, success in college means earning an AA degree in two years so that I can transfer to a 4-year university. If I can register for enough credits, attend class, and study, I will be able

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