It's Never Too Late to Succeed in College

Below is a guest post from the author of Community College Success, Isa Adney. You can connect with her on Twitter @IsaAdney or Facebook.com/CCSuccess


When Joshua Trader graduated high school in 2004, his parents gave him two choices: go to college or get a full time job.

Joshua spent his growing up years in Sanford, Michigan, watching his parents work very hard for little pay in order to put food on the table for him and his five siblings. Joshua loved and appreciated his parents’ struggles, but he didn’t want to repeat them, and though college would be the answer: “I wasn’t excited about college, but I thought it would be better than work.”

Halfway through his first semester at the nearby Delta College, Joshua became bored. Driving 35 minutes to campus, sitting through hours of classes, and then driving back home began to hold little reward for him. “It got old really quick,” he says of his routine. “I had no motivation, no real reason for college; I just thought it would be the better choice.” The lack of interest showed in his grades; he was failing.

College was Joshua’s choice – no one was forcing him to go. So when he decided he didn’t want to do it anymore he dropped out before the first semester ended. He got a full time job running a rock-climbing wall at the Midland Community Center. He started a corporate team building and leadership program, and as he facilitated these programs he began to develop a passion for, as he put it, “helping people become better.”

Joshua thrived in his job and was happy with his choice. Six years later, however, many of his friends were returning from college, getting salaried jobs, and doing big things. “It made me realize that while I was having fun doing what I was doing, I was at a dead end,” Joshua said of his reaction to his friends’ accomplishments.  He also saw co-workers with college degrees advancing. He realized for the first time that he would not be able to move forward without a college degree: “It took some time, but I finally realized what college really would do for my future.”

Understanding the purpose college could have on his life changed everything.
Joshua returned to Delta in the summer of 2010 and, at the age of 24, took a full load of classes. He still drove 35 minutes there and back. He still sat through hours of classes. But this time, Joshua wasn’t bored. This time, Joshua didn’t fail his classes. This time, Joshua got tests back with the numbers 98, 100, and even 104 on them. The only thing that had changed was his understanding of how college would affect his life.

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Last Boarding Call: CCV Spring 2013 Students Are Off to England

This photo was taken by my friend in the Tower of London on October 31, 2009 (yes, no joke - on Halloween!).  Can you spot the ghost-like figure?  What do you think - ghost or weird dust particles the camera caught?

Students enrolled in this semester’s study abroad course England through Words, Images and Music have started packing their suitcases.  On Monday night we will depart Boston and on Tuesday morning we land in London.  We will begin our studies in England by touring the Tower of London; a shameless and gruesome fact is that we are all looking forward to seeing the Block where Anne Boleyn (yup, The Other Boleyn Girl), one of Henry VIII’s wives, lost her head.  Our class will walk through Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; travel to Glastonbury, regarded as King Arthur’s mystical Isle of Avalon; see Stonehenge and visit the Roman baths built on the orders of Emperor Claudius.  Next week, England will be the classroom for CCV students enrolled in this course.  To say we are beyond excited is a bit of an understatement. 

It’s pretty obvious that study abroad rocks because students get to travel to amazing places, explore historical and mythical sites, bring their studies to life in a different country and interact with each other and locals in an intensive and amazing way.  But what else could you gain by participating in a CCV study abroad experience?

• Deepen your learning and understand your classes through a different lens. Whether you're studying history, the environment, sociology or communications, you can gain a new perspective while away from CCV and Vermont.

• Be a better job candidate. If you want to stand out in today's job market an international perspective is critical. When looking for a job, employers find candidates that have world experience more marketable and more diverse than those that do not.  Study Abroad can provide relatable examples during an interview. 

• Meet interesting people. You're going to meet some incredible people--both locals and study abroad students from around the globe. You've got a limited amount of time, so don't be shy. Throw yourself into these new friendships and be rewarded with lifelong connections.  

• Find out they're just like us. No matter how foreign a country may seem, you're bound to have a moment when you're struck by how people everywhere are generally more alike than different. At our core, we're all driven by the same needs and wants.

• Find out they're nothing like us. To paraphrase Steve Martin, people in other countries don't just have a different word for every one of ours. They really think differently than we do. The customer isn't always right. You don't have to form an orderly line.   Soup is best at breakfast. It can be a little startling to have your assumptions tossed aside, but it's a good, if sometimes painful, learning experience. 

• Gain a new appreciation for your home country. Even the most open-minded study abroad students will be unable to avoid comparing their host country with their home country. When you return home, you will likely view your home county through a different lens allowing you to appreciate the unique qualities of your culture.

• Create a lifelong love affair with another country. Study abroad is not a short-term experience. It will shape you for the rest of your life. Back home, you'll look for films from there, for restaurants that serve its dishes, for books by its authors. It will continue to live in you.

If you are itching for an amazing experiential learning and travel experience, visit http://www.ccv.edu/study_abroad to learn more about CCV study abroad. In case you’re wondering, in the fall, students who enroll in the study abroad Current Environmental Issues course will travel to Belize.  Talk to your CCV advisor if you are interested in applying to enroll in the course.

  

Source: http://www.studyabroad360.com/articles/top-ten-reasons-to-study-abroad