College Now Profit

By: Ellada Abramova

When first introduced to the College Now atmosphere, I was reluctant. Being informed that this was an after school class at my high school, saddened my spirits when I heard of the conditions. Despite my negative approach to College Now, you'd be surprised about how valuable this information is to the new coming freshman in the college world. When I evoked the dubious thoughts of this program, I was able to realize that my hesitant attitude was only a form of protection from change. College is a big transformation in a person's life and, some people (like me) don't easily accept ideas that will alter some aspect of their lives with open arms. What I now know is that I am relieved to have taken the SD 10 class and, thanks to Ms. Victor, it turned out to be the real source of protection for the new ambiance I am soon to be part of.

In most of the topics that were discussed in the SD 10 course, I had a brief knowledge of, but the information that was handed down to me, individually broadened my horizons beyond my expectations. For example there was an extensive review on test taking and studying skills. Every high school student has been introduced to the basics of these topics, but also in College Now they taught us not only to apply these rules to our high school work but, to the college environment that was soon to come. Believe it or not, I actually altered by studying habits thus lessening my load of work.

We were also introduced to numerous sites on the web that provide extensive information on career searches and colleges. This is helpful because you could do the research at home at your own convenience. A topic that I found was very valuable to me was self-evaluation. Not many people are comfortable with discussing their negative or positive traits. In this course, I learned that a person must realize these things because they will have an affect on their success in college. My teacher, Ms. Victor once said, "Use what you have to get what you want!" This message will prominently remain in my thoughts because it taught me how to evaluate myself in order to use my good traits, and skills to reach my goals.

Factual preparation was just as relevant as mental preparation in this course. I learned the crucial importance of time management in the college atmosphere. It gave me a taste of what to expect when I get there. One of my greatest flaws is I am a very disorganized person and am always late to everything. At times this trait may seem amusing but it will have a big effect on me if I don't consider it when it comes to my academic standards. They pack you with all this useful knowledge so when entering college you are twice as prepared, as the average student would be. And last but not least is one of the most important factors to many working class families, financial aid. We are informed of all types of procedures taken on this topic and how to go about them. This is not only very helpful to you but it benefits your family with your college expenses as well.

I came into the course knowing only the worth of a commercial but left it seeing a full-length movie. For all people who are considering taking this course but have doubts, I strongly recommend it, because I felt the same way in the beginning. Now I am greatly satisfied with the results of my extra hours of effort and time dedicated to this course. You can't change the fears and doubts because in every new environment they will naturally be there, but you can better prepare yourself on tackling these issues. This is exactly what College Now does. Consider it a self-defense course and awakening to the harsh realities of the real world.

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