On this day August 28th, 60 years ago was the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. At that time Black Americans was fighting against racist laws that prevented them from obtaining jobs, the right to freely attend all colleges and universities, and the right to vote among other things. So, here we are in 2023, where 35% of Black Americans over the age of 25 holds a associate’s degree or higher. In terms of the number of years that have passed since 1963, this number is low, but we have many more years to fight for greater access to education and to show the country our worth as it relates to being a part of various industries in this country.
For this current year, most young people have started college already and many more will be embarking on this new journey in the coming days. When you start college, you meet new people, learn to study with a larger amount of coursework, go to parties, and have more chores if you live on campus away from your parents. This time can be scary as it’s full of unknowns, but if it’s a decision you made for yourself, make the most of your experience and enjoy.
The thing about college is you go into it thinking you have everything planned out already, but just know, sometimes this deviates a little but still leads to the same results if you stay focused. Some people go into it wanting to be a lawyer and come out wanting to go into public health, some people compare themselves to others when averaging a B+ in comparison to an A, and others face challenges that forces them to spend more years pursuing the degree while working a job or raising a family
Today I want to share a quick guide to getting through these next 4 or 5 years and let you know all will be okay if you work hard.
- First Year:
- Have fun! Meet new people, join a club, attend school parties, learn to take care of your daily living skills (cooking, washing clothes, keeping your side of the room clean). I learned how to use a pay for use washing machine as I grew up with one in my home and I joined my college’s Women Center planning events to bring awareness to our issues.
- Communicate like an adult! Improve your adult communication skills by going to the bursar and financial aid office or going to your professor for help with your studies.
- Learn! Do your best in your classes but don’t pressure yourself because the coursework is tougher, and you need time to adjust to this change. For me, I learned how to really study because previously I would only study a day before exams to get good scores and with a larger caseload I needed weeks of study to do the same.
- Second Year:
- Find your crew and get good grades! When you start college and have fun you meet some people who have fun more than study, people who study more than having fun, and people who know how to balance both. If you came to college with the right mindset and want it to be the start of a career, find a group of friends who align with your vision or have a similar career path of interest. I was a Biology major and majority of the people I was close to during this time were people I met in my classes in the Science building.
- Third Year:
- Work! Volunteer and/or find an internship that allows you to work in the field you prefer and see the different specialties it may have. At the end of this year, I volunteered at a hospital during my summer and winter breaks to get the hours I needed to apply to graduate school the next year and to make sure my choice to become an Occupational Therapist, which was a career I just learned of 1 year prior when I decided I didn’t want to become a doctor anymore.
- Fourth and Fifth Year:
- Choices! Determine if you will pursue more schooling, get a job in the field that relates to your degree, or take some time off to explore more options before getting into the field. But in the end make sure you pursue something that makes you happy.
To the future college graduate, give yourself a pat on the back for embarking on this journey and good luck on the next few years of higher education because I believe in you and know that you can do anything you put your mind too if you put in the right amount of work.
Good advice for new college recipients, and the fact that it comes from experience is a plus. Just hope that they listen to what your saying. Good work, give yourself a pat on your back for this first hand advice to College interns.