Glen Oaks Community College Top Questions

Annie, be confident. You are intelligent, beautiful, and self-sufficient. Do not apologize for the unique way you see the world, because your vision has already been shaped by more trouble and triumph than most of your peers. Although the road ahead seems unclear, there is no need to worry. Your path has been set for you by One who is greater. Prepare yourself for late nights, early mornings, and the exhaustion and nervous energy that follow. Look forward to the awkward coffee breaks and spontaneous adventures with strangers, people who will then become close friends. You will need close friends for the troubling depression and anxiety you will walk through, because those friends will hold you up and help you along the way. And when you defeat that monster called depression, those friends will also celebrate the victory. The freedom you will feel along the way, albeit with uncertainty, is something to treasure. These are unique times; make the most of every opportunity, but most of all make memories.

The advice I would give myself is to not be pessimistic about starting off at a community college. For me, it seemed like everyone I knew was going away to a school of their choice and doing exactly what they wanted to do. I was so frustrated because it seemed like I was the only person I knew who had to start off at a smaller school and I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to do. There is so much pressure on kids who are my age because we are expected to know exactly what we are going to do for the rest of our lives right here, right now. Why did it seem like everyone was making these decisions so easily? After a semester at community college, I found out that many students don't know what they want and a lot of them transferred to MY school after their first semester at a 4 year university. I know now that I was making the better choice to start smaller because I had an extra two years to really get a handle on what I wanted to do. If I only I would have known that then.

I have matured and grown as a person since I have attended college. Also, there are many things that I have learned through my experiences and mistakes. With this said, if I was able to go back and talk to myself as a senior in high school I would inform myself of the competition, tuition, and time put into the school work. First, the competition for high GPA's and classes have become extrememly difficult. With the continuously growing college attendence the fight for better grades and jobs have become close to nearly impossible to beat, but still worth the try! Next, the growing tution. Every year thousands of schools raise their tuitions to an even higher level. It might be difficult, but get a job! It is not impossible as long as you make sure to show your commitment and hard work. Lastly, do not procrastinate with your homework! That is much easier said than done, I know through experience. Homework is the key to your studying, learning, and testing of a particular subject. Overall, college is going to be a difficult but very worthwhile task. It might take years to do, but never give up on your dreams!

I would go back and tell myself to really weigh the options of different schools. I wish I had not gone to Glen Oaks mainly because I feel like I'm wasting my time there because of no music program available. Being a music major, it is not doing much for me except that I'm getting my general studies completed at a much cheaper price. I definitely would tell myself that it is smart to visit a ton of colleges and compare them before I make a decision. But I would tell myself to go to a community college that has a stable, good music program available because saving money is a key thing in decision-making, so that when I transfer out of a community college, I would have saved myself a lot of money.