College, An Invaluable Resource by Abbigail

College, An Invaluable Resource by Abbigail - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

As a college graduate, I can testify to the benefits of furthering one's education in college. The time one spends going to a college or university can be used to prepare for life’s many challenges in a safe environment. One can also use social and academic resources provided by universities to prepare for finding a job after leaving school and performing well in his chosen field.
For one, colleges and universities provide forgiving environments with reduced consequences for individuals to learn to function as an adult before entering the real world. Unlike primary schooling and high school, students are provided unstructured time and academic deadlines that they must learn to manage while simultaneously taking on adult responsibilities like cooking, paying bills and washing laundry. For example, if you miss a deadline in college or fail to utilize your time well, the consequences might be an immediate loss of your grade average. However, you will not be fired and chances are there may be extra credit to mitigate your mistake. Likewise, through clubs, classes and academic advisors, students can explore their different interests and career paths before they have to worry about a mortgage and taking care of dependents.
Additionally, colleges and universities offer social and academic resources that can help students to further their career goals beyond college. For instance, students can gain networking opportunities and mentors through classes, study groups, clubs, greek societies, intramural sports, varsity sports and volunteering in the surrounding community. These resources are very useful, because peer networking and mentor guidance can continue even after students have graduated. Moreover, as individuals participate in academic and extracurricular activities, they can learn to communicate effectively with individuals who come from multicultural, diverse backgrounds and who have different world-views. During college, I realized the value of using direct, clear vocabulary to mitigate the chance of confusion when instructing and facilitating conversations. Thus, I have gained an understanding of how to work cooperatively with individuals who learn with varying styles and at different paces. My experiences have prepared me to work cooperatively with people who are from all walks of life, who have different thought processes and who hold different world-views. This experience has taught me to value those differences and to use them to help me see the world through a wider lens.
In conclusion, college should be considered an important investment in an individual's future. It can be utilized as a pencil to practice personal responsibility and career paths before writing out one's life in pen. It can also be used to form social connections, to gain guidance and to better one's communication skills. Therefore, college is an invaluable resource.