What does attending college mean to me? by Ashley

What does attending college mean to me? by Ashley - June 2013 Scholarship Essay

To me, college is not about the parties, how to be the most popular, what clubs are the hottest, which fraternity/sorority runs the yard, or how many followers you gain on Facebook and Instagram. College is not just about teachers and it is not about just the students. Attending college for me is about helping set up the most prosperous future for me. It involves me trying my hardest to acquire the knowledge that I need to move on to the next stage of my life. College, in my mind is the last step before you open the door to the real world. I believe that it is also the foundation to the rest of your life. Attending college allows for networks and connections that you never thought were possible. It allows you to open doors that you never thought were there. I also believe that attending college is a self-evaluation. College allows you to be honest with yourself. It opens your eyes to a world and it is you decision to accept or decline what it has to offer. Attending college is not about all the information that you can acquire in four years or how many A’s you can get, but what you do with the information in the real world. It is a matter of, “Can what I learned in college be applied to my life and the real world?” Attending college in my mind is not only getting book smart, but smart about life as well.