2008 Woodie Awards
Reaching the finish line justifies the work
Angela Almaguer
Issue date: 5/15/08 Section: Opinion
Sixty units seems like a long road of late-night study groups and 10-page research papers for a good 2-3 years.
I'm not going to sugarcoat the vision, because it is absolutely true.
With every great accomplishment comes great sacrifice.
The sacrifice is always looked at first and usually consumes the mind. But, what needs to remain in sight while on the long and difficult road is the true light at the end of the tunnel: graduation.
Nobody would spend their priceless Friday night at home working on a research paper on Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" if it didn't mean that one day it would pay off with a graduation diploma.
Here is a good chance for students thinking about transferring to get some good advice from a veteran. I'm going to give you a "back-in-my-day" lecture.
First and MOST IMPORTANTLY, get your English and Math out of the way ahead of time.
I was fortunate enough to pass semi-easily, but these seem to be the reason why most students attend LBCC longer than they should.
Also, keep up with counseling appointments. Do not wait until a week before registration to make an appointment because you will be fighting against literally thousands of other procrastinators.
Counseling appointments can help save you from wasting an entire semester on a class that you don't even need.
Another important factor is planning ahead with school choices and majors. Some universities require additional classes or criteria.
Again, counselors can help greatly. Exploring campuses can help you get a good idea as to which school is good for you academically and environmentally.
My choice was easy: Cal State Long Beach is close to home and has a good department for my major, History.
Other universities are not so close to home and might need a short road trip with some friends to familiarize yourself withthe campus.
For me, the hours of homework and studying (cramming) for finals were child's play compared to the hours of paperwork and deadlines that sneak up on you.
Graduation forms, transcripts, applications and personal-information forms are all necessary tasks.
Even though it pays off, just remember to keep up with paperwork because it will affect you in the long-run.
As with every good story comes a cheesy moral. The moral of the story is to stay motivated.
Get yourself a poster with the car of your dreams. Find yourself a hero and make him your desktop background.
Take it from someone who has "been there, done that."
The lemon is worth the squeeze.
I'm not going to sugarcoat the vision, because it is absolutely true.
With every great accomplishment comes great sacrifice.
The sacrifice is always looked at first and usually consumes the mind. But, what needs to remain in sight while on the long and difficult road is the true light at the end of the tunnel: graduation.
Nobody would spend their priceless Friday night at home working on a research paper on Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" if it didn't mean that one day it would pay off with a graduation diploma.
Here is a good chance for students thinking about transferring to get some good advice from a veteran. I'm going to give you a "back-in-my-day" lecture.
First and MOST IMPORTANTLY, get your English and Math out of the way ahead of time.
I was fortunate enough to pass semi-easily, but these seem to be the reason why most students attend LBCC longer than they should.
Also, keep up with counseling appointments. Do not wait until a week before registration to make an appointment because you will be fighting against literally thousands of other procrastinators.
Counseling appointments can help save you from wasting an entire semester on a class that you don't even need.
Another important factor is planning ahead with school choices and majors. Some universities require additional classes or criteria.
Again, counselors can help greatly. Exploring campuses can help you get a good idea as to which school is good for you academically and environmentally.
My choice was easy: Cal State Long Beach is close to home and has a good department for my major, History.
Other universities are not so close to home and might need a short road trip with some friends to familiarize yourself withthe campus.
For me, the hours of homework and studying (cramming) for finals were child's play compared to the hours of paperwork and deadlines that sneak up on you.
Graduation forms, transcripts, applications and personal-information forms are all necessary tasks.
Even though it pays off, just remember to keep up with paperwork because it will affect you in the long-run.
As with every good story comes a cheesy moral. The moral of the story is to stay motivated.
Get yourself a poster with the car of your dreams. Find yourself a hero and make him your desktop background.
Take it from someone who has "been there, done that."
The lemon is worth the squeeze.
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