Looking back on my college experience I have to say it was rather painful. I remember being very excited about what lay ahead, moving into a dorm, meeting new people, and having the college experience. Soon after arriving on campus I immediately felt out of place. I was pretty much the only student of color in my dorm and orientation was not as fun as I imagined it would be as we had to share our personal backgrounds. Other students came from a completely different geographic location and social class background. It was hard to listen to other students say their parents were doctors, lawyers, professors, and then when it came to my turn, to say that my father was a cabinet maker and my mother was a homemaker. I had never been ashamed of my parents or where I came from, but I felt small and less than worthy of being on a very prestigious and selective liberal arts college.

That was only the beginning of my college experience. The second hardest part to adjustment was the academic expectations. Sure, I had been in many honors and AP courses in high school, and was at the top of my class with a 4.0 GPA. The first week of college I was shocked to find out that we had read several books even before starting class! The amount of reading assigned felt like it was not humanly possible to accomplish. Writing was also expected on a weekly basis-including research and the proper citation. Another stressful expectation in college level classes was speaking in front of class, either through class-based discussions or given a lengthy presentation or debate. You were expected to have an opinion on the subject and defend your position. I had no option other than to go ask for help. I sought the assistance of many people my first year, my resident adviser, my professors, my adviser (they are not called counselors anymore), the tutoring center, the Chicano center, the library, and my new friends. Even the ladies in the offices were a source of support.

The last part of my painful experience was being homesick. I missed my family, the food, sleeping, and my community. It was nothing like my new environment. In those days we did not have cell phones or Facetime or Skype. I did not have the financial resources to have a car so that I could just drive home on the weekends.  We also had one landline phone to share with 16 people in my dorm! And get this, we did not have call-waiting. My social life was also affected because I did not have the financial means to go hang out or go out. I had a job on campus at the bookstore (work study) and I enjoyed that very much because I got to meet a lot of people, students, professors, and other faculty that were always willing to offer advice. The best part of it was that I got a discount on my books.

So my advice to all seniors going to college is to expect the academic shock I experienced. As a counselor when any of my students come back to visit me I ask them how it’s going. The first thing they tell me is how hard it is-despite having many AP courses. Professors expect a lot of reading and writing from you. The second piece of advice is to get acclimated right away by making friends either during orientation, in your classes, getting to know the ladies in all of the offices (admission, and especially FINANCIAL AID OFFICE, registrar, etc), speak to your professors before, after class, and during office hours. Get involved slowly so that you become part of the school community. If you are living on campus you are considerably luckier than I was since you have Facetime, Skype, social media, and a cell phone to use anytime you need a friendly voice on the other end. Lastly NEVER GIVE UP, no matter what obstacle you face, ASK FOR HELP! In the end, it will be a feeling of incredible accomplishment, and remember no one can ever take away your education!  Besides think of the financial reward…