I read the senior reflection article from last week and was going to comment, comparing my experience to hers, but it was too long so I decided to use this for my article for this week. My college experience has been very different than most. Firstly, I was a part of the Clarkson School program here (yes.. I was a schoolie). I was 16 years old for the first month of my freshman year. Coming to college so young caused problems between myself and my parents. They felt like they still needed to make my decisions for me since I was still 16. But, I was far away from my home in NC and I felt like I should be independent like any other freshman. Obviously they were limited in their control since I was so far from their reach. However, there were many arguments. Looking back, we both should have been more understanding. I had to come to realize that yes, I was in college surrounded by people older than me, but I was still younger and needed guidance from my parents every once in a while. They had to realize that I was growing up and had to make decisions by myself and live with the positive or negative consequences of those choices. I think most freshman deal with independence issues with their parents (?), but I think mine was slightly more complicated because of my age at the time.
Now, I am graduating in the spring. I will be 19 years old. People normally ask me why I am rushing through school. But I don't think I am. I have enjoyed the time I have spent at Clarkson. I have built good relationships with professors and other students. I will be sad to go. But, I am going to get my Pharm.D. and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, so I still have another 5 years of school after this year. So, I figured I might as well finish as soon as possible to move on to the next step towards my goal. I definitely don't regret graduating high school or college early. I think they are two of the best decisions I have ever made. Of course, like the other senior reflection pointed out, it is different for everyone. Some people like to finish a semester early, take a year off, or get a job for a few years before going to college. It all depends on the person.
Thanks,
Eva Cartwright
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I think it is amazing that you were able to move that far away from your parents at such a young age. My brother is 16 and still in his sophomore year of high school and I could not imagine him being able to live on his own in a dorm, handling college material. I think it would be interesting to know why you made the decision to leave early though. Was there certain advertisements enticing you in North Carolina to get to college sooner rather than later? Was there any media outlet that effected your decision? Or was it just completely personal? I just transfered here this semester from SUNYIT in Utica/Rome. Living in Utica, I did not even know where SUNYIT was until I attended there and then finding out it was only a 15 minute drive from my house. However, once I was there I realized most of our student body came from the Bronx down in New York City. This was very amusing to me that these people had even heard about one of the smallest SUNY schools we have in New York. Come to find out SUNYIT advertises like crazy down in the city and most kids are familiar with it when people in my own hometown are clueless. Was there advertising in North Carolina about Clarkson? What really effected your decision?
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