Most people see education as something that we all need to do to gain the basic knowledge of how our world works and its history, along with things needed to be a functioning member of society. Some view it as something that we should always be pursuing, whether it be sciences and discovering information we have never learned before or just trying to be as knowledgeable on a subject as possible. My view on education is like a security. Education serves as a security in my mind because nothing can take it away from you, and it can also protect your chosen trajectory in life with skills that are greatly needed in the work force and society in general.
I am going to UMass Dartmouth with the intent to study Software engineering. My whole life I have had an interest in computers and programming, and I also wanted a skill that is very desirable to employers. I was looking for a major that required the least amount of higher education, but also paid a lot, which happened to be software engineering with a few other options. I have seen the difference in lifestyle that education grants. My mom went to school for teaching at first, and then switched to nursing. My dad did not go to school at all and went straight into the work force when he graduated high school. My dad seems limited to what kind of work he can do because of his limited skills and education, while my mom is getting new, higher paying job offers almost every week. I know other high school students that chose the path that my dad took, but I also know other ones that chose higher education. I’m not saying at all that you will be unsuccessful if you choose not to pursue higher education, but I am noticing the lack of opportunities that comes with choosing not to go to college (or any kind of trade school).
In conclusion, education can serve as a security for your future and your family’s future, allowing opportunities and jobs that only a limited number of people can perform in our fast-changing society.
I agree that education gives you more opportunities in career-driven environments and I enjoy your take on education being a security for your future. Although I believe that credit is also due towards those who go into the workforce! 🙂
It’s no secret that teenagers would rather attend anything else other than class, like playing videos games, trips, camping, hiking etc. In a 2020 study that was taken in the United States resulted in concluding that over seventy five percent of students did not have any positive feelings about school.
and were highly unmotivated due to academic pressure, social pressures, and over scheduling i would also it’s safe to include me in that seventy five percent figure growing up. I never thought to much about education throughout my life and though that running a business would be easy without the required amount of education.
But i’ve suddenly came to the realization over time, of learning by myself that it is not as easy as i thought it was, and that education is one of the sole most important things when running a large, scaled business.
With a bit of extensive research done through college programs and schools that specialize in finances and entrepreneurship i became fully aware that there are people who have a niche in this and are fully willing to help you get through what you need help in the most, i also learned you can get a lot of job offers requiring an MBA if you change your mind in building a business alone.
Degree programs also give you a lot of experience in the field like being able to cooperate with a lot of people on tasks. And one of the the most important things to an entrepreneur being networking with lot of like-minded people, “your network is your net worth”.
Many people see education as a requirement to have a basic understanding of common knowledge; whether it be from the government, their parents, or as a requirement to get a certain type of job. I would define education as a gift and an accomplishment. Knowledge is power! You receive knowledge from education and your brain power and knowledge is something that nobody will ever be able to take from you!
Primary school or K-12 is something that is common in the United States! It is knowledge that is forced on us that everybody has to go through in order to receive your high school diploma, which pretty much just tells people that you know the basics. My mom always said to me, “High school is proof that you know how to work hard and put in the effort to get through it and college is proof that you can truly learn and be taught”. College is something different. College is a choice, and a choice made fully by you. What you learn, the classes you take, the time they are held, and most importantly your main area of study and what you wanna do with it afterwards. Most people only focus on the after part. Wondering how you are going to use your degree after college and if you do not use your degree you wasted your time. I strongly disagree with this stance! Any education will always be a form of education and something that you know that another person doesn’t. Even if someone sees what you chose to be educated in as a loss you always have to remember that there are people in other parts of the world that have access to zero education at all. Many people view education differently but you can not let what you have studied define you and create limitations.
Any form of education is knowledge and all knowledge is power! That is how I would define education, but how do you define education?
I agree as we are the generation of today we have to obtain knowledge so that we may deliver it to the younger generation. We must not take education for granted instead we should use it to ensure a more prosperous future.
This is a well thought out post thank you for sharing. I too also believe I was in that seventy-five percent and in some cases still am but I also have witnessed some people in my family that dropped out of both high school and college and where they are now is somewhere I don’t want to be. Reading this just reminded me of that. But again this is a very good post and thank you for sharing.
I agree and disagree with you Colin , I’ve personally seen many people do great in life even with no education. But having a degree can definitely help you out in certain careers.And can lead to a great future.
I totally agree that education serves as a security, and can provide more opportunities, yet I also believe people who don’t further their education through a college degree can still be successful for themselves and have knowledge that they can pass down through their family.
Many people think getting a good education is too difficult to achieve. People of any age can decide to go to school for a degree, but become to overwhelmed they give up. Giving up is an easy way out, but at the end of the day, where does it get you?
I am going to Umass Dartmouth, continuing my education in the nursing field. I was enrolled in a trade school high school, where I focused my studies in the Health Assisting shop. Through the three and a half year course, there was many times I wanted ti give up. There were those hard days where I felt this wasn’t for me anymore. Everyone had those days. I continued to show up for myself everyday and push through, even after the hard times. Anything in the nursing field I have always loved, because one of my favorite things to do is help others. This is why i still showed up everyday, not just for myself, but for those I knew one day I could help. Through the health program, I went on clinical, in which I truly enjoyed. It opened my eyes to the real world and really made me proud I kept going. In the final end of the course, we tested and I became a CNA! Everything worked hard for payed off.
I am now so excited to continue my education with nursing school over at Umass Dartmouth. I believe I will bring a strong base of knowledge led by my high school experiences, and I cannot wait to dive further into this crazy world of nursing.
I totally agree, I know a lot of people who didn’t go to college after high school. Some are doing pretty good for themselves but others are struggling to find good paying jobs.
I agree, education is very important and gives lots of security in your future. You can get a degree and have a set job you want but if that does not work out, you have many jobs to fall back on. Security makes life easier, it stops people from being so nervous. I am a very nervous person and I am always looking to be secure in my life and decisions.
I agree that without a proper education you can not make it far in society. I also agree with the steps you took to figure out what you wanted to study in college most people don’t take those things into consideration.
“It’s not that deep”, is something many of us have said about small details our english teachers have presented to us as meaningful literary analysis. This statement has myself included but in modern America, we are facing a media literacy crisis.
Media Literacy is the ability to analyze mass media for inaccuracy and it is a dying ability. Many Americans, especially Generation Z, according to a Stanford Study are unable to differentiate between “fake news” or in other words propaganda and legitimate information. An astounding 96% of these students studied followed the studies blindly and didn’t look for further evidence.
My opinion on Media Literacy was changed when I was reading 1984 by George Orwell for my 11th grade English class. When I reached the scene where Winston was being beat into submission. I connected it back to modern journalists being beat to death for speaking out regarding horrible things and realized the ability to consume information is a gift. A gift many of us take for granted.
Many people aren’t allowed to read or allowed to speak out about things they feel strongly about but we are. We are allowed to disagree with others, we’re allowed to analyze the seemingly meaningless information like the color of the curtains. I believe that American student should be taught how much of a privilege it is to be able to be presented media and learn the facts. We live with these little super computers in our pockets and truly we can use them for good.
The curtains might just be blue to you but they’re life and death for another person.
I admit I have been trying to be more literate in my spare time, but I have a tendency to struggle with starting things so I end up not knowing exactly how to effectively do research. I never feel like I’m doing enough and I might be missing something, which is why I agree that Media Literacy should be held in higher importance.
Alan C.
With how available infirmation is with the internet and media publishing, separation between what can be truth from what is falsehood can be difficult. Especially with education, as much research is done and collected from outside sources in order for writing a collective report, Media Literacy is an educational topic that should be more heavily pushed in schools and educational facilities.
I think Media Literacy is so important! Not only for information, but art also! There’s a lot of art and media out there that many people misunderstand and could relate to the struggles we all face now.
I definitely agree and really appreciate the awareness of the fact that even viewing certain topics online is a luxury in the US. Media literacy I feel is something all people say they have, but don’t understand past common sense media. I hope media literacy becomes integrated into some form of education due to its current and rising popularity. Great topic!
I totally agree! I’ve seen articles about how middle schoolers don’t know how to write or read and even some people our age are having difficulty. Media literacy is so important and it needs to be emphasized to people now and it needs to be taught and practiced in schools more than ever
At the beginning of senior year, I attached a large portion of my self-esteem to my academic achievements and my productivity. I felt the constant need to prove my intelligence to my classmates. While I thought this made me superior to students who put less effort into their work, I ended up harming myself by creating a nonexistent competition between myself and all my classmates. Viewing my peers as rivals that I must prove my worth to every day resulted in me becoming crushed by any failures. I felt the compelling need to never be seen making a mistake or falling behind, and whenever I failed to maintain this standard, I imagined that everyone was watching and judging me as harshly as I was judging myself.
As this cycle continued to wear me down throughout the school year, I realized that my strategy wasn’t assisting me in becoming more productive, and I only put so much pressure on myself because I deeply cared about the opinions of other people. I initially thought I was becoming confident and self-assured by attaching my worth to my academics rather than something I saw as more superficial, such as popularity or likability, but I’ve had to admit to myself that I was still relying on the approval of other people to maintain my confidence.
My experience with challenging coursework during my senior year taught me that true confidence comes from myself, not from feeling more accomplished than others. My school life became much less stressful once I started being more compassionate towards myself and accepted that making mistakes and having bad days doesn’t take away from my worth.
I sympathize with you as I have spent much of my childhood and teen years craving and riding on academic validation. It is draining to be comparing yourself to others constantly and looking back I never really got the chance to step back and take a look at my essays, artwork and other projects and really appreciate the message I worked on conveying throughout all my works and it really took away from my ability to see my potential. In college I too want to celebrate myself and my hard work in order to really improve my skills, but also enjoy what I am learning in the process. It is important to realize too that we are all different and have different skills and abilities, which is why comparing ourselves is only detrimental to our experiences in school and our community.
I know how this feels. All the time I wanted to be better academically than my classmates because I felt like my teachers and I needed that. I felt like my worth was based on feeling like I had to do so much better than the rest of my peers. It’s exhausting to constantly compare yourself to other people. Now I realize that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and that nobody is better than anybody else. We all have something to contribute to the world.
I understand how you feel and I applaud you for your self-awareness on the subject! I agree, confidence lies within yourself, not among your comparison to others!
I full heartedly agree with everything you said honestly. I think the same exact way when it comes to school and how I always pushed myself hard to prove something to others and myself. All I focused on throughout high school was maintaining all A’s so that I would feel like I finally accomplished something. I always yearned for academic validation my entire life, especially since my parents were always so strict and held such high expectations upon me growing up. They always compared me to their friend’s kids which made me push even harder, and made me become so overwhelmed. I am very much a people pleaser, and I too care about other people’s opinions as I take it to heart. I’m glad that I’m not alone on this, I’m glad I could relate to you about this!
Hey Michaela, I found your writing very thoughtful, and relatable. I’ve always had a bit of a competitive spirit, but I’ve found its very easy for it to turn toxic and unhelpful. I think focusing more on study groups and extending help to fellow classmates is exponentially better than genuine rivalries though. I personally feel I understand a concept best when I’m able to teach it to a younger sibling, friend, or classmate. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Michaela,
This post made me feel very seen! I went through very similar feelings in high school and holding yourself on a higher pedestal than others does end up tearing down your self-esteem more than one would think. I also felt like my school life got so much less stressful when I started to prioritize my own self and time managment and took myself of that one sided competion mindset!
Thank you so much for sharing, this was very relatable and insightful!
Loved your response! I can definitely relate to your experience. In my senior year, I was so driven and focused on my academics that my self-esteem would drop whenever I wasn’t achieving high scores. I also felt the pressure to constantly prove my intelligence. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that “academic success is the only way to show your value.” It’s definitely important to remember that our worth isn’t just defined by our achievements.
I’m glad to see that you’ve come to this conclusion with yourself and it sounds like you’re taking steps for self betterment. Happiness does come from self acceptance which can only be acquired from within. I’m trying to get there myself and I hope others can too.
I felt that your story hit really close to home and I appreciate that you wrote this. I’m glad that you were able to self reflect and come upon this realization as you came upon college.
I have unfortunately been in your shoes, as I have constantly felt the need to compare myself to others. It can be very demeaning, as I, too, have felt inferior because I may have performed worse than a classmate, but it is something I have worked on and believe we can all accomplish!
It was surprising to me that the best form of learning comes from the sour taste of defeat . Just think back to all those times in your life that you had worked your very hardest towards a goal just in the end to fall short . Many people would just give up because they gave it their best effort , but for those that are like me that really feed off the feeling of being defeated . They use that feeling of despair and sadness to overcome any obstacles before them.
Many times throughout my life I had felt this feeling , but one time in particular comes into mind when thinking about it . Back a few summers ago I used to play baseball for a team, we made it as far as the series finals. My teammates and I played our hearts out. But in the end we lost that game to a walk off home run. The feeling of defeat I fealt after this game was for the first time very unbearable. Because of this game it changed me deeply , a game that I used to just play for fun turned out to be the foundation to the person I am today .
I feel as though everyone eventually has undergone some feeling of defeat and because of those feelings it made them a stronger person in the end . But if you don’t learn from losing or feeling defeated then you’re no better from where you had started .
I would agree with your stance on how defeat is actually something that provides benefits to the person affected by it, and I like how you look towards the positives instead of the negatives when you’re down.
I’m gonna start this off by saying the IB curriculum is a scam. For those who aren’t familiar, IB stands for International Baccalaureate. Not sure exactly what it means or what It’ll do for me but the extensive writing assignments and critical analyses prepared me for college level assessments to come. Over the past four years I attended my local IB school, two of which I was working on achieving the diploma. Ah yes, the IB diploma. A 5000 word essay, CAS (Community/Activity/Service) experiences, three higher-level classes and a Theory of Knowledge course are all required to receive the diploma. The best part about the diploma is that you find out whether or not you got it after you get into college! So applying to high-ranking schools is a ripoff because they don’t know how much work you put in until after you’re enrolled and receive the diploma. The recognition is nice though, it isn’t light work. It may be useful when applying to higher forms of education or perhaps certain jobs reward it. Nonetheless, I don’t regret my work. It was dreadful in the moment and I’m afraid all of life can be, but now I look back and appreciate what it’s done for me. I’m slowly learning that it’s not the diploma but what you do with it, and an IB diploma is like an arrow with no head.
Isabel H.
When I was younger, I firmly believed that talent determined success. Growing up, I never struggled much to succeed in academics. This led me to believe that hard work was secondary—if you were naturally talented, success would naturally follow.
However, this belief began to unravel during my last few years in high school. Being injured and losing my sports seasons, really made me lose my motivation when it came to doing my school work. This led me to stop studying for tests and not doing my homework, leaving me with the punishment that I brought upon myself, wishing that my talent would have carried me the rest of the way. It made me question whether hard work and perseverance might be more critical factors. This shift in perspective is crucial not just for me, but for my community as well. In college and beyond, students and professionals alike often face challenges where talent alone might not suffice.
As we enter UMassD, embracing this belief ensures that everyone’s journey toward success is acknowledged and supported. So, what defines success in your eyes: talent, hard work, or a mix of both?
I think success is determined by a mix of both. Some people may have to work harder than others in order to become successful. Some people might just be naturally better at remembering material that is taught to them. However if you only rely on that and something happens in your personal life that is going to be clouding your brain in class, you’re not going to be very successful. People should always try to have some studying habits even if you’re naturally good at remembering what you learn in class it’s best to be in the good habit of studying.
I think it’s a sense of both but one more than another. Almost like a 60% hard work 40% talent. People can always look at there school career and ask them self if they really tired or if it was just luck that they got by. And I think most would say hard work
Sarah Duphily
I have always been a person that directly correlates their self esteem with academic success. Being a person in which grades always came easy, it wasn’t until high school that I really had to face the music and disassociate the way I feel about myself from the way I perform in school. Entering freshman year during a global pandemic was already an obstacle in itself, but learning how to navigate self confidence in a whole new world presented an immense amount of difficulty for me. The amount of pressure that I exerted on myself proved to detrimental to my mental and physical health. I counteracted my own mind by utilizing external resources such as therapy and meditation. Finding distractions was also pivotal to taking some of the pressure of academic life off my shoulders. Through counseling, I was able to determine that failure is acceptable and actually encouraged. Now, the best way I retain information is through getting it wrong a few times before hitting the mark. Though I have been passionate about healthcare from a young age, choosing nursing as my major was a challenge for me because of the anticipated academic stress it would put on me. However, drawing from my previous experiences, I have made the choice to persevere and utilize smaller, stepping stone goals to break down the workload. I still find myself becoming doubtful sometimes, but I try to take myself back to freshman year and see how far I have come in my balancing academic and personal strategies.
Looking back on the things we have achieved is what helps us with the present as well as the future. I can totally understand the amount of stress when it comes to building you’re self esteem off of academic success. It’s always okay to get back up when we fall down.
hey Sarah:) sometimes in life, you make decisions but overthink whether they will positively help you. when it gets like that always go with your heart’s choice and not what someone else has to say or think. Seeing your growth from freshman year to now means you can grow much more in college. Being able to expand your knowledge within your major and in a new community can help you see things from a different perspective.
Paige B –
Seeing the people in my class all graduate along side made me realize how these are the same people who struggled just as much as me with their academics and the pandemic. We’ve all grown some much compared to our freshman selves, including you! Not only learning this helped you grow in your highschool career, but will also help build knew paths in your college life.
During my senior year, I discovered that many of my classmates were never taught how to write a check. This baffled me because my parents always put value on knowing what they called “Life Skills”. This included cooking, laundry, financial management, sewing, and other useful skills to have in life.
Many of my peers would have benefited from a class that would have taught a curriculum like this in high school. Home Ec is a great example of a class where useful knowledge is being taught, not that trigonometry and English literature are not important or useful. Still, in everyday life, some of my peers would not survive or struggle on their own. However, there would need to be some improvements made to the Home Ec curriculum that would make it more current and applicable to modern society. Adding how to write an email and how to do online banking would be important, but the main change that would need to be made is the removal of pressure for traditional gender roles and the idea that it provides intellectual fulfillment for women. If these changes were made it would create a healthy and safe environment for students to learn about everyday skills.
I was thankful enough to have parents who had the time and resources to teach me these things, but some of my less fortunate peers were put at a disadvantage. Whether it was because of a single-parent household where they didn’t have anyone to teach them or if they had to work to provide for the family. They did not have opportunities that everyone else did. This is why a state-required Home Ec class should be taught in school, so no one is left behind in the race we call life.
I agree. I think having a class like that is very important because some kids just don’t grow up learning how to do these things. Even though for some it may seem like common sense to do these little things, it isn’t. It should at least be an option, as some of the things that would be taught are important to know especially if you are going off to college.
I completely agree with you! I noticed that many of my classmates also lacked basic life skills, which surprised me because, like you, I was fortunate to have family who taught me the basics and essential skills. It’s so important to have a curriculum that includes practical life skills like managing finances and online banking. I also agree with you on updating Home Ec to help remove outdated gender roles and focus on skills that everyone should have. A state-required class would definitely help to ensure that all students are prepared for life after high school.
Something that made me wonder about this world is the violence. How can such an advanced race such as the humans be so violent towards each other and do so much damage to one another. After one of my old friends was killed earlier this year I really thought about who I was and what I stand for. Realizing that life is very short and truly a gift people should really appreciate how special it is. A new belief I chose to believe is faith. If you don’t know faith is relating back to god as in I believe god will help me get through my hardest situations. I believe that we all should really be as peaceful as we can.
I’ve lost too many friends in my life and I’m only 18, that’s not something that should be ok. I want a world where I can walk around and not have to worry about who is behind me when I walk or where I walk at a certain time. I believe that our world can be so much more than what it is right now.
That is what has made me change from high school to college. The real world is unforgiving and I just believe that with faith you can get through it as long as you believe. I know it might seem stupid or dumb but I have experienced faith at it’s peak, in front of my eyes things that seem impossible to even figure out get figured out and everytime that happens I let god take the wheel and show me where to go from there. So let me ask you this, how many times can you remember when faith got you out of a situation when you thought it was impossible and it turned out not to be?
I love the idea of relying on faith to help with hardships, and tough times, and I can relate to this as well. Having something so important as faith to fall back on when times get tough is extremely important.
Raquelle H.
Growing up as a kid was very hard for me and even mentioning a topic like this is still hard until this day. When we were little, usually we would hear that we need to be smart in order to succeed or just need to be number one in order to really get where you want to be but I strongly disagree with that. Basically my whole life the education system doubted me that I needed all of this extra help and that it would need to stay this way until I graduated. Putting me on an IEP meant taking me out of classes and giving me this extra help I supposedly needed. I remember being a little kid that I would be so hard on myself and wanted to be this perfect kid that everyone else was at the time. Before covid hit I proved to not only the school system but to myself that I didn’t really need that. Over the last almost 5 years I began to realize that no matter what, no one can ever doubt you but only yourself. You don’t need to be perfect or have the perfect grades to succeed but as long as you try, that is what matters. I hope not only myself but as well as the UmassD community knows that you don’t need to always be number one to succeed. The amount of times I doubted myself because I thought all the hard work I put in wasn’t enough, is something I will regret until this day. All the hard work we put in will always be worth it even if it doesn’t always seem like it.
Thanks for sharing your story, Raquelle! For yourself and other folks coming to UMassD with IEPs, I recommend getting in touch with the Office of Student Accessibility, which helps students make arrangements with professors to enhance accessibility of course materials. Here is the office’s page, which has more info: https://www.umassd.edu/accessibility/
I believe that getting involved throughout your years in education is extremely important. I know it is always a big thing teachers and staff encourage on the first day of school, but you never realize how important it is until it is over. Whether this includes sports, music, games, sorority houses, or even small get-togethers to talk about a topic, it is important to meet new people and create a bond that all you share and care about. For me personally, I was in the band, and will be continuing music in music education. I joined the high school marching band and percussion in middle school. I know many people think marching band is blowing air through an instrument and walking. However, it is much more than that. It is long hours in the sun or cold filled with teamwork, listening, discipline, frustration, perfection, excitement, hard work, and competition. I was taught advice and experiences I could use in music and in life.
Band helped me get through many obstacles in my life, including, but not limited to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, relationship problems, and more. The want and drive to be the greatest at something pushed me to become a better and healthier person. When I was struggling from an eating disorder and dangerously underweight, the one thing that made me push to keep living was band practice. My dream was to always be a musician and band taught me to never give up on what I love and keep pushing, especially when it is hard, and you are tired, and think it is impossible. The encouragement and honor you get from your peers and instructors is incredible because they know you worked hard to achieve your goals.
I am extremely grateful I stayed involved in music throughout my education. It has taught me life lessons and made me a better person. Do you regret being involved or not being involved?
I believe that hard work is the key to success. Diligence, ambition, and engagement push individuals to the finish line, allowing them to tear the ribbon that separated them from their goals. Achievement has never been a mere gift from the world, but the beholders’ utilization of their skills.
Yet, I have not always held this belief.
Growing up, I had the universal experience of the teachers and figures from my life telling me that the stepping stones to success began with the effort I emitted. Unfortunately, this was hard to believe. As a young girl- particularly in the years of primary education- my perception of success was fed to me through the media. Child actors getting their big break in their music career, politicians producing political successors through their bloodline, generations worth of wealth being handed to one heir, a video producing fame after prevailing against the likeness of the recording appearing on the social feeds of other young girls like myself. From the perspective that I was tube fed from an earphone jack, success was either handed to you with your birth certificate, as if an extension of your last name, or it was a completely random, statistically unbiased chance- like the universe rolled an eight billion sided die that just so happened to land on your name.
Even in my experiences that didn’t require a wifi connection, the trends of success were consistent. If you’ve ever been to a public middle school, there is a good chance you’re familiar with someone who just so happened to be the blood-born protege of one (or two) of the faculty staff. I’ve learned side by side with several of these students and from my authentic experience, everything (from my past perspective) was handed to them. Every honors or AP class had their name on the roster before they stepped foot in the institution, the captain titles of all sports teams were placed on hold before they could pick up a bat, and their student government positions were assigned before they even enrolled. From the outside perspective, it seemed as though the entire educational system was kneeling for them.
Those walls also housed special cases of chance, manifesting in the form of so-called “gifted” students. These scholars molded the bulk of my belief, as I was one of them. During my primary schooling, I had excelled educationally. I received perfect marks for years, all whilst putting in little to no effort, it just came naturally. I was reading at a high school level by the fourth grade, in the fifth grade I was one of few selected for an advanced English course at my school, and within my seventh year, I had completed all of my middle schools’ offered math classes- forcing them to put me in the same class two years in a row, as there was nowhere else for me to be placed. Expectedly, I finished that year with a perfect grade. School came so easily to me that I had to indulge in other things to keep myself stimulated. For several years I went to chess club and science olympiad, read three books a week, and taught myself five instruments. Yet, this still wasn’t enough to keep me challenged, everything came so easily for me. I accepted that this was just how my mind worked, I settled into the comfort that this universe had chosen me to bear these gifts, that the eight billion sided die landed on my name.
However, no story goes on without a conflict, right? Entering my secondary education, I enrolled in only honors and AP courses, as per the recommendation of my previous educators. After years and years of not having to study, finishing all of my homework within twenty minutes of it being assigned, and being the first person to make the glorious walk to the “turn-in-bin” after each assessment- the syllabus and course load of my college-level curriculum hit me like a double-decker bus, fully equipped with a titanium battering ram and the speed of a formula one race car. Not only was the material much more difficult than I was accustomed to, the class pace was like nothing I had experienced. Nonetheless, I maintained the same mindset, I was a product of chance, after all. I was confident that success would come to me just as easily as before, I mean, the die doesn’t lie, right?
Wrong. Within my first two weeks of high school, I received a failing grade. The assessment I took on cell biology reflected my studying efforts. I assumed that the class lecture presented to my peers and I would be sufficient preparation for my examination, just as it always had. Yet, the mere utilization of my memory wasn’t enough. Maybe this was an anomaly, an off day, it will be better next time, surely it will. Wrong… Again. I couldn’t grasp the concept of my failure, had the die been thrown again, passing my success to another? I had not attempted to turn inward and evaluate what I was doing incorrectly until the release of my first-quarter grades. My placings read out everything other than the “A” I was accustomed to. Within the jungle of words and letters, one phrase obtruded the page; “Could benefit from more studying.” A note from my biology teacher. With no prior experience with the effort of studying, I turned towards the finest source of inspiration and influence I could think of, the original fuel to the fire of my belief, the internet.
Within my deep dive into the world of “How to Study” videos, I came to assimilate the concept and techniques of studying. I even found myself studying the videos teaching me to study. I utilized this newly acquired skill in my classes, and to the surprise of no one other than me, I did amazing in all of them. Making an effort made A’s. Within another turn of events, at least to my young and arrogant mind, the child of one of the educators within the school asked me to study alongside her.
Within an exceptionally short period, the beliefs that were fed to me from a young age were rewired. Not only was engagement and ambition required for my own success, but it was also mandatory for the people who seemingly, as per my previous uneducated assumption, had success handed to them.
While it took me an exceptionally long time to come to this realization, I learned that hard work is truly the stepping stone and backbone of success. It doesn’t matter what your strong suits are, or what your last name is, it doesn’t even matter if you grew up as a so-called “gifted student”, in the end, hard work and ambition are the deciding factors of success. Not a birth certificate, and not an eight billion sided die.
Gracie B.
I always have believed in a saying since I was a young girl. The saying used to be said by my Nana, Sharyn Ann Bricher. She would say, “pay now play later”. She would repeat this to me so much to the point its become cemented in my head. The saying means that all the hard work and discipline you apply to yourself now, is going to pay off and give you an easy, successful future. I am going to have to think about this saying frequently in college. Everyone around me has been telling me how difficult nursing school is going to be. I know its going to be hard, I’m sure there is going to be times where I think I can’t do it or I may think this is too hard and not worth it. However, I have to stay vigilant. I want to become a good nurse and I know the nursing program at Umass Dartmouth is going to give me that. I just have to apply myself and surround myself with the right people. Rather than going out on a Saturday night to a party, I want to find myself a good study group. I have to make that sacrifice now and “pay now”. So I can do well, pass all my classes, and be able to pass the NCLEX exam. This will all set me up so I can “play later” in life. Meaning I could go on vacations with my family, spoil myself a little since I would have a set job bringing in good money. Moral of the story is I think in order for me to be successful with my education I need to remember I’m paying now so I can play later.
Madiosn O.
I believe eduction is a right that everyone should be able to get no matter their background or circumstances. In elementary school in the morning we always had to say out loud the golden rule, treat others the way you wanna be treat. If we treat everyone the way we wanna be treated, that should go the same with eduction. Im aware some educations are harder to get than others, but everyone should be able to get the same eduction, no matter the town or the type of school they go like public or private, it should be same no matter what. There are many students out there with incredible potential in the world, who do tend to get held back because they don’t have the same education as a private school kid does or someone from a nicer town. When everyone has access to same the education it creates equal opportunities and in the end can reduce social inequalities. Equal education means that everyone has the chance to do great things in life and not feel like some forgotten person in a little bubble, who thinks they can’t achieve things cause they didn’t learn the same things others did.
Katherine S
A belief I had changed by people around me was that anyone could be educated about anything. Even the most close-minded people can be taught about their wrongdoings and fix them. However, this belief was proven false. I get involved in pseudoscience talks a lot, and a frequent topic is flat earth. If you’ve ever met a flat earth believer, you’d know it’s hard to teach them anything. Any proof is either government propaganda or completely falsified.
I got into a series of arguments with this one man, and nothing could get him to move about how wrong he was. No data, no videos, not even flat earth experiments being proven wrong. Everything was either me being a government sheep below NASA or me making up the math and results for experiments. And when it came to me listening to what he believed in, he kept making mistakes and changing answers. No matter what was said for days on end, his beliefs wouldn’t budge. In the end, he blocked me and said I’d go to hell.
The belief that not everyone can be taught is important to me and my community because of people like this. No matter how hard you try to help them see differently, you’re just a government sheep. I know it’s awful of me to say, but some people should lay off the Joe Rogan podcasts and go see what the outdoors is like. Some people will forever just be stuck in their ways I guess.
As the days pass, I am collecting bits and pieces of myself to help me dive deep into my journey at UMass Dartmouth while studying interior design. I begin to reflect on my beliefs regarding the value of education. Growing up, like many others, I was set to believe that education is a significant tool used to help gain knowledge, earn good grades, and most importantly set a foundation for a long-lasting career. This belief has since provided me with a clear path for my future.
However, a series of transformative experiences during high school helped me reshape the deeper meaning of education. During the COVID-19 pandemic and through at-home learning, I found my love for art and creativity. This newfound passion allowed me to realize that education is not just about obtaining new information but it is also about discovering our true interests and passions. During this period of self-discovery, I decided to pursue a career in interior design, highlighting its impact on creative spaces and the effects it has on human emotions and experiences.
This shift in perspective was reinforced by deep thought within myself and my family. They helped me understand that education is a lifelong journey used for exploration and growth, and not so much a “final” destination. Their encouragement to pursue my interests encouraged this belief when it comes to the power of education.
This belief in the transformative power of education is important as I join the UMass Dartmouth community. It focuses on the importance of being open-minded, which is key in a field such as interior design. By embracing this belief, I hope to contribute to innovation and collaboration, where all students and faculty alike are inspired to push past the boundaries of their creativity.
As we begin this new chapter, I would like to leave you with this; How can we shed a positive light on education in a way that helps us with the complexities of the modern world?
Education is the one thing that you need in this country to be successful, without a degree it will make things very difficult in your day-to-day life. However, most struggle with the pressure that academics brings. Growing up I always struggled with math, I remember striving for perfection every time I picked up a pencil, and then the disappointment when I couldn’t fulfill my personal goal. Academic perfection is debilitating to a young mind, trying to keep straight As constantly becomes draining. But it’s always important to remember that perfection isn’t what you should be striving for. The pressure of knowing you need a degree, but school sucks the life out of you is scary, but once you take the time to really study while keeping your free time productive it becomes much easier to reach your goals and feel satisfied with your work and knowing you tried your best is such a rewarding feeling. Education is very important and it’s the one thing nobody can take away from you, you can have all the money in the world, but it will never be a match to what knowledge can buy you.
Making it a point to study and attend your classes is crucial to a good academic year, education is what takes you the farthest in life. Knowing that you completed everything you can with all the tools school gave you helps you know the kind of person you are and the lengths you can go to succeed
Hi! I totally agree that education is the firm foundation on everything. You need to be able to understand things if you’re gonna be able to succeed in life. Thank you for sharing your opinion
I’ve always felt like I was left outside of the box everyone was in. I felt as if I was being viewed through a two way mirror where I couldn’t see the people observing me but I could feel it. I’ve always wondered why that is, what do other people see when they look at me? And why can’t I see what they see?
I learned to advocate for myself after years of being accused of lying about my ailments. While growing up adults often thought of me as a nuisance, as a kid who lied about being sick in order to avoid school and homework.
The more I was misjudged, the more my confusion and anger grew.In high school I officially got diagnosed with things that lined up with my “lies” so I felt relieved to not be considered a liar anymore. I have a lot of empathy for my younger self who struggled with being bullied by much older teachers and not making friends.
I really wanted to love school as it was my escape from being home. At home I struggled with having to grow up faster than I wanted, and I ended up taking on a lot of responsibilities that I shouldn’t have due to my mom not being able to speak English. Me being the only one who cared enough to help even though I was very young. I hope that the teachers and my peers at Umass Dartmouth aren’t quick to judge others because you never know what someone is going through.
I really like this because I was also considered a “troubled” kid in high school because of isolated things I was going through at home. I agree with the point you made about empathy and the golden rule.
Wow, I can really sense all of those frustrating emotions that’s just oozing from your post. Already I can sense that you are an amazing individual even through your harsh upbringing. I know that you will most certainly be able to succeed all throughout your time in college. Then again, you are most certainly correct about people being so quick to judge before even getting to know you. These are just one of life’s many hurdles and seeing that you’ve made it this far, I know that you will be able to overcome it. You got this!!
My love for history and politics never stemmed from a childhood love of past events. Back in middle school I saw history as a trivial subject, “if it already happened why are we learning about it” was something I would always think about in my history classes as I considered history one of the irrelevant subjects. It was during quarantine when my interest in history started to ignite, I can’t for sure say when it started but it definitely started with when it started but it definitely started with simple 3 minute animated YouTube videos explaining certain events in history. The three minute videos became 20 minute videos, after that the 20 minute videos became hour long documentaries that go into more depth. My beliefs changed not just because it changed my view on history as a subject but it also changed some of my beliefs of what I used to think I knew about history. My geography skills increased, my understanding on ideologies became more clear, and the more I learned about history the more context I obtained. To me learning context about historical situations helps understand how our modern world is shaped. As humans we all make mistakes and underestimating history has to be my biggest one so far, if I continued to believe that history was not the vital pit of knowledge that I realized now, I would probably be another person of color that doesn’t know their own history and is vulnerable to the ignorance of others. Having an understanding of history is having and understanding of what goes on in our current day to day. It makes us understand how people act and make decisions. We learn from history so we do not repeat the same mistake of the past in the future. And I believe that we will use the lessons from history to live in a time of peace and prosperity.
Tyler F.
One belief that I had that changed and developed throughout my life was the criteria and thought process I used when determining if somebody should be my friend. When I was younger, I used to think that somebody on a sports team or somebody that was nice to me only a single time should be someone I consider to be my friend, and that I should keep them around. That belief was challenged in seventh grade when I missed one day of basketball practice, and some of my teammates decided to speak disrespectfully about me behind my back. Before that incident, I considered those people to be my friends. After learning of what they did to me after the fact, I kept much more distance from them and just finished out the season and never really spoke to them again. This experience really taught me to pick and choose my friends much more carefully and make sure that people in my life that would speak about me in a disrespectful manner without my knowledge would never be around me, and would never even have the chance to think of the words in the first place. This is important to me because as I’ve grown older, I have made it a priority to surround myself with more positive people and positive energy, and keep to out negativity to make sure that I don’t have to deal with people that are not worth my time and energy. This experience truly showed me that not all people have your best interests in mind, so all people should be very mindful of the ones that keep you company.
Mason P.
Education is important. Education and learning are the reasons most of the modern world exists. Still some forms of education are not for everyone. I, myself, hated high school. The constant flooding of information and the constant pressure to score high enough took away from the original desire I had to learn. To the point I heavily considered not applying or attending college. The constant and mundane routine of high school was beyond tiring and did reduce my want for schooling, but it also made me more eager to learn again. College is different from the functionality of high school and because of this it makes learning easier. Rather than being focused on that final bell to ring. College changes the way schooling is done. This is what caused me to realize the difference in education and learning. Education is being a number on a flow chart or another graduate recorded in a year book and given a fancy piece of paper. Learning however is far different, it is the excitement of the science fair when the volcano erupts, it is the joy of working on a project the night before its due with a group of friends, and it is the warm feeling when something you made is recognized. Learning is and never will be about books or test scores or who was top of the class and who just barely passed. Learning is about what you gain and take away in life, that is what learning is.
Everyone has subjects that they enjoy, and others that they do not. Finding ways to learn material within these problem subjects is very difficult, which is why I believe students need to find something that excites them. Students will often claim that they dislike a certain subject. As a person who is more math-oriented, I was never really a fan of English classes. In my experience, they were the least lively classes, and I felt as though I never knew the answers to questions. During my senior year, my English class was based around dystopian literature. All central subjects in schools are so diverse; there is a place for everyone in each of them. This class kept me interested in English. I found myself enjoying a bit of analysis. I did not enjoy every novel we analyzed in the class, but finding parts of aforementioned novels that I enjoyed aided me in my learning.
Just as I did not enjoy every novel in my senior English class, students will not enjoy every class as a whole that they may take. This will make learning the material more difficult. But subjects are so diverse, and if students can find one part of a difficult or boring class that they enjoy, then learning will not be as burdensome. This ability, to find your spark in what seems to be darkness, is not easy to come by. But with a little searching, learning might not be as complex as it seemed to be.
I find this to be very true and I feel it’s a great piece of advice to people who may be in a class that they find boring or uninterested in. Trying to find something of interest in a class one might not enjoy can greatly help reduce the complexity of learning the content in the class.
The twenty-first century has provided everyone with an ability to instantly broadcast messages globally. This privilege is in the hands of everyone, including an assortment of bad actors spreading false and harmful narratives. With this, you’d expect the vast majority of folks to be able to discern and de-platform bad-faith narratives. This isn’t the case, unfortunately. Media literacy rates are at an embarrassingly low rate and any discussion regarding touchy subjects are instantly met with tense and standoff-ish behavior.
I understand how easy it is to consume fake news and run with it. I spent years of my life taking the easy way out and reiterating other peoples talking points and never thinking on my own. This is one thing you can’t learn in the classroom. To form your moral compass and settle in on your own beliefs can only come from self-enrichment and learning how everyone else’s world turns, not just yours. With this, I challenge everyone to not only question what they are told, but to question yourself. Is this truly what you believe and stand for? No teacher can teach you that.
Very true. Having such an ability to share and receive information with just our fingertips makes it essential to have some sort of competent morals set, but not to shut out anything challenging them. As you said, many current media or challenging discussions are frequently made ” tense and standoff-ish” and to be able to self-reflect and realize that to be educated you need to challenge your own ideals is a great representation.
I believe that it is important to understand that you can always reach out for help. However, throughout my education I didn’t always think this way, I believed that I had to rely on myself and work on things alone. But this quickly changed as I went through Highschool. As assignments that I barely understood piled up I got easily overwhelmed, and what triggered the sudden switch from working alone to asking for help was when I saw that my grades were way below what I was hoping for. After changing my beliefs I started reaching out for help and I realized how much help it was. My mind opened up and I was no longer worried or embarrassed to ask others for help.
This is not only important to me but should be important to others because it’s not only applicable to education. If you’re going through a tough time or just not in a good mood you are never alone, you can always reach out and get help. Just simply asking for help can get rid of possible hours of stress.
What one should take away from this post is that its ok to reach out for help. So the next time you feel down or stressed think about this and remember, it’s ok to get/need help.
I completely agree with you. I also used to have trouble reaching out for help. In fact, I still do. It helps to have people close to you that can aid you when you need it. I find it easier to reach out to those that I know rather than those that I do not.
If there was a strong, certain belief that I now carry close to my heart, it would be to never doubt the indomitable human spirit.
Before I came to UMass Dartmouth, I didn’t really believe in anything. In fact, I didn’t even know anything besides what I was taught. I didn’t even want to go to college. I was planning on forfeiting my future before it even began. However, a core conversation with my mother changed my mind.
I remember standing beside my mother, chatting with her as she washed the dishes. I remember that I was complaining about schoolwork and how I sometimes pondered dropping out of school. I’ll never forget her panicked, almost wild-eyed expression on her face as she asked me in Haitian Creole, “Seriously, Mirlandy? You were born in this country, the language belongs to you, and the opportunities are in your hands. I was not born here, Mimi—I don’t have the same chances that you do. Why don’t you want to fight for it while you can?” She was right, of course. Just as my people fought for their freedom against the French, I began to fight for my future. The human spirit, delicate yet overwhelming in its power, showed itself to me that day. And when I was finally handed my diploma, along with my acceptance letter to UMass Dartmouth, I realized that a human spirit can never be broken unless you will it. With that in mind, will you let yours break?
Chase C
Throughout my academic career, I have often found myself believing that time management doesn’t matter. Throughout high school, I’ve tried to work my way around deadlines and have often found myself procrastinating and not finishing important projects until the last possible minute. This changed my senior year when I put off a really important assignment, and it almost caused my GPA to tank. In the last semester of my senior year, my AP government teacher gave us a final project to work on as the school year came to a close. This project was very important because it was worth a pretty big chunk of our grade. Per usual, I waited until the very last minute to begin working on the project. I started the project at about 7 p.m. on a Tuesday night and finished around 10 p.m. It took me three hours to create a rushed project that really wasn’t my best work, but I didn’t care because I was so excited for the end of the school year. When I went to upload my project, I realized I had missed the due date, and I could no longer submit my project! The next day at school, I begged my teacher to still grade the project, even though I had submitted it so late. Luckily, he agreed to still grade the project, but he deducted a lot of late points. This incident made me realize that, coming into college, I really need to work on my time management. College professors will not be as lenient as my AP government teacher was, so I can’t go to college believing I can work my way around deadlines or put things off until the last minute.
Chase,
I also struggle with time management. It’s easy to fall into the habit of procrastinating, believing that I can make the deadlines last minute. However, as we’ve learned, this approach leads to unnecessary stress and compromises the quality of work we turn in. Recognizing this struggle is the first step toward improvement. Good luck!
Roy A
High school was a major period for me filled with personal growth. One belief that I think is crucial to reflect on as I enter college is the idea that asking for help is a sign of weakness. I had to change my mindset in order to grow and adapt. Growing up, I often felt that I needed to handle everything by myself to show my independence, capability, or just to prove myself to my friends or family. In school, there would be times where I didn’t understand the concept but rather than asking my teacher for assistance I would try to figure it out myself or just stay confused. This mindset led to stress and failures. I realized that trying to figure everything out by myself was causing me to miss out on the valuable insight and solutions from others. Seeking help from others allows you to benefit from the knowledge of others. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but rather show that you understand your own limitations, self awareness, and humility. It shows your willingness to learn and grow over your pride to get everything done by yourself. I realized that instead of struggling in isolation, It will be better to take initiative and find solutions. This shift of mindset will be beneficial in college and throughout life as I will encounter more obstacles. In life there will be many challenges that we face and won’t be able to solve ourselves. It’s okay to seek guidance when needed.
During the previous years of my education, my opinion on the subject has changed many times. My feelings would fluctuate between it being useless or extremely important for what felt like every other month. Through my experience I believe that the importance of education is dependent on the goals of the individual.
The problem with my past goals is that I still had no idea what I wanted to do for a career. I felt like there were so little and too many options at the same time. Due to this, I started to feel as if education wasn’t very important. With no sense of what I was gonna use in my future and what was important for me to learn I felt lost. My decision to go to UMASS Dartmouth was accompanied by the decision of what I wanted to work towards in my future. I feel that with a goal in mind, I can differentiate what I do and don’t need to do to achieve my goal. My education is a very important step to achieve my current goals.
I feel my belief is important to the community because it can help people get where they want to be in life. If you have a general idea of how much money you want to make or where you might want to live, you can look into pathways that can lead you there. Those pathways don’t have to involve education.
I remember the first time I realized that my teachers didn’t know everything. I was only in third or fourth grade, when during a history lesson, my teacher referred to Thomas Jefferson as “the second US President.” As a budding young history nerd who had memorized every single president, probably due to a severe lack of friends, I was quick to point out that actually, John Adams was the second president. Jefferson was the third.
“No,” she insisted, “Thomas Jefferson was the second president of the United States. Please don’t interrupt.” Little nine-year-old me was taken aback. I wondered how a schoolteacher, the ultimate symbol of knowledge and authority, second only to mom and dad, could say something so confusing. When I got home that day, I rushed to the bookshelf and reached for my presidential facts book. The book confirmed my assertion, that Jefferson was the third US president. It was at that moment that I realized that not everyone knows everything. Each of us is informed slightly differently, each with our own biases and preconceived notions. And I learned how to be truly inquisitive and curious, knowing that sometimes, the grown ups can get it wrong.
Of course, my fourth-grader brain wasn’t quite so nuanced. I just thought that the teacher was a big dummy. But I think that day set me down the path to where I am today. I believe that people should be educated in how to think, not what to think. After all, the chemistry majors of the world aren’t being trained to memorize the periodic table, they’re being trained to add to it. Students a hundred years from now will be learning about their breakthroughs, just as we learned about the works of Marie Curie or Alfred Nobel.
What I really mean to say is that to me, the whole point of obtaining a college education is to learn how to one day be your own teacher. At a time in life where people are gaining more and more independence, I find that so many of my peers still take everything at face value. But what we have to remember is that the best teachers are, at their core, students.
Amber S.
Everyone always tells you that education is important, and it is. But it isn’t always easy, it certainly was not for me. Growing up I had a lot of trouble with reading even up until high school. I have a hard time trying to comprehend the things that I am reading which causes me to have to re-read things multiple times. This also made me struggle in trying to understand what may seem as easy and simple instructions to most people. This struggle affected me a lot during high school, mostly during my junior year. Junior year I pushed myself to take English and math honors classes and it was very difficult. In math, it was mostly word problems instead of equations, which I struggled with the most. In English, we were always reading books out loud and then doing assignments that were on the interpretations of the readings. I was falling really behind on these assignments and my grades were dropping significantly. I am not a fan of trying to ask people for help with schoolwork because it made me feel like everyone was smarter than me. This caused my self – esteem to drop since I’ve always cared about my grades and put school first. At one point I stopped trying all together and almost failed the year. Towards the end of the year, I was able to regain that self – esteem and I worked really hard to get passing grades, yes, they weren’t all A’s or high B’s, but it wasn’t failing. By the time senior year rolled around, I felt more confident in asking teachers for help and staying after school for classes I was struggling with. As I do agree that education is very important, it is also important to have the right learning materials and learning structure to accommodate you in order to do the best you can.
When I was growing up, I was pushed to be the best in school. My parents did not graduate high school and wanted something in life for their daughter. Understandable as I sit here going for my Nursing degree, wishing my parents were able to do more for themselves in educational and work ethic terms. Having that mindset to do better over the years and making them proud turned my life around into failure and anxiety to an upside of accomplishments.
On wanting to be the best for my family and for my career, I always pushed myself into deep thoughts and scary non-existent visions. In middle school I graduated at the top of my class and in high school, which was what I was not ready for, changed my belief on multiple occasions. I was in a class with over 300 students which in middle school was only 15. As you can imagine I had competition with people I did not know or their educational values which made me fall into failure.
My freshman and sophomore year were not to par. I was trying to make friends and with that my communication skills failed due to being in such a small middle school class. I started to build anxiety, not focus on school and drop education. I was ranked in the hundreds at that time. By my junior and senior year, I assembled more confidence into educational, communicational skills and career values to start focusing on myself. In the company of the accomplishments, I proved to have, I was given awards and scholarships to fund my future career. Now, since you know my career goals and achievements, what’s yours?
What is the significance of education? Someone must take education seriously because it improves one’s talent, character, mindset, and wisdom. Education encourages people to study all parts of life and contribute to their community or society. People begin to look more at the advantages instead of the disadvantages. Children grow an understanding of education through the role models in their lives; this starts at home. However, when you feel obligated to study at home rather than school, you doubt the value of education. In 2020, when students were forced to learn online, the importance of education became questionable for me. I felt hopeless and unmotivated trying to navigate my way through it. My last year of middle school was not going how I had planned it to go. I had never done online school until then, like most people. I had much I was looking forward to in the classroom. Covid changed it all. It was unfair. I felt like I was forced to participate in school, and the value of education became highly unclear. Going to every Zoom meeting, taking notes, or talking on the microphone became a chore. Once I reached high school, I regained the importance and value of education; this was no longer unclear. It became apparent how important it was. I became more involved and interested; even participating didn’t feel forced anymore. I felt again like I was gaining knowledge, further understanding my skills, and working harder. This belief is essential to the community because this happened to us all. We all have different stories that got us to where we are today. We must value our education to succeed, give back to our community, or even better understand ourselves.
The belief that completely changed everything for me was my view on my potential and what I could accomplish by just seeking out help. Over the past few years I have seen and made so many positive changes that my outlook of life has tremendously changed. I had always felt like I had struggled academically for as long as I could remember. I had been in classes that at the time felt very difficult and was receiving extra help as well to just to stay afloat. It was not until my last two years of high school that I realized how impactful it was to seek out resources from teachers and tutors. For the longest time I had struggled trying to do things on my own and it would show up on my grades. This would lead to feeling to low confidence as to what I was capable of. I had wound up establishing really good relationships with my teachers junior & senior year in high school and was encouraged greatly to seek out help after school and use the resources that were available to the students that I was unaware of. What I found by developing self-advocacy skills for myself is that there are really kind & caring people who truly want to see you succeed and will work with you as team to help you reach your goals. It was the moment I had the courage to do this changed my life and gave me the opportunity to see what I am capable of. The more I reached out for help the more my grades had improved for the better. The more my grades improved the more confident I had as to what my potential could be. I feel like the transformation I have seen in myself makes me want to share and encourage with others is that anything is possible if you can self-advocate and look for resources around you that are being offered.
This is relatable to me because I use to struggle with same things like taking classes that were too difficult for me but eventually I finally switched and got the help I needed to improve and eventually showed for me just like you.
In my senior year of high school, I was taken away from my Original high school for reasons personal to me. I got to experience 2 different high schools in life, it gave me such a big change of my perspective and made me realize that I should have cherished the time I spent in school in person vs the time I spent on online school. within the first few months I felt lonely it was hard being almost alone. I didn’t have zoom meetings, I didn’t have anything to really reach out to other than my Dad who worked across from me. For the year I was extremely grateful for that as hard as it was emotionally to be away from all my friends it was also hard for me to really keep my attention on classes completely i’d trail off and take longer than I should have. The main point of this is that don’t take the education and the time you spend with your friends and teacher for granted. Being online the time I spent with people decreased drastically and it hurt. Although someone might not have a choice to go online school and leave behind all their friends like for example covid. education is so important it allows us to make friendships. Although I think we can all agree that school has had a lot of times where we wish we weren’t there but it also helped a lot with different aspects of life. Don’t take the time you spent in school for granted.
Learning is all around us. So many young people believe that learning is a chore, but I believe that learning is everything. Education shouldn’t be about memorizing facts to get a good score on a test and forgetting them a week later. It should be about exploring and finding passion in something new. This isn’t limited to just in school either. Experiences teach so much, but people are often so quick to disregard information not learned in a classroom. However, no classroom can teach you your grandma’s cookie recipe or even how to be a good friend. Getting out there and learning from those around you teaches so much more than a textbook ever could.
Growing up, I was insatiably curious. I would constantly ask questions, wanting to know how different things work. At the same time, I was setting myself up to enjoy the process of learning. Without realizing it, I created the habit of looking deeper into the world around me.
So many limit themselves by believing that learning something new and unfamiliar is scary. I believe that trying to learn something new should be fun. Give things a chance because you might just find something you really love!
I haven’t always been someone who cared much for school or looked forward to waking up each morning to arrive to school. This mindset changed after my freshman year of high school when I started to understand that what I was doing in these early years of not only high school, but life, would affect my future.
The majority of my freshman year was not like the ordinary freshman year that most people experience, it was during a worldwide pandemic. Classes were online while being half asleep in bed, classmates were sleeping through classes, and I definitely was not taking my current situation seriously. The informality of the situation did not motivate me to try my hardest, which I would soon come to regret after receiving my final GPA for the year. After receiving my final report for the year, I knew that I was not performing up to my fullest potential and the GPA I was seeing was certainly not reflecting myself as a student or individual. After only my first year of high school, I was left to pick up my slack and work even harder to make up for my one “slip up” year, for the next three years. The single year during the COVID-19 pandemic taught me that, no matter the circumstances of what is going on around you or what is going on in the world, always push to do your best, because what you do in the present will always catch up to you in the future.
In college, I will be taking this lesson with me and working the hardest that I can from the beginning and not just when I start to fail. I will not let myself fail to begin with and continue striving for my successful future that I have already worked this hard for.
Paige B.
During the beginning of my high school career, I did not enjoy school. I would often find myself not enjoying any of my classes because I saw them as a chore. All my life I thought that everyone hated school, and it was only pushed onto us by older generations. I went through my freshman and sophomore years having this mindset.
It wasn’t until I was in my junior year that I needed to take an extra class in order to fill up my schedule. As a kid I always enjoyed learning about animals, nature, and so on. My school had an anatomy class, so I applied to be in the class at the end of my sophomore year. I didn’t know then, but that class would make me start seeing the positives of school, believe it or not. Taking this class made me realize that I could actually take classes that I enjoyed and subjects that I would want to pursue in the future.
This year I will be attending UMASSD with the intent to study Biology, and I have never been more excited to go to school in my whole life. After high school, my view of my education has completely changed, and I view it as what I want to learn about and what I am interested in.
If someone else is in the same shoes that I was once in, I hope that you soon find something that you are truly interested in and something that you love.
I’m happy your perspective changed! I went through a similar experience in my earlier years of high school, its amazing how one class can change your whole perspective.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” -Nelson Mandela.
My parents came from Portugal at a very young age to seek an education for themselves and their family. In the end they were unlucky and unable to. At a young age I used to hate going to school, but now I couldn’t be more appreciative of the education I am able to receive. Therefore now I can become whatever I want because of the opportunity I was given. Things are hard before they get easier. And I stand by this because during middle school I was faced with a challenge, I had to attend an ELL (English Language Learning) program because I spoke Portuguese and English. Even though I knew Portuguese it wasn’t my native language. I remember wondering why I’m in this class when I know I can speak English. But I soon came to discover that we all go through challenges in education whether that’s math class or English class or really any. But the important part is to always push through and that’s exactly what I did. I made a goal and achieved it. And it was from then on I learned how important education is because of that challenge I was able to realize how important it is to learn even in times when you think you don’t need to. In the end there is always something that comes out of it. So if this can really teach anything, it’s that education does matter and we are really all lucky to have it.
I have the belief that a majority of people have the qualities to redeem themselves from their troubled past. Whether it be from troubled behavior acted by themselves or their parents, they should be given that opportunity if they are willing to take those chances. From personal experience, I have struggled with social skills occasionally, since I am autistic.
Over the past couple years, I have improved myself on those skills. I talked to a therapist, my parents and my school counselor about solutions I should use, which gave me the confidence to willingly take a chance. While it isn’t perfect, there have been obvious signs of improvement. I now feel more comfortable when trying to make new friends, and don’t get internally nervous when I am around them for long periods of time.
I also worked to improve myself academically. I’m not saying I was doing horrible in my freshman and sophomore years, but I saw myself wanting to get better grades. This was particularly seen in my junior year, where I joined the National and English Honor Societies due to my average grades reaching low to high As.
This belief has stuck with me, since there are a lot of people that have shown remorse for the trouble they caused in their past, or have experienced a troubled life that they couldn’t necessarily control. After I was able to improve myself socially and academically, I came to believe that our generation needs to be more helpful to those who are wanting to redeem themselves in society.
Something that made me question a previously held belief was the pressure of gaining my parents validation. As the eldest child, I always felt obligated to set a perfect example for my siblings and be able to excel academically. As I grew up I noticed my anxiety and overthinking would consume me as I sat in class with any assignment in front of me. Constantly worried that I wasn’t correct or smart enough, my feelings of doubt made me feel like a failure.
After constant questioning of myself, I came to an understanding that being a good example and well educated is important, however taking care of my own wellbeing and setting my own boundaries is equally or even more important. I learned that although it’s difficult to come to amends by not completely fitting an expectation it’s okay to ask for help. No one should ever have to feel obligated to put others needs before their own or endure constant self doubt. The only validation I needed was my own. And this shift in my perspective has allowed me to focus on my own personal growth.
Although some people may or may not relate to my belief I feel that it’s very significant because it emphasizes the importance of self-care. It encourages others to recognize their limitations and understand asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. And as I begin a new chapter of my life in college I question how I will be able to maintain balance. As college can be stressful at times I question what efforts can be taken to allow me the best support?
Rylie Coughlin
Something I strongly believe and will always believe is that reading is essential to the human mind. These days everyone is on their phones 24/7 and have lost the ability to lose themselves in a book for hours.
The most magical times in my life have come whilst embraced in the pages of a novel, something unexplainable to those who don’t know the feeling. The joy, the sorrow, the relation to people who sometimes never even existed, the ability to be in the same moment as someone thousands of miles away as you’re reading the same chapter, it’s becoming a lost art. There’s no better feeling as an author than when people take the time to listen to your thoughts on a page, let you express yourself through the ink.
Walking down the hall at school, engrossed in a riveting plot of thrill and wonder, a tall boy smacked into my shoulder and stopped. I peered at him over the dust jacket of my book, sadly bringing myself back to reality. “Is that a book?!” The boy said, puzzled.
“Yes…, it is,” I had replied, not a moment before he narrowly missed interrupting me to tell me no one does that anymore, you know, reading. Unbothered but slightly sad for him, I returned to my climax and finished the story hours later in the library. I wasn’t angry he was rude, I was genuinely sorrowful he would never get to experience the magic I had been soaking up the past half of the day.
That magic, hidden in between leather binding, is why I chose English as my major. If I can continue to embrace as well as create this magic for others, I will be complete.
As a freshman my beliefs of if I wanted to go to college was something I didn’t want to do. Which showed by my work ethic in school as the year progressed and the same went for my sophomore year. But during the year when I noticed my constant lack of understanding in my classes and that the peers around me were doing better than me in classes with ease. My academic struggles continued with a new insecurity that started to grow throughout the school year.
But at the beginning of my sophomore year, I started to have second thoughts on what I would do after high-school. What crossed my mind was how I could be successful. When I had these thoughts were when I decided to put more effort into studying and reading. My grades benefitted from these changes and all I was thinking about was how I could be better. As Junior year went on, my studying and work ethic had elevated which showed in my grades. I started to get more A’s than I would usually get in my classes. During my senior year was when I wanted to work more on myself by going to the gym and book reading.
I believe that my hard work and dedication to trying to better myself everyday is the reason that I believe that going to college is the right path for me to become that best person I can be.
Mayra C
After prioritizing my mental health and time, I came to the belief that putting myself first isn’t always a bad thing. Growing up I was very conscious about how I am. I was overthinking any thing I did because I wanted to be like everyone else. School played a big role into it too. I wanted to be on top of my class and get good grades no matter what. It messed up my thoughts about myself. If I didn’t get a good grade, I would be mad or hard on myself. As I grew up I realized all that doesn’t matter as much. As long as I focus on myself and prioritize my mental health everything would go according to plan.
I believe that if you want to go far you have to work hard but I didn’t always think that. During elementary and middle school, I was unmotivated and unwilling to do things that would help me. Including, not speaking up when I needed help or when I thought I wasn’t good at something I would just give up. I was a student that had to be pulled out of class to get extra help. In high school, it all became real, I knew something needed to change. There were so many questions being thrown at me like, what do you want to do for a living, what college do you want to go to, do you even want to go to college? Truthfully, I didn’t have any answers, but what I did know was that I wanted to help people. So with the help of my family, friends, and guidance counselor even though it may have taken many hours and a lot of sleepless nights, I was able to work through my educational struggles. Eventually, we discovered that the medical field was a good fit for me. Even though I had many challenges I excelled in science. So then when I found medical laboratory science it was perfect. That way I can still help people, be in the medical field, and also do something that I’m good at. So now I’m going to UMass Dartmouth to study medical laboratory science.
Transferring from middle school to high school was a turning point for me too. It where I started to connect more deeply with my friends and started to find myself. Im glad you found what you want to do. I wish much luck for the future.
Throughout most of my life, I believed that asking for help was a sign of weakness. I held the firm belief that in order to be seen as strong I had to do everything for myself. That was until my freshman year of high school. During my freshman year, Covid was rampant, and my grades had started to slip, as well as my confidence. Because of my belief I refused to reach out for help. One of my teachers had noticed this, and sat down with me to help me out. I had realized that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. I had started to open up more, and developed many long lasting friendships this way. This shift in perspective allowed me to get my grades back up, deepend my relationships with friends and family, and led to much more success in all years of my highschool career. This belief is crucial as I enter college, since I will be able to develop a strong community that supports itself and others. If we keep in mind the idea that it’s okay to ask for help, we can create a culture of support that benefits us all.
The next time you hesitate to ask for help, think about what you can gain if you do.
To talk about education, I think it’s important to consider the impact it has on the world around us and why it’s so important. Education is a fundamental part of the world around us and without it humans could go nowhere. Education is important in an age where information has the power to give you a good life. Thats why everyone that’s about to enter this institution is going. We’re all going in the hopes that we can get a degree and further our education. This way we can get a good job and provide for ourselves. College is a new chapter in all of our lives. Thier will be struggles but their always has been, I mean is their anybody who has never struggled on a test or getting an essay in on time. This struggle is part of the fun. Thier is a difference between a job and a career. Over the past year and a half, I have had a job so I could afford to pay for my education. Working over this time has led me to the realization of how important education is because with it I’d be able to find a career for myself, something I would enjoy going into every day and giving it my all not because I have to but because I want to. I’m happy and excited to embark on this journey.
Carpe Diem, Ladies and Gentlemen
Shushma Limbu
Something that surprised me was when I started my study abroad journey I didn’t know what to do . As someone who always had to know what to do next at any circumstances, I felt out of place. Having worked as an Operation Theatre Technician in two renowned hospitals of Kathmandu city for almost three years gave me confidence to think that i can do anything in life. Participating in multidisciplinary surgeries such as Neurosurgery, Cardio thoracic surgery, Orthopedics, OBGYN, ENT, along with surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses had me believe that I know what to do. My job demanded confidence, persistence and self belief, which I practiced over the years.
To my own disbelief, when I came outside of my world (my job), I had to start everything from scratch: learning how to write essays, how to approach people. There were many times when I second guessed my own choices. This humble journey opened my eyes to the opportunities, knowledge and life experiences out there. I knew there’s so much to learn, unlearn and relearn but the cocoon i had built for myself was so strong that it took time for me to break it apart and come out of it.
My takeaway is to embrace change. We’re so attached to what we think, what we do and what we believe in that we miss out on what we could be. As I venture into this four years program in Umass Dartmouth ,I’m open to change, to learn and to expand my perspectives in this vibrant community. As they say: the world is your oyster.
When I hear the word education I think of how it’s a cornerstone of personal and academic growth. It gives the people the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate and understand the world around them. With education, we gain critical thinking abilities that allow us to analyze situations and solve problems to make difficult or informed situations. Education empowers people to pursue their passions and dreams by providing them with the knowledge to achieve their goals.
Moreover, getting more education I will be taught various things that will help me grow more, physically and academically. Me seeking education at a higher level opens many doors to many opportunities for instance better job prospects and higher earning potential. This financial stability can lead to improved quality of life, and a brighter mindset. Having education as a tool in your bag helps people tackle pressing issues such as poverty, inequality, and environmental sustainability. While having a better education people tend to make healthier lifestyle choices, like knowing what you put into your body, while also being on better healthcare. This leads to longer and healthier lives.
On a more vague scale, education fosters social cohesion and progress. It furthers understanding and tolerance among diverse groups, encouraging a more inclusive and harmonious society. In essence, education is a powerful tool that drives personal growth, economic growth, and advocates for a positive change mentally. For these reasons, I deeply believe education is a non-disposable tool that a person can always sharpen, as it holds the key to unlocking a world of possibilities.
I was raised on books. I remember, when I was young, having nightly story times with my mom. Once I was old enough to read myself, I always had a book on me and trips to bookstores and my local library were common-place.
It wasn’t until I was older until I started to understand that not everyone shared my love and appreciation of literature. Kids in my classes would always complain about reading assigned texts, and brag about how little they read. Even then, I didn’t understand why people would flaunt their chosen ignorance. Now that I’m older, I understand the importance of literature, and the impact it has on people’s lives, more than ever.
Literature gives people the power to change their lives. In the pages of books, we can find community, knowledge, and an escape from the pressures of everyday life.
Reading gives people the ability to connect with individuals and cultures all around the globe. In the pages of books, we can learn about the everyday lives of people who share nothing in common with us. We can learn about food, religion, and rituals of cultures thousands of miles away. With this, we can find community among people who we have never met.
Books also help people of every station in life learn about how the world works. It is through reading that I have learned about marine life, botany, and history. With books, people can discover their interests, and gain the education to pursue these interests through hobbies and careers.
Literature has benefited millions of people throughout history, and has been tied in to almost every major revolution and new discovery that have changed our society. Through books, every person can find the ability to change the world.
Emanuelle O.
As technology continues to evolve and integrate itself in every aspect of life, when it comes to education I’ve recently questioned my previously held belief of having digital literacy. Growing up in this generation there’s a common expectation that we take pride in, the belief that we’re inherently tech savvy. When it comes to education there’s this idea that teachers are often falling short or chasing behind students in terms of technology and its use in the classroom. This has created the misconception that since students are digitally driven combined with our 24/7 access to devices, we understand 100% how to use technology. And yes, growing up surrounded by technology I like many felt comfortable with it, However it wasn’t until listening to a podcast that I began to question my digital literacy for the first time. Familiarity or the ability of navigating technology was masking the fact that I was never properly educated. The assumption that nowadays kids are digital natives overlooks the fact that we aren’t properly being taught how to identify hate masquerading as legitimate ideals or the fact that literally anyone can make a website or a post and we aren’t necessarily worried about fact checking. Overall something that really struck me was the idea that the internet is a network, we’re not only consumers of information but we’re broadcasters who have a responsibility to be digitally literate.
Growing up I had a firm belief from everyone around you including family and friends that having a straight forward plan and route for your future career is crucial for your path to success. Over the years, I have come to the realization that not everyone is sure of what they want and that it is okay to be uncertain of many things. Questioning this belief has brought me some sort of clarity and acceptance of major choices in life that I have chosen for myself. The pressure to have a straight forward plan has led me to discover and adapt to any changes that life can throw at me.
When I got admitted into University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, I originally applied for nursing with psychology as my second choice. Important people such as my mothers and my aunts influenced me to join the nursing field. Although I could not get into the nursing program originally, I have adapted to the possible opportunities majoring in psychology can provide to me. This decision has brought me to explore psychology and everything it has to offer! This decision has also given me a different outlook on how not everything is not a straight path, since there is hope to change my major my first year.
Instead of not putting myself down about this decision, I have come to terms with it. By having a positive mindset and being open-minded, I will explore psychology and everything it has to offer. As I continue my path to further my education journey, I often find myself reflecting on what major I will graduate with.
A belief that I have questioned a lot was “is it worth it, all the stress, all the worry, all the anxiety”. Some days I still wonder about this but then when I picture my future, this is what I want to do. The great things I want in life will take hard work. This is something that everyone will learn as life goes on. Every good grade, every paycheck, every acceptance, everything takes work. After everything I feel good and accomplished. I’m proud of myself, even if I fail because I know that my hard work will eventually pay off. There’s multiple different paths and ways people succeed in the future they want. Your path may not look the same as others around you and that’s okay. You never know what the future holds for you, so the way you get there might change over time. Worrying and stressing is something that will happen but what has to be remembered is that everything will be okay. The stress that is happening in your life now won’t last forever. But the work you put in will last forever, you will also remember how hard you tried and how much it payed off. At the end of the day, I can look at myself and say I tried my hardest. I did everything I could’ve and if it didn’t work out this time it will next time. So, the belief “is it worth it” in my opinion is it. Based on everything I have experienced and the certainty I have in my goals I believe that it is worth it. Is it worth it to you?
Daren O.
Ever since I was a young boy, my parents always pushed me to engage in a working environment, whether it be basic chores, mowing the lawn at 7 years old, or going to work at our family owned mechanic shop every day after school. These thoughts haunted me at a young age, seeing my friends go home and enjoy their time after school while I had to go help out at the family business, but, after I reached my sophomore year, I realized that my parents did this for the best of my future, presenting me with the opportunities to face responsibilities, community engagement, and problem solving. This being said, I believe that engaging in activities that hold you to take responsibilities at a young age is vital in educating one’s future. Although some aren’t fortunate enough to have a family that may own a business, engaging in sports, school clubs, or a side hustle / job all provide one with skills required for the future, signifying its importance. Trust me, I understand it may be discouraging having to get to practice or work on time, but by doing this at a young age, you get used to these feelings, making them easier to overcome when you depend on the job that provides for you. As you engage in these activities, you also have the benefit of meeting new people, ultimately creating new friendships and customer service skills. So what are you waiting for, go and take part in that activity that will build the path ahead of you!
Daren, while I do agree that children having responsibility from a young age is important in teaching them life lessons, time management, and important skills, I would also say that at a certain point it can be detrimental to a child. It is also important for kids to be able to enjoy their childhood, and spend time playing and gaining social skills while they are young, otherwise they may feel isolated and struggle in certain social situations. Responsibility is important, but so is having a childhood.
Zariah B.
Teachers are the keys to success.
I believe teachers are some of the most undervalued individuals in our society. I noticed a lot of people have given up their dreams on becoming a teacher. I’ve seen plenty of videos of teachers quitting for numerous reasons, but one stands out to me. I recently read, the national average starting salary for teachers is less than $50,000. Why is that? Are the hours they spend planning and grading work not worthy of better pay? Why can’t the people who create our future doctors get paid just as good as them. Why should a teacher have to work another job just to get by? Nothing in this world could work without a teacher. They play a vital part in every child they teach. Every child they teach can become an essential person in community. I want teachers to get paid a better salary. With better pay we could possibly see an increase in the success in students. More money means teachers can feel more comfortable and not need an additional job on the side. The better the financial stability, the less we can worry about our teachers quitting or being burnt out. Let’s ensure the future is better for the people who play one of the most important parts in anyone’s life.
I completely agree with you. I have had teachers affect me in very important ways. Such as teachers that don’t care about teaching and it later on through my education affects me poorly. Or the teachers that care so much and help me succeed in their class.
A belief that I used to have was thinking I couldn’t ask for help. I always believed that in order to truly understand something and be successful I need to figure it out on my own. Starting high school I figured my freshman year would be easy, due to being home from the pandemic. I thought learning at home would make it easier to do things at my own pace. However, sophomore year was not the same. School work was piling up and it made me start to feel very overwhelmed. That same year, I then met this one teacher who felt like a second mom to me. She treated me like a child of her own. She noticed all the assignments I had missing, and came to offer her help to me. She made it known that no one should be embarrassed to ask for help, and to realize that it is okay to not fully understand some things. She was one of the only teachers I would go to for help. My teacher was there for me through out the rest of high school. When I had questions or concerns about other classes she would always offer up as much information as she could. She not only helped me a ton with school, but also my mentality. Before I would be too scared to ask something in the case I was judged, or laughed at for being “dumb”. After having her teach me not only lessons in class but also life lessons I will continue to use. I came to the conclusion it helped me tremendously in more ways than none. What has your favorite teacher taught you?
Lucas M
Throughout my life, there have been many beliefs of mine that have changed due to experience as I’ve grown as a person. One of these beliefs was that you could only be successful if you continued education until later in your life past your high school years. As I’ve grown and met many adults, I’ve learned that is simply untrue, and that each person can have their own path to success. One example that had helped me to change this belief was my father. I always saw the hard work he’d put in to provide for my family, and though he has a fairly successful job, he did not gain any additional education past high school.
I do believe that continuing education is something that can be very beneficial, which is obviously why I am attending college, but I feel as though this belief is something that is pushed upon everyone from such a young age. Everything in school, especially high school is extremely focused on where you’re going to choose to continue in college, and despite the help it can provide, it is simply not for everyone.
Do you believe that college is somewhere that would benefit everyone?
I also wrote about how there are many different paths for people. As well as how I believed my path was what I considered the only one. But as time went on and I have meet people that have the same goals as me, I see now their many different paths. I believe people not understanding that can lead to so much stress and comparing yourself to others.
Growing up, I always presumed that my parents were satisfied with their careers, despite not attending college. This perceived satisfaction led me to take an extremely lax approach towards my education. I often found myself neglecting homework and studying because I planned on taking a similar approach to my parents and forgoing a higher education. Over the years I had to endure many preachings from my parents about the importance of school to atone for my lackluster performance. I always found it odd that my parents were so hard on me for my bad grades when theirs were similar, but trying to argue that point just increased the zealousness of their speeches. Finally, before my freshman year of high school, my parents got through to me. They explained how, like me, they cared little for their education and scoffed at the idea of going to college. As soon as they got the chance they dropped their education and went into the workforce. At first, they were ecstatic, being able to have control over their life and do as they pleased. However, over time that novel feeling faded and all they were left with were the responsibilities they accrued. With all the work they had to do it was impossible to attempt to get a degree in something they were passionate about. Realizing the problems they faced from their lack of education, I am going to college to learn what I am passionate about so I can find satisfaction in my work for the rest of my life.
As I prepare for college, one belief I’ve evolved is the idea of success. Growing up, I thought high grades and prestigious accolades defined success. However, through various experiences and conversations, I’ve seen success as a more refined and personal concept. It’s not solely about others’ validation but also about personal growth, fulfillment, and the impact we make on others. This shift in perspective is crucial as I enter college, where the pressure to achieve can be intense. Embracing a broader definition of success will help me focus on my passions, build meaningful relationships, and stay resilient in facing challenges. Recognizing that success can be a journey of self-discovery rather than just a destination will guide me toward a more balanced and rewarding college experience.
Lyla T.
I have always believed that to truly learn you need to expose yourself to new cultures and experiences. This past summer I was able to travel to Kigali,Rwanda to visit friends from school. While there, I was able to experience new things like create Imigongo, learn traditional dance, and understand Rwandan cultural norms. Additionally this winter I participated in an exchange program to Seville, Spain. While in Seville I was also able to explore their culture and language. During my two months living in Spain I participated in many of their traditions like flamenco dancing, fiestas, and more. Through both experiences I learned so much about their countries and the people that reside within them. While in Kigali I experienced my friends in their element and saw them in their happiest state. I learned more about what my friends value like religion, traditions, family, and more. Their happiness to be home was contagious and reminded me how important family is. In Spain, my exchange partner became like a little sister to me. Her willingness to accept me into her home and include me in her traditions will always serve as a reminder to be inclusive to others. Learning from experience has opened my eyes up to new things and has made me more willing to take initiative and jump head first into new experiences. I believe that traveling is the best form of education and will change your life in various ways.
Vanessa N
Growing up I had a firm belief from everyone around you including family and friends that having a straightforward plan and route for your future career is crucial for your path to success. Over the years, I have realized that not everyone is sure of what they want and that it is okay to be uncertain of many things. Questioning this belief has brought me clarity and acceptance of the major choices in life that I have chosen for myself. The pressure to have a straightforward plan has led me to discover and adapt to any changes that life can throw at me.
When I got admitted into the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, I originally applied for nursing with psychology as my second choice. Important people like my mothers and aunts influenced me to join the nursing field. Although I could not get into the nursing program originally, I have adapted to the possible opportunities majoring in psychology can provide to me. This decision has brought me to explore psychology and everything it has to offer! This decision has also given me a different outlook on how not everything is not a straight path since there is hope to change my major in my first year.
Instead of not putting myself down about this decision, I have come to terms with it. By having a positive mindset and being open-minded, I will explore psychology and everything it has to offer. As I continue my path to further my education journey, I often reflect on what major I will graduate with.
Benjamin P
When I was younger, I really thought school was just some boring routine all us kids had to endure. It felt like a series of endless assignments and tests that meant absolutely nothing. Everything changed with the start of highschool where I went to Old Colony and my love for computers skyrocketed. Although I’d always had a love for computers, getting to know how they work and the different things I could do with them only strengthened my love for them.
As I got deeper into computer science, my view on education completely changed. I realized that learning could be exciting and meaningful. It wasn’t just about memorizing facts; it was about solving problems and creating new things. Some people that helped me realize this fact were my friends in shop as well as my two shop teachers. The thrill of making programs and games and the struggles that come with it gave me a reason to want to come into school. The sense of achievement and the endless possibilities that coding offered made me fall in love with learning.
This belief in the power of education is important not just for me, but for everyone around me. It shows that finding your passion can transform your perspective on learning for the better. For my friends, family, and future classmates at Umass Dartmouth, this belief is a reminder that education is a personal journey. It’s about discovering what excites you and then using that passion to drive your learning!
My belief on the importance of art and how it has changed.
Originally, I thought of art in just the physical sense. The action of putting words on a page or paint on a canvas to display something. I knew there were messages to be conveyed, that the author had an intent when they painted that picture or wrote that poem. I could see that at face value however in the past few years, I’ve experienced a lot of hard times, while also simultaneously learning more about art. I started seeing parallels within the art I saw and the things I was experiencing in my life, and soon enough I was noticing my feelings expressed through my own artwork.
I see now the complexities of human nature and the depth of feeling, and I see now that there’s much more than just a message. There’s a whole life there, an experience and the feelings that go with it. I have discovered that art is a way to capture these moments, and to express and communicate them in beautiful ways the things we both love and hate to feel . I believe artists have done more than anyone else in terms of connecting us as people, opening our minds to worlds outside of our own, and interconnecting us all even through time. I can’t wait to further expand my horizons with new knowledge, experiences, and feelings. I’m looking forward to everything that I’ll be learning in school over the next few years, and I can’t wait to see the kind of person this experience will shape me into. My goal/takeaway from my time at college is I’ll be able to understand and grasp the complex thoughts and emotions I feel and apply my art skills and knowledge to effectively convey them in what I create. The beauty of human nature is the diversity and intensity that can be felt either for or against anything that you can think of. That’s what art is, and that’s what I think matters most.
While education is important, and allows people to gain an understanding of not only the world around them, but also themselves, school is often a primary cause of stress and mental health struggles in children. When I was younger I loved learning, and trying to understand how the world worked.
I grew up in a family where effort was always considered to be more important than he grades you received. When I was younger, school was always easy for me, and I got good grades with barely any effort put into school at all. Going into high school, I switched to a charter school known for having a fairly intense IB curriculum. With the added stress of the pandemic, and trying to learn online, and ADHD which was undiagnosed and untreated at the time, this was the first time I actually had any trouble in school. I also only really knew 3 other people going to the school, which made it even more difficult to adjust. As someone who hadn’t had trouble with school up to this point, this caused a lot of stress for me, and also lowered my self esteem, and even lowered my motivation to do well in school.
For a long time I struggled to want to learn or read like I had when I was younger, as it started feeling like a chore. Now, I love learning again, but even now I only feel the desire to read or learn unless I am the one choosing to do it, and only within subjects I am interested in. The current education system frequently makes learning a stressor and a chore, rather than something that people truly want to do.
All throughout my childhood I’ve wondered what I wanted to do with my life. Many of
my family members have done exceptional things to help people. My mother is a Personal Care Assistant, my dad was a correctional officer, my grandfather served in the Vietnam War, and my uncle was in the military to name a few. While growing up I would see their acts of selfless service and would think about how I could do the same when I was older.
As I grew up I would pretend to be a doctor and go around the house trying to help my stuffed animals and my parent with their fake breaks, sprains, and abrasions. As I grew older I realized that that wasn’t something I would like to do as a career. Though it was fun to help my stuffed bear be able to walk again it wasn’t an end goal for me. When I figured that out I kept on looking for other options.
As I went through middle school I would go through many fazes of wanting to do drastically different things. I went from wanting to be a paleontologist to wanting to be a math teacher. Both of them were for the same goal and made the biggest impact on people’s lives. Toward the end of middle school, I made up my mind to be a math teacher and make a difference in kids’ lives as many teachers did for me.
When I made it to high school I had to explore a lot of shops and that also made me change my mind greatly on what I wanted to do after high school. I went from wanting to be a mechanic, a cosmetologist, or an electrician. Then toward the end of exploratory, I got to see the shop legal and protective services. I knew right then and there that I wanted to do something in that shop I just didn’t know what at the time. I would go back and forth from wanting to be a detective or a police officer but then I learned that I had to be an officer before being a detective and the dangerous job that they have to deal with every day and thought that I wouldn’t be a good candidate for that. Then the summer before junior year my cousin graduated from law school and I started looking down that career path for me. While I was looking I fell more and more in love with the job. It was the perfect mixture of what I wanted to do and helping people just like the rest of my family would do. Being a lawyer has now been my choice for a while and now I’m going to go to law school after high school.
Though my family members had a big role in choosing what I wanted to do with my life I’m glad I found something that also interests me. It took me a long time to figure that out. Also a lot of switching my mind on what I wanted to do. Now my mind is set and I can’t wait till my dream comes true and I can finally get my first client.
June 21, 2024 at 1:19 pm
Most people see education as something that we all need to do to gain the basic knowledge of how our world works and its history, along with things needed to be a functioning member of society. Some view it as something that we should always be pursuing, whether it be sciences and discovering information we have never learned before or just trying to be as knowledgeable on a subject as possible. My view on education is like a security. Education serves as a security in my mind because nothing can take it away from you, and it can also protect your chosen trajectory in life with skills that are greatly needed in the work force and society in general.
I am going to UMass Dartmouth with the intent to study Software engineering. My whole life I have had an interest in computers and programming, and I also wanted a skill that is very desirable to employers. I was looking for a major that required the least amount of higher education, but also paid a lot, which happened to be software engineering with a few other options. I have seen the difference in lifestyle that education grants. My mom went to school for teaching at first, and then switched to nursing. My dad did not go to school at all and went straight into the work force when he graduated high school. My dad seems limited to what kind of work he can do because of his limited skills and education, while my mom is getting new, higher paying job offers almost every week. I know other high school students that chose the path that my dad took, but I also know other ones that chose higher education. I’m not saying at all that you will be unsuccessful if you choose not to pursue higher education, but I am noticing the lack of opportunities that comes with choosing not to go to college (or any kind of trade school).
In conclusion, education can serve as a security for your future and your family’s future, allowing opportunities and jobs that only a limited number of people can perform in our fast-changing society.
July 28, 2024 at 6:42 am
I agree that education gives you more opportunities in career-driven environments and I enjoy your take on education being a security for your future. Although I believe that credit is also due towards those who go into the workforce! 🙂
August 14, 2024 at 7:23 pm
It’s no secret that teenagers would rather attend anything else other than class, like playing videos games, trips, camping, hiking etc. In a 2020 study that was taken in the United States resulted in concluding that over seventy five percent of students did not have any positive feelings about school.
and were highly unmotivated due to academic pressure, social pressures, and over scheduling i would also it’s safe to include me in that seventy five percent figure growing up. I never thought to much about education throughout my life and though that running a business would be easy without the required amount of education.
But i’ve suddenly came to the realization over time, of learning by myself that it is not as easy as i thought it was, and that education is one of the sole most important things when running a large, scaled business.
With a bit of extensive research done through college programs and schools that specialize in finances and entrepreneurship i became fully aware that there are people who have a niche in this and are fully willing to help you get through what you need help in the most, i also learned you can get a lot of job offers requiring an MBA if you change your mind in building a business alone.
Degree programs also give you a lot of experience in the field like being able to cooperate with a lot of people on tasks. And one of the the most important things to an entrepreneur being networking with lot of like-minded people, “your network is your net worth”.
August 23, 2024 at 2:47 am
Andra Sharples
Many people see education as a requirement to have a basic understanding of common knowledge; whether it be from the government, their parents, or as a requirement to get a certain type of job. I would define education as a gift and an accomplishment. Knowledge is power! You receive knowledge from education and your brain power and knowledge is something that nobody will ever be able to take from you!
Primary school or K-12 is something that is common in the United States! It is knowledge that is forced on us that everybody has to go through in order to receive your high school diploma, which pretty much just tells people that you know the basics. My mom always said to me, “High school is proof that you know how to work hard and put in the effort to get through it and college is proof that you can truly learn and be taught”. College is something different. College is a choice, and a choice made fully by you. What you learn, the classes you take, the time they are held, and most importantly your main area of study and what you wanna do with it afterwards. Most people only focus on the after part. Wondering how you are going to use your degree after college and if you do not use your degree you wasted your time. I strongly disagree with this stance! Any education will always be a form of education and something that you know that another person doesn’t. Even if someone sees what you chose to be educated in as a loss you always have to remember that there are people in other parts of the world that have access to zero education at all. Many people view education differently but you can not let what you have studied define you and create limitations.
Any form of education is knowledge and all knowledge is power! That is how I would define education, but how do you define education?
August 26, 2024 at 8:52 pm
I agree as we are the generation of today we have to obtain knowledge so that we may deliver it to the younger generation. We must not take education for granted instead we should use it to ensure a more prosperous future.
August 30, 2024 at 8:56 am
This is a well thought out post thank you for sharing. I too also believe I was in that seventy-five percent and in some cases still am but I also have witnessed some people in my family that dropped out of both high school and college and where they are now is somewhere I don’t want to be. Reading this just reminded me of that. But again this is a very good post and thank you for sharing.
August 15, 2024 at 4:37 am
I agree and disagree with you Colin , I’ve personally seen many people do great in life even with no education. But having a degree can definitely help you out in certain careers.And can lead to a great future.
August 19, 2024 at 12:14 pm
I totally agree that education serves as a security, and can provide more opportunities, yet I also believe people who don’t further their education through a college degree can still be successful for themselves and have knowledge that they can pass down through their family.
August 26, 2024 at 6:05 pm
Many people think getting a good education is too difficult to achieve. People of any age can decide to go to school for a degree, but become to overwhelmed they give up. Giving up is an easy way out, but at the end of the day, where does it get you?
I am going to Umass Dartmouth, continuing my education in the nursing field. I was enrolled in a trade school high school, where I focused my studies in the Health Assisting shop. Through the three and a half year course, there was many times I wanted ti give up. There were those hard days where I felt this wasn’t for me anymore. Everyone had those days. I continued to show up for myself everyday and push through, even after the hard times. Anything in the nursing field I have always loved, because one of my favorite things to do is help others. This is why i still showed up everyday, not just for myself, but for those I knew one day I could help. Through the health program, I went on clinical, in which I truly enjoyed. It opened my eyes to the real world and really made me proud I kept going. In the final end of the course, we tested and I became a CNA! Everything worked hard for payed off.
I am now so excited to continue my education with nursing school over at Umass Dartmouth. I believe I will bring a strong base of knowledge led by my high school experiences, and I cannot wait to dive further into this crazy world of nursing.
August 27, 2024 at 6:10 pm
I totally agree, I know a lot of people who didn’t go to college after high school. Some are doing pretty good for themselves but others are struggling to find good paying jobs.
September 3, 2024 at 11:22 pm
I agree, education is very important and gives lots of security in your future. You can get a degree and have a set job you want but if that does not work out, you have many jobs to fall back on. Security makes life easier, it stops people from being so nervous. I am a very nervous person and I am always looking to be secure in my life and decisions.
September 4, 2024 at 3:16 am
I agree that without a proper education you can not make it far in society. I also agree with the steps you took to figure out what you wanted to study in college most people don’t take those things into consideration.
July 1, 2024 at 6:58 pm
“It’s not that deep”, is something many of us have said about small details our english teachers have presented to us as meaningful literary analysis. This statement has myself included but in modern America, we are facing a media literacy crisis.
Media Literacy is the ability to analyze mass media for inaccuracy and it is a dying ability. Many Americans, especially Generation Z, according to a Stanford Study are unable to differentiate between “fake news” or in other words propaganda and legitimate information. An astounding 96% of these students studied followed the studies blindly and didn’t look for further evidence.
My opinion on Media Literacy was changed when I was reading 1984 by George Orwell for my 11th grade English class. When I reached the scene where Winston was being beat into submission. I connected it back to modern journalists being beat to death for speaking out regarding horrible things and realized the ability to consume information is a gift. A gift many of us take for granted.
Many people aren’t allowed to read or allowed to speak out about things they feel strongly about but we are. We are allowed to disagree with others, we’re allowed to analyze the seemingly meaningless information like the color of the curtains. I believe that American student should be taught how much of a privilege it is to be able to be presented media and learn the facts. We live with these little super computers in our pockets and truly we can use them for good.
The curtains might just be blue to you but they’re life and death for another person.
July 17, 2024 at 1:04 am
I admit I have been trying to be more literate in my spare time, but I have a tendency to struggle with starting things so I end up not knowing exactly how to effectively do research. I never feel like I’m doing enough and I might be missing something, which is why I agree that Media Literacy should be held in higher importance.
August 11, 2024 at 9:04 pm
Alan C.
With how available infirmation is with the internet and media publishing, separation between what can be truth from what is falsehood can be difficult. Especially with education, as much research is done and collected from outside sources in order for writing a collective report, Media Literacy is an educational topic that should be more heavily pushed in schools and educational facilities.
August 14, 2024 at 10:03 pm
I think Media Literacy is so important! Not only for information, but art also! There’s a lot of art and media out there that many people misunderstand and could relate to the struggles we all face now.
August 20, 2024 at 1:50 pm
I completely agree with you. It’s just like the phrase, “We learn from our mistakes”.
September 3, 2024 at 12:59 pm
I definitely agree and really appreciate the awareness of the fact that even viewing certain topics online is a luxury in the US. Media literacy I feel is something all people say they have, but don’t understand past common sense media. I hope media literacy becomes integrated into some form of education due to its current and rising popularity. Great topic!
September 5, 2024 at 2:53 am
I totally agree! I’ve seen articles about how middle schoolers don’t know how to write or read and even some people our age are having difficulty. Media literacy is so important and it needs to be emphasized to people now and it needs to be taught and practiced in schools more than ever
July 3, 2024 at 12:35 am
Michaela Crowe
At the beginning of senior year, I attached a large portion of my self-esteem to my academic achievements and my productivity. I felt the constant need to prove my intelligence to my classmates. While I thought this made me superior to students who put less effort into their work, I ended up harming myself by creating a nonexistent competition between myself and all my classmates. Viewing my peers as rivals that I must prove my worth to every day resulted in me becoming crushed by any failures. I felt the compelling need to never be seen making a mistake or falling behind, and whenever I failed to maintain this standard, I imagined that everyone was watching and judging me as harshly as I was judging myself.
As this cycle continued to wear me down throughout the school year, I realized that my strategy wasn’t assisting me in becoming more productive, and I only put so much pressure on myself because I deeply cared about the opinions of other people. I initially thought I was becoming confident and self-assured by attaching my worth to my academics rather than something I saw as more superficial, such as popularity or likability, but I’ve had to admit to myself that I was still relying on the approval of other people to maintain my confidence.
My experience with challenging coursework during my senior year taught me that true confidence comes from myself, not from feeling more accomplished than others. My school life became much less stressful once I started being more compassionate towards myself and accepted that making mistakes and having bad days doesn’t take away from my worth.
July 3, 2024 at 11:39 am
Hey Michaela, This is a truly insightful self reflection and important to be mindful of as you transition to college. Thanks for sharing!
July 12, 2024 at 5:44 am
I sympathize with you as I have spent much of my childhood and teen years craving and riding on academic validation. It is draining to be comparing yourself to others constantly and looking back I never really got the chance to step back and take a look at my essays, artwork and other projects and really appreciate the message I worked on conveying throughout all my works and it really took away from my ability to see my potential. In college I too want to celebrate myself and my hard work in order to really improve my skills, but also enjoy what I am learning in the process. It is important to realize too that we are all different and have different skills and abilities, which is why comparing ourselves is only detrimental to our experiences in school and our community.
July 15, 2024 at 11:01 pm
I know how this feels. All the time I wanted to be better academically than my classmates because I felt like my teachers and I needed that. I felt like my worth was based on feeling like I had to do so much better than the rest of my peers. It’s exhausting to constantly compare yourself to other people. Now I realize that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses and that nobody is better than anybody else. We all have something to contribute to the world.
July 28, 2024 at 6:45 am
I understand how you feel and I applaud you for your self-awareness on the subject! I agree, confidence lies within yourself, not among your comparison to others!
August 2, 2024 at 7:31 pm
I full heartedly agree with everything you said honestly. I think the same exact way when it comes to school and how I always pushed myself hard to prove something to others and myself. All I focused on throughout high school was maintaining all A’s so that I would feel like I finally accomplished something. I always yearned for academic validation my entire life, especially since my parents were always so strict and held such high expectations upon me growing up. They always compared me to their friend’s kids which made me push even harder, and made me become so overwhelmed. I am very much a people pleaser, and I too care about other people’s opinions as I take it to heart. I’m glad that I’m not alone on this, I’m glad I could relate to you about this!
August 21, 2024 at 6:43 pm
Hey Michaela, I found your writing very thoughtful, and relatable. I’ve always had a bit of a competitive spirit, but I’ve found its very easy for it to turn toxic and unhelpful. I think focusing more on study groups and extending help to fellow classmates is exponentially better than genuine rivalries though. I personally feel I understand a concept best when I’m able to teach it to a younger sibling, friend, or classmate. Thank you for sharing!
August 23, 2024 at 2:51 am
Hi Michaela,
This post made me feel very seen! I went through very similar feelings in high school and holding yourself on a higher pedestal than others does end up tearing down your self-esteem more than one would think. I also felt like my school life got so much less stressful when I started to prioritize my own self and time managment and took myself of that one sided competion mindset!
Thank you so much for sharing, this was very relatable and insightful!
August 27, 2024 at 2:22 am
Loved your response! I can definitely relate to your experience. In my senior year, I was so driven and focused on my academics that my self-esteem would drop whenever I wasn’t achieving high scores. I also felt the pressure to constantly prove my intelligence. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that “academic success is the only way to show your value.” It’s definitely important to remember that our worth isn’t just defined by our achievements.
August 28, 2024 at 8:20 pm
I’m glad to see that you’ve come to this conclusion with yourself and it sounds like you’re taking steps for self betterment. Happiness does come from self acceptance which can only be acquired from within. I’m trying to get there myself and I hope others can too.
September 2, 2024 at 5:28 am
I felt that your story hit really close to home and I appreciate that you wrote this. I’m glad that you were able to self reflect and come upon this realization as you came upon college.
September 4, 2024 at 3:38 am
I have unfortunately been in your shoes, as I have constantly felt the need to compare myself to others. It can be very demeaning, as I, too, have felt inferior because I may have performed worse than a classmate, but it is something I have worked on and believe we can all accomplish!
July 4, 2024 at 4:27 pm
Mason Daigle
It was surprising to me that the best form of learning comes from the sour taste of defeat . Just think back to all those times in your life that you had worked your very hardest towards a goal just in the end to fall short . Many people would just give up because they gave it their best effort , but for those that are like me that really feed off the feeling of being defeated . They use that feeling of despair and sadness to overcome any obstacles before them.
Many times throughout my life I had felt this feeling , but one time in particular comes into mind when thinking about it . Back a few summers ago I used to play baseball for a team, we made it as far as the series finals. My teammates and I played our hearts out. But in the end we lost that game to a walk off home run. The feeling of defeat I fealt after this game was for the first time very unbearable. Because of this game it changed me deeply , a game that I used to just play for fun turned out to be the foundation to the person I am today .
I feel as though everyone eventually has undergone some feeling of defeat and because of those feelings it made them a stronger person in the end . But if you don’t learn from losing or feeling defeated then you’re no better from where you had started .
August 26, 2024 at 10:14 pm
I would agree with your stance on how defeat is actually something that provides benefits to the person affected by it, and I like how you look towards the positives instead of the negatives when you’re down.
July 5, 2024 at 10:29 pm
Evangeline M.
I’m gonna start this off by saying the IB curriculum is a scam. For those who aren’t familiar, IB stands for International Baccalaureate. Not sure exactly what it means or what It’ll do for me but the extensive writing assignments and critical analyses prepared me for college level assessments to come. Over the past four years I attended my local IB school, two of which I was working on achieving the diploma. Ah yes, the IB diploma. A 5000 word essay, CAS (Community/Activity/Service) experiences, three higher-level classes and a Theory of Knowledge course are all required to receive the diploma. The best part about the diploma is that you find out whether or not you got it after you get into college! So applying to high-ranking schools is a ripoff because they don’t know how much work you put in until after you’re enrolled and receive the diploma. The recognition is nice though, it isn’t light work. It may be useful when applying to higher forms of education or perhaps certain jobs reward it. Nonetheless, I don’t regret my work. It was dreadful in the moment and I’m afraid all of life can be, but now I look back and appreciate what it’s done for me. I’m slowly learning that it’s not the diploma but what you do with it, and an IB diploma is like an arrow with no head.
July 9, 2024 at 2:06 pm
Isabel H.
When I was younger, I firmly believed that talent determined success. Growing up, I never struggled much to succeed in academics. This led me to believe that hard work was secondary—if you were naturally talented, success would naturally follow.
However, this belief began to unravel during my last few years in high school. Being injured and losing my sports seasons, really made me lose my motivation when it came to doing my school work. This led me to stop studying for tests and not doing my homework, leaving me with the punishment that I brought upon myself, wishing that my talent would have carried me the rest of the way. It made me question whether hard work and perseverance might be more critical factors. This shift in perspective is crucial not just for me, but for my community as well. In college and beyond, students and professionals alike often face challenges where talent alone might not suffice.
As we enter UMassD, embracing this belief ensures that everyone’s journey toward success is acknowledged and supported. So, what defines success in your eyes: talent, hard work, or a mix of both?
July 28, 2024 at 5:34 pm
I think success is determined by a mix of both. Some people may have to work harder than others in order to become successful. Some people might just be naturally better at remembering material that is taught to them. However if you only rely on that and something happens in your personal life that is going to be clouding your brain in class, you’re not going to be very successful. People should always try to have some studying habits even if you’re naturally good at remembering what you learn in class it’s best to be in the good habit of studying.
August 15, 2024 at 10:16 pm
I think it’s a sense of both but one more than another. Almost like a 60% hard work 40% talent. People can always look at there school career and ask them self if they really tired or if it was just luck that they got by. And I think most would say hard work
July 14, 2024 at 1:54 pm
Sarah Duphily
I have always been a person that directly correlates their self esteem with academic success. Being a person in which grades always came easy, it wasn’t until high school that I really had to face the music and disassociate the way I feel about myself from the way I perform in school. Entering freshman year during a global pandemic was already an obstacle in itself, but learning how to navigate self confidence in a whole new world presented an immense amount of difficulty for me. The amount of pressure that I exerted on myself proved to detrimental to my mental and physical health. I counteracted my own mind by utilizing external resources such as therapy and meditation. Finding distractions was also pivotal to taking some of the pressure of academic life off my shoulders. Through counseling, I was able to determine that failure is acceptable and actually encouraged. Now, the best way I retain information is through getting it wrong a few times before hitting the mark. Though I have been passionate about healthcare from a young age, choosing nursing as my major was a challenge for me because of the anticipated academic stress it would put on me. However, drawing from my previous experiences, I have made the choice to persevere and utilize smaller, stepping stone goals to break down the workload. I still find myself becoming doubtful sometimes, but I try to take myself back to freshman year and see how far I have come in my balancing academic and personal strategies.
July 17, 2024 at 3:30 am
Looking back on the things we have achieved is what helps us with the present as well as the future. I can totally understand the amount of stress when it comes to building you’re self esteem off of academic success. It’s always okay to get back up when we fall down.
July 19, 2024 at 1:29 am
hey Sarah:) sometimes in life, you make decisions but overthink whether they will positively help you. when it gets like that always go with your heart’s choice and not what someone else has to say or think. Seeing your growth from freshman year to now means you can grow much more in college. Being able to expand your knowledge within your major and in a new community can help you see things from a different perspective.
August 28, 2024 at 11:59 pm
Paige B –
Seeing the people in my class all graduate along side made me realize how these are the same people who struggled just as much as me with their academics and the pandemic. We’ve all grown some much compared to our freshman selves, including you! Not only learning this helped you grow in your highschool career, but will also help build knew paths in your college life.
September 3, 2024 at 8:22 pm
Hey! I totally agree with all of this and think that what you said what true and very educational!
July 14, 2024 at 9:59 pm
Phoebe G.
During my senior year, I discovered that many of my classmates were never taught how to write a check. This baffled me because my parents always put value on knowing what they called “Life Skills”. This included cooking, laundry, financial management, sewing, and other useful skills to have in life.
Many of my peers would have benefited from a class that would have taught a curriculum like this in high school. Home Ec is a great example of a class where useful knowledge is being taught, not that trigonometry and English literature are not important or useful. Still, in everyday life, some of my peers would not survive or struggle on their own. However, there would need to be some improvements made to the Home Ec curriculum that would make it more current and applicable to modern society. Adding how to write an email and how to do online banking would be important, but the main change that would need to be made is the removal of pressure for traditional gender roles and the idea that it provides intellectual fulfillment for women. If these changes were made it would create a healthy and safe environment for students to learn about everyday skills.
I was thankful enough to have parents who had the time and resources to teach me these things, but some of my less fortunate peers were put at a disadvantage. Whether it was because of a single-parent household where they didn’t have anyone to teach them or if they had to work to provide for the family. They did not have opportunities that everyone else did. This is why a state-required Home Ec class should be taught in school, so no one is left behind in the race we call life.
July 15, 2024 at 10:00 pm
I like this a lot, lot’s of people struggle to do such small and simple things in a daily life. A class like this would be a great thing.
August 13, 2024 at 12:27 am
I totally agree! Having these types of classes would teach people everyday life necessities!!
August 16, 2024 at 3:49 am
I agree. I think having a class like that is very important because some kids just don’t grow up learning how to do these things. Even though for some it may seem like common sense to do these little things, it isn’t. It should at least be an option, as some of the things that would be taught are important to know especially if you are going off to college.
August 27, 2024 at 2:29 am
I completely agree with you! I noticed that many of my classmates also lacked basic life skills, which surprised me because, like you, I was fortunate to have family who taught me the basics and essential skills. It’s so important to have a curriculum that includes practical life skills like managing finances and online banking. I also agree with you on updating Home Ec to help remove outdated gender roles and focus on skills that everyone should have. A state-required class would definitely help to ensure that all students are prepared for life after high school.
July 15, 2024 at 10:35 pm
John D’Agostino
Something that made me wonder about this world is the violence. How can such an advanced race such as the humans be so violent towards each other and do so much damage to one another. After one of my old friends was killed earlier this year I really thought about who I was and what I stand for. Realizing that life is very short and truly a gift people should really appreciate how special it is. A new belief I chose to believe is faith. If you don’t know faith is relating back to god as in I believe god will help me get through my hardest situations. I believe that we all should really be as peaceful as we can.
I’ve lost too many friends in my life and I’m only 18, that’s not something that should be ok. I want a world where I can walk around and not have to worry about who is behind me when I walk or where I walk at a certain time. I believe that our world can be so much more than what it is right now.
That is what has made me change from high school to college. The real world is unforgiving and I just believe that with faith you can get through it as long as you believe. I know it might seem stupid or dumb but I have experienced faith at it’s peak, in front of my eyes things that seem impossible to even figure out get figured out and everytime that happens I let god take the wheel and show me where to go from there. So let me ask you this, how many times can you remember when faith got you out of a situation when you thought it was impossible and it turned out not to be?
August 10, 2024 at 1:27 pm
I love the idea of relying on faith to help with hardships, and tough times, and I can relate to this as well. Having something so important as faith to fall back on when times get tough is extremely important.
July 17, 2024 at 3:20 am
Raquelle H.
Growing up as a kid was very hard for me and even mentioning a topic like this is still hard until this day. When we were little, usually we would hear that we need to be smart in order to succeed or just need to be number one in order to really get where you want to be but I strongly disagree with that. Basically my whole life the education system doubted me that I needed all of this extra help and that it would need to stay this way until I graduated. Putting me on an IEP meant taking me out of classes and giving me this extra help I supposedly needed. I remember being a little kid that I would be so hard on myself and wanted to be this perfect kid that everyone else was at the time. Before covid hit I proved to not only the school system but to myself that I didn’t really need that. Over the last almost 5 years I began to realize that no matter what, no one can ever doubt you but only yourself. You don’t need to be perfect or have the perfect grades to succeed but as long as you try, that is what matters. I hope not only myself but as well as the UmassD community knows that you don’t need to always be number one to succeed. The amount of times I doubted myself because I thought all the hard work I put in wasn’t enough, is something I will regret until this day. All the hard work we put in will always be worth it even if it doesn’t always seem like it.
July 17, 2024 at 12:55 pm
Thanks for sharing your story, Raquelle! For yourself and other folks coming to UMassD with IEPs, I recommend getting in touch with the Office of Student Accessibility, which helps students make arrangements with professors to enhance accessibility of course materials. Here is the office’s page, which has more info: https://www.umassd.edu/accessibility/
July 22, 2024 at 3:41 pm
Abigail Moura
I believe that getting involved throughout your years in education is extremely important. I know it is always a big thing teachers and staff encourage on the first day of school, but you never realize how important it is until it is over. Whether this includes sports, music, games, sorority houses, or even small get-togethers to talk about a topic, it is important to meet new people and create a bond that all you share and care about. For me personally, I was in the band, and will be continuing music in music education. I joined the high school marching band and percussion in middle school. I know many people think marching band is blowing air through an instrument and walking. However, it is much more than that. It is long hours in the sun or cold filled with teamwork, listening, discipline, frustration, perfection, excitement, hard work, and competition. I was taught advice and experiences I could use in music and in life.
Band helped me get through many obstacles in my life, including, but not limited to anxiety, depression, eating disorders, relationship problems, and more. The want and drive to be the greatest at something pushed me to become a better and healthier person. When I was struggling from an eating disorder and dangerously underweight, the one thing that made me push to keep living was band practice. My dream was to always be a musician and band taught me to never give up on what I love and keep pushing, especially when it is hard, and you are tired, and think it is impossible. The encouragement and honor you get from your peers and instructors is incredible because they know you worked hard to achieve your goals.
I am extremely grateful I stayed involved in music throughout my education. It has taught me life lessons and made me a better person. Do you regret being involved or not being involved?
July 28, 2024 at 6:48 am
I believe that hard work is the key to success. Diligence, ambition, and engagement push individuals to the finish line, allowing them to tear the ribbon that separated them from their goals. Achievement has never been a mere gift from the world, but the beholders’ utilization of their skills.
Yet, I have not always held this belief.
Growing up, I had the universal experience of the teachers and figures from my life telling me that the stepping stones to success began with the effort I emitted. Unfortunately, this was hard to believe. As a young girl- particularly in the years of primary education- my perception of success was fed to me through the media. Child actors getting their big break in their music career, politicians producing political successors through their bloodline, generations worth of wealth being handed to one heir, a video producing fame after prevailing against the likeness of the recording appearing on the social feeds of other young girls like myself. From the perspective that I was tube fed from an earphone jack, success was either handed to you with your birth certificate, as if an extension of your last name, or it was a completely random, statistically unbiased chance- like the universe rolled an eight billion sided die that just so happened to land on your name.
Even in my experiences that didn’t require a wifi connection, the trends of success were consistent. If you’ve ever been to a public middle school, there is a good chance you’re familiar with someone who just so happened to be the blood-born protege of one (or two) of the faculty staff. I’ve learned side by side with several of these students and from my authentic experience, everything (from my past perspective) was handed to them. Every honors or AP class had their name on the roster before they stepped foot in the institution, the captain titles of all sports teams were placed on hold before they could pick up a bat, and their student government positions were assigned before they even enrolled. From the outside perspective, it seemed as though the entire educational system was kneeling for them.
Those walls also housed special cases of chance, manifesting in the form of so-called “gifted” students. These scholars molded the bulk of my belief, as I was one of them. During my primary schooling, I had excelled educationally. I received perfect marks for years, all whilst putting in little to no effort, it just came naturally. I was reading at a high school level by the fourth grade, in the fifth grade I was one of few selected for an advanced English course at my school, and within my seventh year, I had completed all of my middle schools’ offered math classes- forcing them to put me in the same class two years in a row, as there was nowhere else for me to be placed. Expectedly, I finished that year with a perfect grade. School came so easily to me that I had to indulge in other things to keep myself stimulated. For several years I went to chess club and science olympiad, read three books a week, and taught myself five instruments. Yet, this still wasn’t enough to keep me challenged, everything came so easily for me. I accepted that this was just how my mind worked, I settled into the comfort that this universe had chosen me to bear these gifts, that the eight billion sided die landed on my name.
However, no story goes on without a conflict, right? Entering my secondary education, I enrolled in only honors and AP courses, as per the recommendation of my previous educators. After years and years of not having to study, finishing all of my homework within twenty minutes of it being assigned, and being the first person to make the glorious walk to the “turn-in-bin” after each assessment- the syllabus and course load of my college-level curriculum hit me like a double-decker bus, fully equipped with a titanium battering ram and the speed of a formula one race car. Not only was the material much more difficult than I was accustomed to, the class pace was like nothing I had experienced. Nonetheless, I maintained the same mindset, I was a product of chance, after all. I was confident that success would come to me just as easily as before, I mean, the die doesn’t lie, right?
Wrong. Within my first two weeks of high school, I received a failing grade. The assessment I took on cell biology reflected my studying efforts. I assumed that the class lecture presented to my peers and I would be sufficient preparation for my examination, just as it always had. Yet, the mere utilization of my memory wasn’t enough. Maybe this was an anomaly, an off day, it will be better next time, surely it will. Wrong… Again. I couldn’t grasp the concept of my failure, had the die been thrown again, passing my success to another? I had not attempted to turn inward and evaluate what I was doing incorrectly until the release of my first-quarter grades. My placings read out everything other than the “A” I was accustomed to. Within the jungle of words and letters, one phrase obtruded the page; “Could benefit from more studying.” A note from my biology teacher. With no prior experience with the effort of studying, I turned towards the finest source of inspiration and influence I could think of, the original fuel to the fire of my belief, the internet.
Within my deep dive into the world of “How to Study” videos, I came to assimilate the concept and techniques of studying. I even found myself studying the videos teaching me to study. I utilized this newly acquired skill in my classes, and to the surprise of no one other than me, I did amazing in all of them. Making an effort made A’s. Within another turn of events, at least to my young and arrogant mind, the child of one of the educators within the school asked me to study alongside her.
Within an exceptionally short period, the beliefs that were fed to me from a young age were rewired. Not only was engagement and ambition required for my own success, but it was also mandatory for the people who seemingly, as per my previous uneducated assumption, had success handed to them.
While it took me an exceptionally long time to come to this realization, I learned that hard work is truly the stepping stone and backbone of success. It doesn’t matter what your strong suits are, or what your last name is, it doesn’t even matter if you grew up as a so-called “gifted student”, in the end, hard work and ambition are the deciding factors of success. Not a birth certificate, and not an eight billion sided die.
July 28, 2024 at 5:24 pm
Gracie B.
I always have believed in a saying since I was a young girl. The saying used to be said by my Nana, Sharyn Ann Bricher. She would say, “pay now play later”. She would repeat this to me so much to the point its become cemented in my head. The saying means that all the hard work and discipline you apply to yourself now, is going to pay off and give you an easy, successful future. I am going to have to think about this saying frequently in college. Everyone around me has been telling me how difficult nursing school is going to be. I know its going to be hard, I’m sure there is going to be times where I think I can’t do it or I may think this is too hard and not worth it. However, I have to stay vigilant. I want to become a good nurse and I know the nursing program at Umass Dartmouth is going to give me that. I just have to apply myself and surround myself with the right people. Rather than going out on a Saturday night to a party, I want to find myself a good study group. I have to make that sacrifice now and “pay now”. So I can do well, pass all my classes, and be able to pass the NCLEX exam. This will all set me up so I can “play later” in life. Meaning I could go on vacations with my family, spoil myself a little since I would have a set job bringing in good money. Moral of the story is I think in order for me to be successful with my education I need to remember I’m paying now so I can play later.
August 7, 2024 at 3:28 pm
I love this response. that saying is such a good motivation
July 30, 2024 at 1:54 am
Madiosn O.
I believe eduction is a right that everyone should be able to get no matter their background or circumstances. In elementary school in the morning we always had to say out loud the golden rule, treat others the way you wanna be treat. If we treat everyone the way we wanna be treated, that should go the same with eduction. Im aware some educations are harder to get than others, but everyone should be able to get the same eduction, no matter the town or the type of school they go like public or private, it should be same no matter what. There are many students out there with incredible potential in the world, who do tend to get held back because they don’t have the same education as a private school kid does or someone from a nicer town. When everyone has access to same the education it creates equal opportunities and in the end can reduce social inequalities. Equal education means that everyone has the chance to do great things in life and not feel like some forgotten person in a little bubble, who thinks they can’t achieve things cause they didn’t learn the same things others did.
July 30, 2024 at 7:04 pm
Katherine S
A belief I had changed by people around me was that anyone could be educated about anything. Even the most close-minded people can be taught about their wrongdoings and fix them. However, this belief was proven false. I get involved in pseudoscience talks a lot, and a frequent topic is flat earth. If you’ve ever met a flat earth believer, you’d know it’s hard to teach them anything. Any proof is either government propaganda or completely falsified.
I got into a series of arguments with this one man, and nothing could get him to move about how wrong he was. No data, no videos, not even flat earth experiments being proven wrong. Everything was either me being a government sheep below NASA or me making up the math and results for experiments. And when it came to me listening to what he believed in, he kept making mistakes and changing answers. No matter what was said for days on end, his beliefs wouldn’t budge. In the end, he blocked me and said I’d go to hell.
The belief that not everyone can be taught is important to me and my community because of people like this. No matter how hard you try to help them see differently, you’re just a government sheep. I know it’s awful of me to say, but some people should lay off the Joe Rogan podcasts and go see what the outdoors is like. Some people will forever just be stuck in their ways I guess.
July 31, 2024 at 2:11 am
Abigail L.
As the days pass, I am collecting bits and pieces of myself to help me dive deep into my journey at UMass Dartmouth while studying interior design. I begin to reflect on my beliefs regarding the value of education. Growing up, like many others, I was set to believe that education is a significant tool used to help gain knowledge, earn good grades, and most importantly set a foundation for a long-lasting career. This belief has since provided me with a clear path for my future.
However, a series of transformative experiences during high school helped me reshape the deeper meaning of education. During the COVID-19 pandemic and through at-home learning, I found my love for art and creativity. This newfound passion allowed me to realize that education is not just about obtaining new information but it is also about discovering our true interests and passions. During this period of self-discovery, I decided to pursue a career in interior design, highlighting its impact on creative spaces and the effects it has on human emotions and experiences.
This shift in perspective was reinforced by deep thought within myself and my family. They helped me understand that education is a lifelong journey used for exploration and growth, and not so much a “final” destination. Their encouragement to pursue my interests encouraged this belief when it comes to the power of education.
This belief in the transformative power of education is important as I join the UMass Dartmouth community. It focuses on the importance of being open-minded, which is key in a field such as interior design. By embracing this belief, I hope to contribute to innovation and collaboration, where all students and faculty alike are inspired to push past the boundaries of their creativity.
As we begin this new chapter, I would like to leave you with this; How can we shed a positive light on education in a way that helps us with the complexities of the modern world?
August 7, 2024 at 3:27 pm
Education is the one thing that you need in this country to be successful, without a degree it will make things very difficult in your day-to-day life. However, most struggle with the pressure that academics brings. Growing up I always struggled with math, I remember striving for perfection every time I picked up a pencil, and then the disappointment when I couldn’t fulfill my personal goal. Academic perfection is debilitating to a young mind, trying to keep straight As constantly becomes draining. But it’s always important to remember that perfection isn’t what you should be striving for. The pressure of knowing you need a degree, but school sucks the life out of you is scary, but once you take the time to really study while keeping your free time productive it becomes much easier to reach your goals and feel satisfied with your work and knowing you tried your best is such a rewarding feeling. Education is very important and it’s the one thing nobody can take away from you, you can have all the money in the world, but it will never be a match to what knowledge can buy you.
Making it a point to study and attend your classes is crucial to a good academic year, education is what takes you the farthest in life. Knowing that you completed everything you can with all the tools school gave you helps you know the kind of person you are and the lengths you can go to succeed
August 10, 2024 at 5:17 am
I agree that making education a priority in life is a great way to make sure that you can make it far in life.
September 4, 2024 at 3:14 am
Hi! I totally agree that education is the firm foundation on everything. You need to be able to understand things if you’re gonna be able to succeed in life. Thank you for sharing your opinion
August 7, 2024 at 4:49 pm
I’ve always felt like I was left outside of the box everyone was in. I felt as if I was being viewed through a two way mirror where I couldn’t see the people observing me but I could feel it. I’ve always wondered why that is, what do other people see when they look at me? And why can’t I see what they see?
I learned to advocate for myself after years of being accused of lying about my ailments. While growing up adults often thought of me as a nuisance, as a kid who lied about being sick in order to avoid school and homework.
The more I was misjudged, the more my confusion and anger grew.In high school I officially got diagnosed with things that lined up with my “lies” so I felt relieved to not be considered a liar anymore. I have a lot of empathy for my younger self who struggled with being bullied by much older teachers and not making friends.
I really wanted to love school as it was my escape from being home. At home I struggled with having to grow up faster than I wanted, and I ended up taking on a lot of responsibilities that I shouldn’t have due to my mom not being able to speak English. Me being the only one who cared enough to help even though I was very young. I hope that the teachers and my peers at Umass Dartmouth aren’t quick to judge others because you never know what someone is going through.
August 9, 2024 at 12:37 am
I really like this because I was also considered a “troubled” kid in high school because of isolated things I was going through at home. I agree with the point you made about empathy and the golden rule.
August 12, 2024 at 6:00 am
Wow, I can really sense all of those frustrating emotions that’s just oozing from your post. Already I can sense that you are an amazing individual even through your harsh upbringing. I know that you will most certainly be able to succeed all throughout your time in college. Then again, you are most certainly correct about people being so quick to judge before even getting to know you. These are just one of life’s many hurdles and seeing that you’ve made it this far, I know that you will be able to overcome it. You got this!!
August 8, 2024 at 6:45 pm
My love for history and politics never stemmed from a childhood love of past events. Back in middle school I saw history as a trivial subject, “if it already happened why are we learning about it” was something I would always think about in my history classes as I considered history one of the irrelevant subjects. It was during quarantine when my interest in history started to ignite, I can’t for sure say when it started but it definitely started with when it started but it definitely started with simple 3 minute animated YouTube videos explaining certain events in history. The three minute videos became 20 minute videos, after that the 20 minute videos became hour long documentaries that go into more depth. My beliefs changed not just because it changed my view on history as a subject but it also changed some of my beliefs of what I used to think I knew about history. My geography skills increased, my understanding on ideologies became more clear, and the more I learned about history the more context I obtained. To me learning context about historical situations helps understand how our modern world is shaped. As humans we all make mistakes and underestimating history has to be my biggest one so far, if I continued to believe that history was not the vital pit of knowledge that I realized now, I would probably be another person of color that doesn’t know their own history and is vulnerable to the ignorance of others. Having an understanding of history is having and understanding of what goes on in our current day to day. It makes us understand how people act and make decisions. We learn from history so we do not repeat the same mistake of the past in the future. And I believe that we will use the lessons from history to live in a time of peace and prosperity.
August 10, 2024 at 5:15 am
Tyler F.
One belief that I had that changed and developed throughout my life was the criteria and thought process I used when determining if somebody should be my friend. When I was younger, I used to think that somebody on a sports team or somebody that was nice to me only a single time should be someone I consider to be my friend, and that I should keep them around. That belief was challenged in seventh grade when I missed one day of basketball practice, and some of my teammates decided to speak disrespectfully about me behind my back. Before that incident, I considered those people to be my friends. After learning of what they did to me after the fact, I kept much more distance from them and just finished out the season and never really spoke to them again. This experience really taught me to pick and choose my friends much more carefully and make sure that people in my life that would speak about me in a disrespectful manner without my knowledge would never be around me, and would never even have the chance to think of the words in the first place. This is important to me because as I’ve grown older, I have made it a priority to surround myself with more positive people and positive energy, and keep to out negativity to make sure that I don’t have to deal with people that are not worth my time and energy. This experience truly showed me that not all people have your best interests in mind, so all people should be very mindful of the ones that keep you company.
August 10, 2024 at 10:36 am
Mason P.
Education is important. Education and learning are the reasons most of the modern world exists. Still some forms of education are not for everyone. I, myself, hated high school. The constant flooding of information and the constant pressure to score high enough took away from the original desire I had to learn. To the point I heavily considered not applying or attending college. The constant and mundane routine of high school was beyond tiring and did reduce my want for schooling, but it also made me more eager to learn again. College is different from the functionality of high school and because of this it makes learning easier. Rather than being focused on that final bell to ring. College changes the way schooling is done. This is what caused me to realize the difference in education and learning. Education is being a number on a flow chart or another graduate recorded in a year book and given a fancy piece of paper. Learning however is far different, it is the excitement of the science fair when the volcano erupts, it is the joy of working on a project the night before its due with a group of friends, and it is the warm feeling when something you made is recognized. Learning is and never will be about books or test scores or who was top of the class and who just barely passed. Learning is about what you gain and take away in life, that is what learning is.
August 10, 2024 at 4:21 pm
Samuel F.
Everyone has subjects that they enjoy, and others that they do not. Finding ways to learn material within these problem subjects is very difficult, which is why I believe students need to find something that excites them. Students will often claim that they dislike a certain subject. As a person who is more math-oriented, I was never really a fan of English classes. In my experience, they were the least lively classes, and I felt as though I never knew the answers to questions. During my senior year, my English class was based around dystopian literature. All central subjects in schools are so diverse; there is a place for everyone in each of them. This class kept me interested in English. I found myself enjoying a bit of analysis. I did not enjoy every novel we analyzed in the class, but finding parts of aforementioned novels that I enjoyed aided me in my learning.
Just as I did not enjoy every novel in my senior English class, students will not enjoy every class as a whole that they may take. This will make learning the material more difficult. But subjects are so diverse, and if students can find one part of a difficult or boring class that they enjoy, then learning will not be as burdensome. This ability, to find your spark in what seems to be darkness, is not easy to come by. But with a little searching, learning might not be as complex as it seemed to be.
September 3, 2024 at 5:56 pm
I find this to be very true and I feel it’s a great piece of advice to people who may be in a class that they find boring or uninterested in. Trying to find something of interest in a class one might not enjoy can greatly help reduce the complexity of learning the content in the class.
August 10, 2024 at 6:06 pm
Lucas F
The twenty-first century has provided everyone with an ability to instantly broadcast messages globally. This privilege is in the hands of everyone, including an assortment of bad actors spreading false and harmful narratives. With this, you’d expect the vast majority of folks to be able to discern and de-platform bad-faith narratives. This isn’t the case, unfortunately. Media literacy rates are at an embarrassingly low rate and any discussion regarding touchy subjects are instantly met with tense and standoff-ish behavior.
I understand how easy it is to consume fake news and run with it. I spent years of my life taking the easy way out and reiterating other peoples talking points and never thinking on my own. This is one thing you can’t learn in the classroom. To form your moral compass and settle in on your own beliefs can only come from self-enrichment and learning how everyone else’s world turns, not just yours. With this, I challenge everyone to not only question what they are told, but to question yourself. Is this truly what you believe and stand for? No teacher can teach you that.
August 26, 2024 at 7:02 pm
Very true. Having such an ability to share and receive information with just our fingertips makes it essential to have some sort of competent morals set, but not to shut out anything challenging them. As you said, many current media or challenging discussions are frequently made ” tense and standoff-ish” and to be able to self-reflect and realize that to be educated you need to challenge your own ideals is a great representation.
August 12, 2024 at 3:17 am
Joseph M
I believe that it is important to understand that you can always reach out for help. However, throughout my education I didn’t always think this way, I believed that I had to rely on myself and work on things alone. But this quickly changed as I went through Highschool. As assignments that I barely understood piled up I got easily overwhelmed, and what triggered the sudden switch from working alone to asking for help was when I saw that my grades were way below what I was hoping for. After changing my beliefs I started reaching out for help and I realized how much help it was. My mind opened up and I was no longer worried or embarrassed to ask others for help.
This is not only important to me but should be important to others because it’s not only applicable to education. If you’re going through a tough time or just not in a good mood you are never alone, you can always reach out and get help. Just simply asking for help can get rid of possible hours of stress.
What one should take away from this post is that its ok to reach out for help. So the next time you feel down or stressed think about this and remember, it’s ok to get/need help.
August 29, 2024 at 8:29 pm
I completely agree with you. I also used to have trouble reaching out for help. In fact, I still do. It helps to have people close to you that can aid you when you need it. I find it easier to reach out to those that I know rather than those that I do not.
August 12, 2024 at 5:54 am
If there was a strong, certain belief that I now carry close to my heart, it would be to never doubt the indomitable human spirit.
Before I came to UMass Dartmouth, I didn’t really believe in anything. In fact, I didn’t even know anything besides what I was taught. I didn’t even want to go to college. I was planning on forfeiting my future before it even began. However, a core conversation with my mother changed my mind.
I remember standing beside my mother, chatting with her as she washed the dishes. I remember that I was complaining about schoolwork and how I sometimes pondered dropping out of school. I’ll never forget her panicked, almost wild-eyed expression on her face as she asked me in Haitian Creole, “Seriously, Mirlandy? You were born in this country, the language belongs to you, and the opportunities are in your hands. I was not born here, Mimi—I don’t have the same chances that you do. Why don’t you want to fight for it while you can?” She was right, of course. Just as my people fought for their freedom against the French, I began to fight for my future. The human spirit, delicate yet overwhelming in its power, showed itself to me that day. And when I was finally handed my diploma, along with my acceptance letter to UMass Dartmouth, I realized that a human spirit can never be broken unless you will it. With that in mind, will you let yours break?
August 12, 2024 at 2:20 pm
Chase C
Throughout my academic career, I have often found myself believing that time management doesn’t matter. Throughout high school, I’ve tried to work my way around deadlines and have often found myself procrastinating and not finishing important projects until the last possible minute. This changed my senior year when I put off a really important assignment, and it almost caused my GPA to tank. In the last semester of my senior year, my AP government teacher gave us a final project to work on as the school year came to a close. This project was very important because it was worth a pretty big chunk of our grade. Per usual, I waited until the very last minute to begin working on the project. I started the project at about 7 p.m. on a Tuesday night and finished around 10 p.m. It took me three hours to create a rushed project that really wasn’t my best work, but I didn’t care because I was so excited for the end of the school year. When I went to upload my project, I realized I had missed the due date, and I could no longer submit my project! The next day at school, I begged my teacher to still grade the project, even though I had submitted it so late. Luckily, he agreed to still grade the project, but he deducted a lot of late points. This incident made me realize that, coming into college, I really need to work on my time management. College professors will not be as lenient as my AP government teacher was, so I can’t go to college believing I can work my way around deadlines or put things off until the last minute.
August 15, 2024 at 4:33 am
Chase,
I also struggle with time management. It’s easy to fall into the habit of procrastinating, believing that I can make the deadlines last minute. However, as we’ve learned, this approach leads to unnecessary stress and compromises the quality of work we turn in. Recognizing this struggle is the first step toward improvement. Good luck!
August 12, 2024 at 8:23 pm
Roy A
High school was a major period for me filled with personal growth. One belief that I think is crucial to reflect on as I enter college is the idea that asking for help is a sign of weakness. I had to change my mindset in order to grow and adapt. Growing up, I often felt that I needed to handle everything by myself to show my independence, capability, or just to prove myself to my friends or family. In school, there would be times where I didn’t understand the concept but rather than asking my teacher for assistance I would try to figure it out myself or just stay confused. This mindset led to stress and failures. I realized that trying to figure everything out by myself was causing me to miss out on the valuable insight and solutions from others. Seeking help from others allows you to benefit from the knowledge of others. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but rather show that you understand your own limitations, self awareness, and humility. It shows your willingness to learn and grow over your pride to get everything done by yourself. I realized that instead of struggling in isolation, It will be better to take initiative and find solutions. This shift of mindset will be beneficial in college and throughout life as I will encounter more obstacles. In life there will be many challenges that we face and won’t be able to solve ourselves. It’s okay to seek guidance when needed.
August 12, 2024 at 11:31 pm
During the previous years of my education, my opinion on the subject has changed many times. My feelings would fluctuate between it being useless or extremely important for what felt like every other month. Through my experience I believe that the importance of education is dependent on the goals of the individual.
The problem with my past goals is that I still had no idea what I wanted to do for a career. I felt like there were so little and too many options at the same time. Due to this, I started to feel as if education wasn’t very important. With no sense of what I was gonna use in my future and what was important for me to learn I felt lost. My decision to go to UMASS Dartmouth was accompanied by the decision of what I wanted to work towards in my future. I feel that with a goal in mind, I can differentiate what I do and don’t need to do to achieve my goal. My education is a very important step to achieve my current goals.
I feel my belief is important to the community because it can help people get where they want to be in life. If you have a general idea of how much money you want to make or where you might want to live, you can look into pathways that can lead you there. Those pathways don’t have to involve education.
August 12, 2024 at 11:46 pm
Kyle D.
I remember the first time I realized that my teachers didn’t know everything. I was only in third or fourth grade, when during a history lesson, my teacher referred to Thomas Jefferson as “the second US President.” As a budding young history nerd who had memorized every single president, probably due to a severe lack of friends, I was quick to point out that actually, John Adams was the second president. Jefferson was the third.
“No,” she insisted, “Thomas Jefferson was the second president of the United States. Please don’t interrupt.” Little nine-year-old me was taken aback. I wondered how a schoolteacher, the ultimate symbol of knowledge and authority, second only to mom and dad, could say something so confusing. When I got home that day, I rushed to the bookshelf and reached for my presidential facts book. The book confirmed my assertion, that Jefferson was the third US president. It was at that moment that I realized that not everyone knows everything. Each of us is informed slightly differently, each with our own biases and preconceived notions. And I learned how to be truly inquisitive and curious, knowing that sometimes, the grown ups can get it wrong.
Of course, my fourth-grader brain wasn’t quite so nuanced. I just thought that the teacher was a big dummy. But I think that day set me down the path to where I am today. I believe that people should be educated in how to think, not what to think. After all, the chemistry majors of the world aren’t being trained to memorize the periodic table, they’re being trained to add to it. Students a hundred years from now will be learning about their breakthroughs, just as we learned about the works of Marie Curie or Alfred Nobel.
What I really mean to say is that to me, the whole point of obtaining a college education is to learn how to one day be your own teacher. At a time in life where people are gaining more and more independence, I find that so many of my peers still take everything at face value. But what we have to remember is that the best teachers are, at their core, students.
August 13, 2024 at 12:23 am
Amber S.
Everyone always tells you that education is important, and it is. But it isn’t always easy, it certainly was not for me. Growing up I had a lot of trouble with reading even up until high school. I have a hard time trying to comprehend the things that I am reading which causes me to have to re-read things multiple times. This also made me struggle in trying to understand what may seem as easy and simple instructions to most people. This struggle affected me a lot during high school, mostly during my junior year. Junior year I pushed myself to take English and math honors classes and it was very difficult. In math, it was mostly word problems instead of equations, which I struggled with the most. In English, we were always reading books out loud and then doing assignments that were on the interpretations of the readings. I was falling really behind on these assignments and my grades were dropping significantly. I am not a fan of trying to ask people for help with schoolwork because it made me feel like everyone was smarter than me. This caused my self – esteem to drop since I’ve always cared about my grades and put school first. At one point I stopped trying all together and almost failed the year. Towards the end of the year, I was able to regain that self – esteem and I worked really hard to get passing grades, yes, they weren’t all A’s or high B’s, but it wasn’t failing. By the time senior year rolled around, I felt more confident in asking teachers for help and staying after school for classes I was struggling with. As I do agree that education is very important, it is also important to have the right learning materials and learning structure to accommodate you in order to do the best you can.
August 13, 2024 at 1:26 am
Maegan A
When I was growing up, I was pushed to be the best in school. My parents did not graduate high school and wanted something in life for their daughter. Understandable as I sit here going for my Nursing degree, wishing my parents were able to do more for themselves in educational and work ethic terms. Having that mindset to do better over the years and making them proud turned my life around into failure and anxiety to an upside of accomplishments.
On wanting to be the best for my family and for my career, I always pushed myself into deep thoughts and scary non-existent visions. In middle school I graduated at the top of my class and in high school, which was what I was not ready for, changed my belief on multiple occasions. I was in a class with over 300 students which in middle school was only 15. As you can imagine I had competition with people I did not know or their educational values which made me fall into failure.
My freshman and sophomore year were not to par. I was trying to make friends and with that my communication skills failed due to being in such a small middle school class. I started to build anxiety, not focus on school and drop education. I was ranked in the hundreds at that time. By my junior and senior year, I assembled more confidence into educational, communicational skills and career values to start focusing on myself. In the company of the accomplishments, I proved to have, I was given awards and scholarships to fund my future career. Now, since you know my career goals and achievements, what’s yours?
August 14, 2024 at 12:48 am
Julia W.
What is the significance of education? Someone must take education seriously because it improves one’s talent, character, mindset, and wisdom. Education encourages people to study all parts of life and contribute to their community or society. People begin to look more at the advantages instead of the disadvantages. Children grow an understanding of education through the role models in their lives; this starts at home. However, when you feel obligated to study at home rather than school, you doubt the value of education. In 2020, when students were forced to learn online, the importance of education became questionable for me. I felt hopeless and unmotivated trying to navigate my way through it. My last year of middle school was not going how I had planned it to go. I had never done online school until then, like most people. I had much I was looking forward to in the classroom. Covid changed it all. It was unfair. I felt like I was forced to participate in school, and the value of education became highly unclear. Going to every Zoom meeting, taking notes, or talking on the microphone became a chore. Once I reached high school, I regained the importance and value of education; this was no longer unclear. It became apparent how important it was. I became more involved and interested; even participating didn’t feel forced anymore. I felt again like I was gaining knowledge, further understanding my skills, and working harder. This belief is essential to the community because this happened to us all. We all have different stories that got us to where we are today. We must value our education to succeed, give back to our community, or even better understand ourselves.
September 4, 2024 at 3:04 am
I found this essay very relatable especially with the 8th grade year being messed up due to Covid.
August 14, 2024 at 1:42 am
Caroline A
The belief that completely changed everything for me was my view on my potential and what I could accomplish by just seeking out help. Over the past few years I have seen and made so many positive changes that my outlook of life has tremendously changed. I had always felt like I had struggled academically for as long as I could remember. I had been in classes that at the time felt very difficult and was receiving extra help as well to just to stay afloat. It was not until my last two years of high school that I realized how impactful it was to seek out resources from teachers and tutors. For the longest time I had struggled trying to do things on my own and it would show up on my grades. This would lead to feeling to low confidence as to what I was capable of. I had wound up establishing really good relationships with my teachers junior & senior year in high school and was encouraged greatly to seek out help after school and use the resources that were available to the students that I was unaware of. What I found by developing self-advocacy skills for myself is that there are really kind & caring people who truly want to see you succeed and will work with you as team to help you reach your goals. It was the moment I had the courage to do this changed my life and gave me the opportunity to see what I am capable of. The more I reached out for help the more my grades had improved for the better. The more my grades improved the more confident I had as to what my potential could be. I feel like the transformation I have seen in myself makes me want to share and encourage with others is that anything is possible if you can self-advocate and look for resources around you that are being offered.
August 14, 2024 at 10:50 pm
Thank you for sharing your experience it was truly very relatable!
August 15, 2024 at 4:13 am
Simon Z.
This is relatable to me because I use to struggle with same things like taking classes that were too difficult for me but eventually I finally switched and got the help I needed to improve and eventually showed for me just like you.
August 14, 2024 at 3:17 pm
Samuel C
In my senior year of high school, I was taken away from my Original high school for reasons personal to me. I got to experience 2 different high schools in life, it gave me such a big change of my perspective and made me realize that I should have cherished the time I spent in school in person vs the time I spent on online school. within the first few months I felt lonely it was hard being almost alone. I didn’t have zoom meetings, I didn’t have anything to really reach out to other than my Dad who worked across from me. For the year I was extremely grateful for that as hard as it was emotionally to be away from all my friends it was also hard for me to really keep my attention on classes completely i’d trail off and take longer than I should have. The main point of this is that don’t take the education and the time you spend with your friends and teacher for granted. Being online the time I spent with people decreased drastically and it hurt. Although someone might not have a choice to go online school and leave behind all their friends like for example covid. education is so important it allows us to make friendships. Although I think we can all agree that school has had a lot of times where we wish we weren’t there but it also helped a lot with different aspects of life. Don’t take the time you spent in school for granted.
August 14, 2024 at 5:34 pm
Learning is all around us. So many young people believe that learning is a chore, but I believe that learning is everything. Education shouldn’t be about memorizing facts to get a good score on a test and forgetting them a week later. It should be about exploring and finding passion in something new. This isn’t limited to just in school either. Experiences teach so much, but people are often so quick to disregard information not learned in a classroom. However, no classroom can teach you your grandma’s cookie recipe or even how to be a good friend. Getting out there and learning from those around you teaches so much more than a textbook ever could.
Growing up, I was insatiably curious. I would constantly ask questions, wanting to know how different things work. At the same time, I was setting myself up to enjoy the process of learning. Without realizing it, I created the habit of looking deeper into the world around me.
So many limit themselves by believing that learning something new and unfamiliar is scary. I believe that trying to learn something new should be fun. Give things a chance because you might just find something you really love!
August 14, 2024 at 9:10 pm
Trey F
I haven’t always been someone who cared much for school or looked forward to waking up each morning to arrive to school. This mindset changed after my freshman year of high school when I started to understand that what I was doing in these early years of not only high school, but life, would affect my future.
The majority of my freshman year was not like the ordinary freshman year that most people experience, it was during a worldwide pandemic. Classes were online while being half asleep in bed, classmates were sleeping through classes, and I definitely was not taking my current situation seriously. The informality of the situation did not motivate me to try my hardest, which I would soon come to regret after receiving my final GPA for the year. After receiving my final report for the year, I knew that I was not performing up to my fullest potential and the GPA I was seeing was certainly not reflecting myself as a student or individual. After only my first year of high school, I was left to pick up my slack and work even harder to make up for my one “slip up” year, for the next three years. The single year during the COVID-19 pandemic taught me that, no matter the circumstances of what is going on around you or what is going on in the world, always push to do your best, because what you do in the present will always catch up to you in the future.
In college, I will be taking this lesson with me and working the hardest that I can from the beginning and not just when I start to fail. I will not let myself fail to begin with and continue striving for my successful future that I have already worked this hard for.
August 17, 2024 at 3:47 pm
This is great! I am glad that you were able to push through this struggle, and use it as a lesson for the rest of your academic journey.
August 14, 2024 at 9:15 pm
Paige B.
During the beginning of my high school career, I did not enjoy school. I would often find myself not enjoying any of my classes because I saw them as a chore. All my life I thought that everyone hated school, and it was only pushed onto us by older generations. I went through my freshman and sophomore years having this mindset.
It wasn’t until I was in my junior year that I needed to take an extra class in order to fill up my schedule. As a kid I always enjoyed learning about animals, nature, and so on. My school had an anatomy class, so I applied to be in the class at the end of my sophomore year. I didn’t know then, but that class would make me start seeing the positives of school, believe it or not. Taking this class made me realize that I could actually take classes that I enjoyed and subjects that I would want to pursue in the future.
This year I will be attending UMASSD with the intent to study Biology, and I have never been more excited to go to school in my whole life. After high school, my view of my education has completely changed, and I view it as what I want to learn about and what I am interested in.
If someone else is in the same shoes that I was once in, I hope that you soon find something that you are truly interested in and something that you love.
September 3, 2024 at 12:47 pm
I’m happy your perspective changed! I went through a similar experience in my earlier years of high school, its amazing how one class can change your whole perspective.
August 14, 2024 at 10:49 pm
Jocelyn A
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” -Nelson Mandela.
My parents came from Portugal at a very young age to seek an education for themselves and their family. In the end they were unlucky and unable to. At a young age I used to hate going to school, but now I couldn’t be more appreciative of the education I am able to receive. Therefore now I can become whatever I want because of the opportunity I was given. Things are hard before they get easier. And I stand by this because during middle school I was faced with a challenge, I had to attend an ELL (English Language Learning) program because I spoke Portuguese and English. Even though I knew Portuguese it wasn’t my native language. I remember wondering why I’m in this class when I know I can speak English. But I soon came to discover that we all go through challenges in education whether that’s math class or English class or really any. But the important part is to always push through and that’s exactly what I did. I made a goal and achieved it. And it was from then on I learned how important education is because of that challenge I was able to realize how important it is to learn even in times when you think you don’t need to. In the end there is always something that comes out of it. So if this can really teach anything, it’s that education does matter and we are really all lucky to have it.
August 14, 2024 at 11:46 pm
I have the belief that a majority of people have the qualities to redeem themselves from their troubled past. Whether it be from troubled behavior acted by themselves or their parents, they should be given that opportunity if they are willing to take those chances. From personal experience, I have struggled with social skills occasionally, since I am autistic.
Over the past couple years, I have improved myself on those skills. I talked to a therapist, my parents and my school counselor about solutions I should use, which gave me the confidence to willingly take a chance. While it isn’t perfect, there have been obvious signs of improvement. I now feel more comfortable when trying to make new friends, and don’t get internally nervous when I am around them for long periods of time.
I also worked to improve myself academically. I’m not saying I was doing horrible in my freshman and sophomore years, but I saw myself wanting to get better grades. This was particularly seen in my junior year, where I joined the National and English Honor Societies due to my average grades reaching low to high As.
This belief has stuck with me, since there are a lot of people that have shown remorse for the trouble they caused in their past, or have experienced a troubled life that they couldn’t necessarily control. After I was able to improve myself socially and academically, I came to believe that our generation needs to be more helpful to those who are wanting to redeem themselves in society.
August 15, 2024 at 12:33 am
Katelyn S.
Something that made me question a previously held belief was the pressure of gaining my parents validation. As the eldest child, I always felt obligated to set a perfect example for my siblings and be able to excel academically. As I grew up I noticed my anxiety and overthinking would consume me as I sat in class with any assignment in front of me. Constantly worried that I wasn’t correct or smart enough, my feelings of doubt made me feel like a failure.
After constant questioning of myself, I came to an understanding that being a good example and well educated is important, however taking care of my own wellbeing and setting my own boundaries is equally or even more important. I learned that although it’s difficult to come to amends by not completely fitting an expectation it’s okay to ask for help. No one should ever have to feel obligated to put others needs before their own or endure constant self doubt. The only validation I needed was my own. And this shift in my perspective has allowed me to focus on my own personal growth.
Although some people may or may not relate to my belief I feel that it’s very significant because it emphasizes the importance of self-care. It encourages others to recognize their limitations and understand asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. And as I begin a new chapter of my life in college I question how I will be able to maintain balance. As college can be stressful at times I question what efforts can be taken to allow me the best support?
August 15, 2024 at 2:04 am
Rylie Coughlin
Something I strongly believe and will always believe is that reading is essential to the human mind. These days everyone is on their phones 24/7 and have lost the ability to lose themselves in a book for hours.
The most magical times in my life have come whilst embraced in the pages of a novel, something unexplainable to those who don’t know the feeling. The joy, the sorrow, the relation to people who sometimes never even existed, the ability to be in the same moment as someone thousands of miles away as you’re reading the same chapter, it’s becoming a lost art. There’s no better feeling as an author than when people take the time to listen to your thoughts on a page, let you express yourself through the ink.
Walking down the hall at school, engrossed in a riveting plot of thrill and wonder, a tall boy smacked into my shoulder and stopped. I peered at him over the dust jacket of my book, sadly bringing myself back to reality. “Is that a book?!” The boy said, puzzled.
“Yes…, it is,” I had replied, not a moment before he narrowly missed interrupting me to tell me no one does that anymore, you know, reading. Unbothered but slightly sad for him, I returned to my climax and finished the story hours later in the library. I wasn’t angry he was rude, I was genuinely sorrowful he would never get to experience the magic I had been soaking up the past half of the day.
That magic, hidden in between leather binding, is why I chose English as my major. If I can continue to embrace as well as create this magic for others, I will be complete.
August 15, 2024 at 2:44 am
Samuel K
As a freshman my beliefs of if I wanted to go to college was something I didn’t want to do. Which showed by my work ethic in school as the year progressed and the same went for my sophomore year. But during the year when I noticed my constant lack of understanding in my classes and that the peers around me were doing better than me in classes with ease. My academic struggles continued with a new insecurity that started to grow throughout the school year.
But at the beginning of my sophomore year, I started to have second thoughts on what I would do after high-school. What crossed my mind was how I could be successful. When I had these thoughts were when I decided to put more effort into studying and reading. My grades benefitted from these changes and all I was thinking about was how I could be better. As Junior year went on, my studying and work ethic had elevated which showed in my grades. I started to get more A’s than I would usually get in my classes. During my senior year was when I wanted to work more on myself by going to the gym and book reading.
I believe that my hard work and dedication to trying to better myself everyday is the reason that I believe that going to college is the right path for me to become that best person I can be.
August 15, 2024 at 3:01 am
Mayra C
After prioritizing my mental health and time, I came to the belief that putting myself first isn’t always a bad thing. Growing up I was very conscious about how I am. I was overthinking any thing I did because I wanted to be like everyone else. School played a big role into it too. I wanted to be on top of my class and get good grades no matter what. It messed up my thoughts about myself. If I didn’t get a good grade, I would be mad or hard on myself. As I grew up I realized all that doesn’t matter as much. As long as I focus on myself and prioritize my mental health everything would go according to plan.
August 15, 2024 at 3:06 am
Isabella S
I believe that if you want to go far you have to work hard but I didn’t always think that. During elementary and middle school, I was unmotivated and unwilling to do things that would help me. Including, not speaking up when I needed help or when I thought I wasn’t good at something I would just give up. I was a student that had to be pulled out of class to get extra help. In high school, it all became real, I knew something needed to change. There were so many questions being thrown at me like, what do you want to do for a living, what college do you want to go to, do you even want to go to college? Truthfully, I didn’t have any answers, but what I did know was that I wanted to help people. So with the help of my family, friends, and guidance counselor even though it may have taken many hours and a lot of sleepless nights, I was able to work through my educational struggles. Eventually, we discovered that the medical field was a good fit for me. Even though I had many challenges I excelled in science. So then when I found medical laboratory science it was perfect. That way I can still help people, be in the medical field, and also do something that I’m good at. So now I’m going to UMass Dartmouth to study medical laboratory science.
September 4, 2024 at 1:08 am
Transferring from middle school to high school was a turning point for me too. It where I started to connect more deeply with my friends and started to find myself. Im glad you found what you want to do. I wish much luck for the future.
August 15, 2024 at 3:24 am
Throughout most of my life, I believed that asking for help was a sign of weakness. I held the firm belief that in order to be seen as strong I had to do everything for myself. That was until my freshman year of high school. During my freshman year, Covid was rampant, and my grades had started to slip, as well as my confidence. Because of my belief I refused to reach out for help. One of my teachers had noticed this, and sat down with me to help me out. I had realized that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. I had started to open up more, and developed many long lasting friendships this way. This shift in perspective allowed me to get my grades back up, deepend my relationships with friends and family, and led to much more success in all years of my highschool career. This belief is crucial as I enter college, since I will be able to develop a strong community that supports itself and others. If we keep in mind the idea that it’s okay to ask for help, we can create a culture of support that benefits us all.
The next time you hesitate to ask for help, think about what you can gain if you do.
August 15, 2024 at 3:41 am
Connor S
To talk about education, I think it’s important to consider the impact it has on the world around us and why it’s so important. Education is a fundamental part of the world around us and without it humans could go nowhere. Education is important in an age where information has the power to give you a good life. Thats why everyone that’s about to enter this institution is going. We’re all going in the hopes that we can get a degree and further our education. This way we can get a good job and provide for ourselves. College is a new chapter in all of our lives. Thier will be struggles but their always has been, I mean is their anybody who has never struggled on a test or getting an essay in on time. This struggle is part of the fun. Thier is a difference between a job and a career. Over the past year and a half, I have had a job so I could afford to pay for my education. Working over this time has led me to the realization of how important education is because with it I’d be able to find a career for myself, something I would enjoy going into every day and giving it my all not because I have to but because I want to. I’m happy and excited to embark on this journey.
Carpe Diem, Ladies and Gentlemen
August 15, 2024 at 3:49 am
Shushma Limbu
Something that surprised me was when I started my study abroad journey I didn’t know what to do . As someone who always had to know what to do next at any circumstances, I felt out of place. Having worked as an Operation Theatre Technician in two renowned hospitals of Kathmandu city for almost three years gave me confidence to think that i can do anything in life. Participating in multidisciplinary surgeries such as Neurosurgery, Cardio thoracic surgery, Orthopedics, OBGYN, ENT, along with surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses had me believe that I know what to do. My job demanded confidence, persistence and self belief, which I practiced over the years.
To my own disbelief, when I came outside of my world (my job), I had to start everything from scratch: learning how to write essays, how to approach people. There were many times when I second guessed my own choices. This humble journey opened my eyes to the opportunities, knowledge and life experiences out there. I knew there’s so much to learn, unlearn and relearn but the cocoon i had built for myself was so strong that it took time for me to break it apart and come out of it.
My takeaway is to embrace change. We’re so attached to what we think, what we do and what we believe in that we miss out on what we could be. As I venture into this four years program in Umass Dartmouth ,I’m open to change, to learn and to expand my perspectives in this vibrant community. As they say: the world is your oyster.
August 15, 2024 at 4:10 am
Simon Z.
When I hear the word education I think of how it’s a cornerstone of personal and academic growth. It gives the people the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate and understand the world around them. With education, we gain critical thinking abilities that allow us to analyze situations and solve problems to make difficult or informed situations. Education empowers people to pursue their passions and dreams by providing them with the knowledge to achieve their goals.
Moreover, getting more education I will be taught various things that will help me grow more, physically and academically. Me seeking education at a higher level opens many doors to many opportunities for instance better job prospects and higher earning potential. This financial stability can lead to improved quality of life, and a brighter mindset. Having education as a tool in your bag helps people tackle pressing issues such as poverty, inequality, and environmental sustainability. While having a better education people tend to make healthier lifestyle choices, like knowing what you put into your body, while also being on better healthcare. This leads to longer and healthier lives.
On a more vague scale, education fosters social cohesion and progress. It furthers understanding and tolerance among diverse groups, encouraging a more inclusive and harmonious society. In essence, education is a powerful tool that drives personal growth, economic growth, and advocates for a positive change mentally. For these reasons, I deeply believe education is a non-disposable tool that a person can always sharpen, as it holds the key to unlocking a world of possibilities.
August 15, 2024 at 3:24 pm
Erin P.
I was raised on books. I remember, when I was young, having nightly story times with my mom. Once I was old enough to read myself, I always had a book on me and trips to bookstores and my local library were common-place.
It wasn’t until I was older until I started to understand that not everyone shared my love and appreciation of literature. Kids in my classes would always complain about reading assigned texts, and brag about how little they read. Even then, I didn’t understand why people would flaunt their chosen ignorance. Now that I’m older, I understand the importance of literature, and the impact it has on people’s lives, more than ever.
Literature gives people the power to change their lives. In the pages of books, we can find community, knowledge, and an escape from the pressures of everyday life.
Reading gives people the ability to connect with individuals and cultures all around the globe. In the pages of books, we can learn about the everyday lives of people who share nothing in common with us. We can learn about food, religion, and rituals of cultures thousands of miles away. With this, we can find community among people who we have never met.
Books also help people of every station in life learn about how the world works. It is through reading that I have learned about marine life, botany, and history. With books, people can discover their interests, and gain the education to pursue these interests through hobbies and careers.
Literature has benefited millions of people throughout history, and has been tied in to almost every major revolution and new discovery that have changed our society. Through books, every person can find the ability to change the world.
August 15, 2024 at 5:11 pm
Emanuelle O.
As technology continues to evolve and integrate itself in every aspect of life, when it comes to education I’ve recently questioned my previously held belief of having digital literacy. Growing up in this generation there’s a common expectation that we take pride in, the belief that we’re inherently tech savvy. When it comes to education there’s this idea that teachers are often falling short or chasing behind students in terms of technology and its use in the classroom. This has created the misconception that since students are digitally driven combined with our 24/7 access to devices, we understand 100% how to use technology. And yes, growing up surrounded by technology I like many felt comfortable with it, However it wasn’t until listening to a podcast that I began to question my digital literacy for the first time. Familiarity or the ability of navigating technology was masking the fact that I was never properly educated. The assumption that nowadays kids are digital natives overlooks the fact that we aren’t properly being taught how to identify hate masquerading as legitimate ideals or the fact that literally anyone can make a website or a post and we aren’t necessarily worried about fact checking. Overall something that really struck me was the idea that the internet is a network, we’re not only consumers of information but we’re broadcasters who have a responsibility to be digitally literate.
August 15, 2024 at 7:54 pm
Vanessa N
Blog post writing
Growing up I had a firm belief from everyone around you including family and friends that having a straight forward plan and route for your future career is crucial for your path to success. Over the years, I have come to the realization that not everyone is sure of what they want and that it is okay to be uncertain of many things. Questioning this belief has brought me some sort of clarity and acceptance of major choices in life that I have chosen for myself. The pressure to have a straight forward plan has led me to discover and adapt to any changes that life can throw at me.
When I got admitted into University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, I originally applied for nursing with psychology as my second choice. Important people such as my mothers and my aunts influenced me to join the nursing field. Although I could not get into the nursing program originally, I have adapted to the possible opportunities majoring in psychology can provide to me. This decision has brought me to explore psychology and everything it has to offer! This decision has also given me a different outlook on how not everything is not a straight path, since there is hope to change my major my first year.
Instead of not putting myself down about this decision, I have come to terms with it. By having a positive mindset and being open-minded, I will explore psychology and everything it has to offer. As I continue my path to further my education journey, I often find myself reflecting on what major I will graduate with.
August 15, 2024 at 8:56 pm
Kirsten S.
A belief that I have questioned a lot was “is it worth it, all the stress, all the worry, all the anxiety”. Some days I still wonder about this but then when I picture my future, this is what I want to do. The great things I want in life will take hard work. This is something that everyone will learn as life goes on. Every good grade, every paycheck, every acceptance, everything takes work. After everything I feel good and accomplished. I’m proud of myself, even if I fail because I know that my hard work will eventually pay off. There’s multiple different paths and ways people succeed in the future they want. Your path may not look the same as others around you and that’s okay. You never know what the future holds for you, so the way you get there might change over time. Worrying and stressing is something that will happen but what has to be remembered is that everything will be okay. The stress that is happening in your life now won’t last forever. But the work you put in will last forever, you will also remember how hard you tried and how much it payed off. At the end of the day, I can look at myself and say I tried my hardest. I did everything I could’ve and if it didn’t work out this time it will next time. So, the belief “is it worth it” in my opinion is it. Based on everything I have experienced and the certainty I have in my goals I believe that it is worth it. Is it worth it to you?
August 15, 2024 at 9:57 pm
Daren O.
Ever since I was a young boy, my parents always pushed me to engage in a working environment, whether it be basic chores, mowing the lawn at 7 years old, or going to work at our family owned mechanic shop every day after school. These thoughts haunted me at a young age, seeing my friends go home and enjoy their time after school while I had to go help out at the family business, but, after I reached my sophomore year, I realized that my parents did this for the best of my future, presenting me with the opportunities to face responsibilities, community engagement, and problem solving. This being said, I believe that engaging in activities that hold you to take responsibilities at a young age is vital in educating one’s future. Although some aren’t fortunate enough to have a family that may own a business, engaging in sports, school clubs, or a side hustle / job all provide one with skills required for the future, signifying its importance. Trust me, I understand it may be discouraging having to get to practice or work on time, but by doing this at a young age, you get used to these feelings, making them easier to overcome when you depend on the job that provides for you. As you engage in these activities, you also have the benefit of meeting new people, ultimately creating new friendships and customer service skills. So what are you waiting for, go and take part in that activity that will build the path ahead of you!
August 21, 2024 at 5:20 pm
Daren, while I do agree that children having responsibility from a young age is important in teaching them life lessons, time management, and important skills, I would also say that at a certain point it can be detrimental to a child. It is also important for kids to be able to enjoy their childhood, and spend time playing and gaining social skills while they are young, otherwise they may feel isolated and struggle in certain social situations. Responsibility is important, but so is having a childhood.
August 15, 2024 at 10:09 pm
Zariah B.
Teachers are the keys to success.
I believe teachers are some of the most undervalued individuals in our society. I noticed a lot of people have given up their dreams on becoming a teacher. I’ve seen plenty of videos of teachers quitting for numerous reasons, but one stands out to me. I recently read, the national average starting salary for teachers is less than $50,000. Why is that? Are the hours they spend planning and grading work not worthy of better pay? Why can’t the people who create our future doctors get paid just as good as them. Why should a teacher have to work another job just to get by? Nothing in this world could work without a teacher. They play a vital part in every child they teach. Every child they teach can become an essential person in community. I want teachers to get paid a better salary. With better pay we could possibly see an increase in the success in students. More money means teachers can feel more comfortable and not need an additional job on the side. The better the financial stability, the less we can worry about our teachers quitting or being burnt out. Let’s ensure the future is better for the people who play one of the most important parts in anyone’s life.
September 3, 2024 at 1:05 am
I completely agree with you. I have had teachers affect me in very important ways. Such as teachers that don’t care about teaching and it later on through my education affects me poorly. Or the teachers that care so much and help me succeed in their class.
August 16, 2024 at 12:35 am
Kylie R
A belief that I used to have was thinking I couldn’t ask for help. I always believed that in order to truly understand something and be successful I need to figure it out on my own. Starting high school I figured my freshman year would be easy, due to being home from the pandemic. I thought learning at home would make it easier to do things at my own pace. However, sophomore year was not the same. School work was piling up and it made me start to feel very overwhelmed. That same year, I then met this one teacher who felt like a second mom to me. She treated me like a child of her own. She noticed all the assignments I had missing, and came to offer her help to me. She made it known that no one should be embarrassed to ask for help, and to realize that it is okay to not fully understand some things. She was one of the only teachers I would go to for help. My teacher was there for me through out the rest of high school. When I had questions or concerns about other classes she would always offer up as much information as she could. She not only helped me a ton with school, but also my mentality. Before I would be too scared to ask something in the case I was judged, or laughed at for being “dumb”. After having her teach me not only lessons in class but also life lessons I will continue to use. I came to the conclusion it helped me tremendously in more ways than none. What has your favorite teacher taught you?
August 16, 2024 at 2:29 am
Lucas M
Throughout my life, there have been many beliefs of mine that have changed due to experience as I’ve grown as a person. One of these beliefs was that you could only be successful if you continued education until later in your life past your high school years. As I’ve grown and met many adults, I’ve learned that is simply untrue, and that each person can have their own path to success. One example that had helped me to change this belief was my father. I always saw the hard work he’d put in to provide for my family, and though he has a fairly successful job, he did not gain any additional education past high school.
I do believe that continuing education is something that can be very beneficial, which is obviously why I am attending college, but I feel as though this belief is something that is pushed upon everyone from such a young age. Everything in school, especially high school is extremely focused on where you’re going to choose to continue in college, and despite the help it can provide, it is simply not for everyone.
Do you believe that college is somewhere that would benefit everyone?
September 3, 2024 at 1:08 am
I also wrote about how there are many different paths for people. As well as how I believed my path was what I considered the only one. But as time went on and I have meet people that have the same goals as me, I see now their many different paths. I believe people not understanding that can lead to so much stress and comparing yourself to others.
August 16, 2024 at 3:33 am
Trevor S.
Growing up, I always presumed that my parents were satisfied with their careers, despite not attending college. This perceived satisfaction led me to take an extremely lax approach towards my education. I often found myself neglecting homework and studying because I planned on taking a similar approach to my parents and forgoing a higher education. Over the years I had to endure many preachings from my parents about the importance of school to atone for my lackluster performance. I always found it odd that my parents were so hard on me for my bad grades when theirs were similar, but trying to argue that point just increased the zealousness of their speeches. Finally, before my freshman year of high school, my parents got through to me. They explained how, like me, they cared little for their education and scoffed at the idea of going to college. As soon as they got the chance they dropped their education and went into the workforce. At first, they were ecstatic, being able to have control over their life and do as they pleased. However, over time that novel feeling faded and all they were left with were the responsibilities they accrued. With all the work they had to do it was impossible to attempt to get a degree in something they were passionate about. Realizing the problems they faced from their lack of education, I am going to college to learn what I am passionate about so I can find satisfaction in my work for the rest of my life.
September 2, 2024 at 11:52 pm
I also put in very little effort into my work when I was younger. Now I am very grateful that I put in the effort to get where I am
August 16, 2024 at 4:07 am
Logan R
As I prepare for college, one belief I’ve evolved is the idea of success. Growing up, I thought high grades and prestigious accolades defined success. However, through various experiences and conversations, I’ve seen success as a more refined and personal concept. It’s not solely about others’ validation but also about personal growth, fulfillment, and the impact we make on others. This shift in perspective is crucial as I enter college, where the pressure to achieve can be intense. Embracing a broader definition of success will help me focus on my passions, build meaningful relationships, and stay resilient in facing challenges. Recognizing that success can be a journey of self-discovery rather than just a destination will guide me toward a more balanced and rewarding college experience.
August 16, 2024 at 3:19 pm
Lyla T.
I have always believed that to truly learn you need to expose yourself to new cultures and experiences. This past summer I was able to travel to Kigali,Rwanda to visit friends from school. While there, I was able to experience new things like create Imigongo, learn traditional dance, and understand Rwandan cultural norms. Additionally this winter I participated in an exchange program to Seville, Spain. While in Seville I was also able to explore their culture and language. During my two months living in Spain I participated in many of their traditions like flamenco dancing, fiestas, and more. Through both experiences I learned so much about their countries and the people that reside within them. While in Kigali I experienced my friends in their element and saw them in their happiest state. I learned more about what my friends value like religion, traditions, family, and more. Their happiness to be home was contagious and reminded me how important family is. In Spain, my exchange partner became like a little sister to me. Her willingness to accept me into her home and include me in her traditions will always serve as a reminder to be inclusive to others. Learning from experience has opened my eyes up to new things and has made me more willing to take initiative and jump head first into new experiences. I believe that traveling is the best form of education and will change your life in various ways.
August 18, 2024 at 7:24 pm
Vanessa N
Growing up I had a firm belief from everyone around you including family and friends that having a straightforward plan and route for your future career is crucial for your path to success. Over the years, I have realized that not everyone is sure of what they want and that it is okay to be uncertain of many things. Questioning this belief has brought me clarity and acceptance of the major choices in life that I have chosen for myself. The pressure to have a straightforward plan has led me to discover and adapt to any changes that life can throw at me.
When I got admitted into the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, I originally applied for nursing with psychology as my second choice. Important people like my mothers and aunts influenced me to join the nursing field. Although I could not get into the nursing program originally, I have adapted to the possible opportunities majoring in psychology can provide to me. This decision has brought me to explore psychology and everything it has to offer! This decision has also given me a different outlook on how not everything is not a straight path since there is hope to change my major in my first year.
Instead of not putting myself down about this decision, I have come to terms with it. By having a positive mindset and being open-minded, I will explore psychology and everything it has to offer. As I continue my path to further my education journey, I often reflect on what major I will graduate with.
September 3, 2024 at 11:45 pm
I had that belief also about having a set plan, this was a very insightful post! good luck in psychology!
August 19, 2024 at 12:06 am
Benjamin P
When I was younger, I really thought school was just some boring routine all us kids had to endure. It felt like a series of endless assignments and tests that meant absolutely nothing. Everything changed with the start of highschool where I went to Old Colony and my love for computers skyrocketed. Although I’d always had a love for computers, getting to know how they work and the different things I could do with them only strengthened my love for them.
As I got deeper into computer science, my view on education completely changed. I realized that learning could be exciting and meaningful. It wasn’t just about memorizing facts; it was about solving problems and creating new things. Some people that helped me realize this fact were my friends in shop as well as my two shop teachers. The thrill of making programs and games and the struggles that come with it gave me a reason to want to come into school. The sense of achievement and the endless possibilities that coding offered made me fall in love with learning.
This belief in the power of education is important not just for me, but for everyone around me. It shows that finding your passion can transform your perspective on learning for the better. For my friends, family, and future classmates at Umass Dartmouth, this belief is a reminder that education is a personal journey. It’s about discovering what excites you and then using that passion to drive your learning!
August 19, 2024 at 12:18 am
Amelia A.
My belief on the importance of art and how it has changed.
Originally, I thought of art in just the physical sense. The action of putting words on a page or paint on a canvas to display something. I knew there were messages to be conveyed, that the author had an intent when they painted that picture or wrote that poem. I could see that at face value however in the past few years, I’ve experienced a lot of hard times, while also simultaneously learning more about art. I started seeing parallels within the art I saw and the things I was experiencing in my life, and soon enough I was noticing my feelings expressed through my own artwork.
I see now the complexities of human nature and the depth of feeling, and I see now that there’s much more than just a message. There’s a whole life there, an experience and the feelings that go with it. I have discovered that art is a way to capture these moments, and to express and communicate them in beautiful ways the things we both love and hate to feel . I believe artists have done more than anyone else in terms of connecting us as people, opening our minds to worlds outside of our own, and interconnecting us all even through time. I can’t wait to further expand my horizons with new knowledge, experiences, and feelings. I’m looking forward to everything that I’ll be learning in school over the next few years, and I can’t wait to see the kind of person this experience will shape me into. My goal/takeaway from my time at college is I’ll be able to understand and grasp the complex thoughts and emotions I feel and apply my art skills and knowledge to effectively convey them in what I create. The beauty of human nature is the diversity and intensity that can be felt either for or against anything that you can think of. That’s what art is, and that’s what I think matters most.
August 21, 2024 at 5:08 pm
While education is important, and allows people to gain an understanding of not only the world around them, but also themselves, school is often a primary cause of stress and mental health struggles in children. When I was younger I loved learning, and trying to understand how the world worked.
I grew up in a family where effort was always considered to be more important than he grades you received. When I was younger, school was always easy for me, and I got good grades with barely any effort put into school at all. Going into high school, I switched to a charter school known for having a fairly intense IB curriculum. With the added stress of the pandemic, and trying to learn online, and ADHD which was undiagnosed and untreated at the time, this was the first time I actually had any trouble in school. I also only really knew 3 other people going to the school, which made it even more difficult to adjust. As someone who hadn’t had trouble with school up to this point, this caused a lot of stress for me, and also lowered my self esteem, and even lowered my motivation to do well in school.
For a long time I struggled to want to learn or read like I had when I was younger, as it started feeling like a chore. Now, I love learning again, but even now I only feel the desire to read or learn unless I am the one choosing to do it, and only within subjects I am interested in. The current education system frequently makes learning a stressor and a chore, rather than something that people truly want to do.
August 23, 2024 at 3:11 am
All throughout my childhood I’ve wondered what I wanted to do with my life. Many of
my family members have done exceptional things to help people. My mother is a Personal Care Assistant, my dad was a correctional officer, my grandfather served in the Vietnam War, and my uncle was in the military to name a few. While growing up I would see their acts of selfless service and would think about how I could do the same when I was older.
As I grew up I would pretend to be a doctor and go around the house trying to help my stuffed animals and my parent with their fake breaks, sprains, and abrasions. As I grew older I realized that that wasn’t something I would like to do as a career. Though it was fun to help my stuffed bear be able to walk again it wasn’t an end goal for me. When I figured that out I kept on looking for other options.
As I went through middle school I would go through many fazes of wanting to do drastically different things. I went from wanting to be a paleontologist to wanting to be a math teacher. Both of them were for the same goal and made the biggest impact on people’s lives. Toward the end of middle school, I made up my mind to be a math teacher and make a difference in kids’ lives as many teachers did for me.
When I made it to high school I had to explore a lot of shops and that also made me change my mind greatly on what I wanted to do after high school. I went from wanting to be a mechanic, a cosmetologist, or an electrician. Then toward the end of exploratory, I got to see the shop legal and protective services. I knew right then and there that I wanted to do something in that shop I just didn’t know what at the time. I would go back and forth from wanting to be a detective or a police officer but then I learned that I had to be an officer before being a detective and the dangerous job that they have to deal with every day and thought that I wouldn’t be a good candidate for that. Then the summer before junior year my cousin graduated from law school and I started looking down that career path for me. While I was looking I fell more and more in love with the job. It was the perfect mixture of what I wanted to do and helping people just like the rest of my family would do. Being a lawyer has now been my choice for a while and now I’m going to go to law school after high school.
Though my family members had a big role in choosing what I wanted to do with my life I’m glad I found something that also interests me. It took me a long time to figure that out. Also a lot of switching my mind on what I wanted to do. Now my mind is set and I can’t wait till my dream comes true and I can finally get my first client.