Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Letter to a senior

Michael Haake
Freshman Transition 9:00am Tuesday
Dr. Rich Rice

Coach Paul Shabay
601 N. Pate Ore Drive,
Keller, TX, 76248

Time to be Serious: College Life and Things to Know


Dear Keller High School Senior,

When it comes to going away to college, the three most important things you should know are: You are own your own, out of your parents safety net and it is up to you to cope with your emotions on your own. Classes in college are not a joke like in high school and you need to be in attendance to even think about passing the class. Finally, the choices you make in college affect the rest of your life. By knowing these things before entering college you can make it easier on yourself and spend less time adjusting to the college life.
So it begins, you are on your own and starting your future life. Living away from home is a great thing, but with all good things comes its drawbacks. Small things like being able to just be away from people, seeing your family and friends, and not really having to be responsible for much, become some of the most frustrating things to cope with. By going to college and living in a dorm, you loose most all of the small things that you take for granted while living at home. There is very little time to be by yourself relaxing, or getting home to see your loved ones. The college life can be very overwhelming at first and many people get very emotional during the first couple days of their new life, and what sucks the most is not being able to really do anything about it besides making phone calls or keeping busy. College is a very drastic change from your normal day-to-day life when you are at home. But, the good thing about college is that when you get a chance to go back home, you appreciate those little things so much more.
Sadly, the typical high school student today looses the drive to study in their later years of high school because the classes in high school are a complete joke compared to the classes in college. Don’t take classes lightly when you are in college because they are actually very demanding and time consuming. Be prepared to have homework for a couple hours every night, and assignments for multiple classes to be assigned on the same day. Sorry to break it to you, but the rumor that college professors don’t take attendance is not true. In fact, most of them do and only allow a couple of absences before they start taking points away from your final grade in their class. By skipping class in college you are wasting you or your parents money, loosing very valuable information that is vital for your success in class, and becoming lazy. Do not be surprised to be assigned an essay that is the length of your junior/senior theme on first day of class and have it due in a week.
This is your future, and most people would agree that they don’t want to mess it up by being an idiot when they are barely an adult. The college life is a lot of fun, but the thing to know is when it is time to have fun and when it is time to be serious. The next four years of your life will make or break your future. There will be many decisions that you will have to make on your own, and you guessed it, it is up to you and only you to choose the correct ones. Under age drinking is a huge occurrence in college, and college campuses everywhere are cracking down more than ever before to prevent it from happening. The last thing that you want in college is a big fat alcohol or narcotic ticket, because it will be on your file for the rest of your life. Companies do intense back round checks on all of their employees, and an arrest or alcohol/narcotic ticket does not look good to them. Going to parties is fun, but there is so much more to do when you are in college than simply getting drunk. There are hundreds of different clubs and sports to get involved with that will be fun and a good way to pass time. You decided your future, and the choices are all yours.
By knowing these three important things, you should be able to succeed and have fun in college. Remember mom and dad is not going to be there for you to tell what to do. The next four years of your life will throw many new obstacles at you that you have not yet experienced, and it is up to you to know how to deal with them. Always remember that studying is a must to do well in classes, and every decision you make has an outcome. I wish you the best luck with college, and the next four years will be some of the best of your life try to make them enjoyable and responsible.





Yours truly,
Michael Haake, KHS 08, Texas Tech 2012,
Mphaake@sbcglobal.net

1 comment:

Rich said...

Excellent work here! I have included your letter in the packet, and I have mailed it off!