Jeffrey Milton
Valerie Russell
23 June 22, 2015

Making a College Decision
My decision to come to college was a very challenging and also I was feeling a tremendous amount of anxiety and what if’s. I was thinking what if I cannot pass the classes. How would I get the finances to support paying for books and classes? What if I cannot meet the challenge of being successful in my studies, and the biggest fear I had was failing. At this point in my life, not being successful at what you do with your life is very different from thirty years ago. I thought my career and life was somewhat complete and I was very content within my career, but sometimes life is always having to alter or change your goals and sometime your life.
Now at this moment this is where I made a decision to attend college. Unfortunately, being away from school for over thirty-six years and deciding to go back to school was very frightening for me. Being realistic about college I wondered if I would be able to adjust to college life style and be able to pass my required subjects within my major. When I finally did all the requirements for enrollment, I was told I would have to take a college placement test to find out if I was ready for college courses.
Immediately after I was told what I had to do, I began to experience fear of not knowing what the expectations of college would be and if I fit the criteria of being a college student. I developed a double mind about the whole idea of going to college. My support systems had to encourage me that everything would be okay and reminded me that I’m a smart man and I definitely agreed with them. They also assured me that they will be there to assist me anytime I need help with classes. Knowing I had a good support team was very self-assuring and I developed a lot more confidence to accepting the challenge to attend college. In addition to my realistic views, I thought about my age difference and how I would blend in college with a lot of young adults. I thought about how the teachers would receive a very nontraditional student such as myself. All of my fears are gone and I’m enjoying college as a student and my grades are within passing. My expectations are high and very rewarding, I’ve realized I have the mind and the tools to be very successful in college and most important my expectations on getting a degree is much higher. This is my second semester and college is much easier, I’m adapting to the college atmosphere and mingling with the younger college students. I’ve developed some good study habits to help with my courses. I’ve also developed great skills on studying and preparing for