state of the union 2010.

"Fourth, we need to invest in the skills and education of our people.

This year, we have broken through the stalemate between left and right by launching a national competition to improve our schools. The idea here is simple: instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform – reform that raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans, from rural communities to inner-cities. In the 21st century, one of the best anti-poverty programs is a world-class education. In this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than their potential.

When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress to expand these reforms to all fifty states. Still, in this economy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job. I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families. To make college more affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer-subsidies that go to banks for student loans.Instead, let’s take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants. And let’s tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only ten percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after twenty years – and forgiven after ten years if they choose a career in public service. Because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college. And it’s time for colleges and universities to get serious about cutting their own costs – because they too have a responsibility to help solve this problem."

President Barack Obama's State of the Union was a brilliant exercise in eloquence, compromise, strength, and hope. Though there were many highlights, the section that obviously stood out the most to me was when he talked about education. I can only hope that he follows through on his words, because this is something that hits close to home for me and millions of other students in the United States, who are taught to "invest" in their education and thus begin their career as an adult in debt. With this job market the way it's been, it's getting harder and harder to justify spending money on a higher education; however, it's also getting harder and harder to get a job without a college degree. Let's hope that 2010 brings the change we need to truly reform the education system in America.

tricks are for kids.

The school year is over, and my time at a CC is done. It's ridiculous how fast these two years have just flown by! I'm in a state of shock that I'm actually done--like, as of now I can read what I want, watch television, sleep...it's amazing. The banquet for the Scholars program is tonight and after that I am totally and completely free. I cannot wait.

ANYWHO. The most common question I've been asked are ~tips for community college~ and luckily for you I've got a list!

• HAVE A PLAN. I cannot stress this enough, have a plan! Plan your major, what classes you need, what semester you're taking them in...and try to change it as little as possible. It's ridiculously easy to get sucked into your community college and stay there for a few years, but you don't want that!
  
• Research the schools in your area, and find which has the best transfer rate.
  
• Look to see if whichever school you apply to has a "Scholars" or "Honors" program--not only are the classes higher level, but being a part of a group of kids within a program who are taking similar classes to you is a great asset. Also, it looks GREAT on college applications.
• Get to know your counselor. They see a lot of students and it's easy to just be a number to them, but if you make an effort to know them (and bring them chocolate!) they'll make an extra effort to help you.
  
• California students! Your new favorite website will be www.assist.org. Here, you can enter the name of whichever community college you're at, the name of the school you want to transfer to, and your major, and it will tell you all of the specific classes you need to transfer. It's is extremely handy, especially since different schools require different classes for the same major.
  
• If you're not in California, talk to a counselor at your school and see if you have the equivalent to www.assist.org. It WILL save your life.
  
• If you're attempting to get an AA degree (which is not required for transfer, but always looks good), that requires certain classes, so make sure you take those alongside the GE classes you're taking. Don't leave them to the end!
  
• IMPORTANT: make sure you take ALL the classes you need for your major before transferring. Colleges look at your GPA and your major classes FIRST.
• Don't leave your personal statements to the night before.
• Have someone you trust look over your personal statements, but don't let too many people read them...you'll get conflicting feedback and that makes it harder to edit.
  
• Try to keep at least a 3.0 (B average) if not higher. GRADES MATTER, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You're not going to have as good a shot of getting into UCLA with a 3.1 as with a 3.9...just the way things are.
  
• Try and get involved...it's hard to meet people at community colleges but this really helps out. Also, again looks great on transfer applications.
• Find someone to talk to, who knows the system and can share tips on your specific school.

Hope some of these help...I'm sure I'll think of more later!

xo
Andrea

and so it begins...

Yesterday afternoon, I was notified that I was accepted at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The anxiety had really gotten to me--I had felt sick all morning, because the stress between UCLA releasing notifications (which weren't actually released until late afternoon) and my two midterms was too much.

Somehow, through some miracles, yesterday ended up being amazing. My Russian history midterm was moved to Monday, I'm sure that I aced my Spanish midterm, I was accepted to UCLA (!), and then went out to a wonderful dinner with my family.

I honestly could not be happier. Being accepted somewhere out of high school is amazing, yes, but it's also a game of luck. I know plenty of ridiculously smart and qualified people that didn't get into where they wanted to go (myself included, ha). Transferring...it gives me a true sense of accomplishment; I know that I worked hard and truly earned my acceptance. There are still no guarantees, of course, but it's a much sturdier ground to be standing on while waiting for these decisions to be made. And I'm not saying that people who got somewhere out of high school didn't earn it, I am SURE that they did, but to be rejected and still work another two years and attempt once again is a trying experience that not all are able to do.

I know that there's a lot of people who thought it was "beneath me" to go to a community college for two years, and at first, I had that same mentality. I was an Honors/AP student all throughout high school, head editor of the yearbook, co-director of the school's literary magazine--and I was going to a community college? No way! My best friend was going to USC, I had friends that were going everywhere from Berkeley to UCLA to Princeton...and I was going to a community college? It just seemed a bit out of the pattern, and it was definitely not where I envisioned myself.

However, as the weather began to cool down and the leaves began to change colors that fall, things had slowly started to fall into place. I was accepted into the Scholars Program, which I can most definitely say changed my life. I met other people who were going through exactly what I was going through, who knew what it felt like to be rejected, who knew what it felt like to be stuck when everyone else seemed to be going places. One of my better friends had been salutatorian of her graduating class and her unlikely rejection to UCLA broke her heart*. All of us came with these sorts of stories and burdens and it really helped us bond a close friendship. To have people going through the exact things that I was going through at the same time was a blessing.

At the end of the day, to a community college ended up being the best thing I've ever done. I not only saved TONS of money, but I made lifelong friends, matured, got my license, got an incredible education, figured out what I want to do with my life, and really began to get a sense of who I am/who I want to become.

I'm still waiting to hear back from Berkeley, and although it would mean the world to me if I got accepted...I've got options, and a future, and I am so, so excited to experience it.

*She just found out she got accepted to UCLA too! :D