I never actually attended UConn as a degree student. Although it is true that I enrolled late in the summer of 2009, it was only for the briefest amount of time. I enrolled late at UConn because unforeseen financial issues in my family made attending the other schools I was accepted into a terrible idea. However, quickly after enrolling I came to the realization that I had no concise plan of action towards a specific degree. I was enrolled in a mishmash of different classes that did not take me towards any direction.
Therefore, I decided to drop the courses I as enrolled in, and instead work full time and save money to pay for college on my own. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to me, some kind of error must have occurred in this process. I thought everything was taken care of after I was refunded for those classes, yet I found out only recently that they are listed on my record. That information simply should not be there. Working has broadened my perception of the world, while also providing me with the time to introspectively evaluate how I want to live my life.
Working has showed me how much effort is required just to sustain what most Americans would consider a ormal life. Our sense of normalcy in life is warped by our surroundings. While working, my surroundings have included coworkers who worked long hours over multiple jobs, as this was the only way they could provide a decent life for their families. Currently I am working at a dental lab, where I assist in the production and delivery of a variety of different dental products for dentists. As part of my job, I have regularly visited dental offices in rougher parts of Hartford, where poverty is everywhere.
Seeing the normal daily life of the people around e has forced me to realize how unbelievably fortunate I have been throughout my life. A greater awareness of how brutal daily life can be in other countries has the same effect on me. I know that all the struggles and tribulations I have experienced in my life are trivial relative to the suffering that too many people in the world have experienced. This knowledge lies at the essence of what personally drives me to improve myself. It is my responsibility to make the most out of all the opportunities I have to better myself in order to have more of a positive impact n the world.
I am currently completely immersing myself into the greatest opportunity available to me, education. I am eager to improve myself, which is why I took 23 credits worth of courses in one semester, while simultaneously working part time up to 20 hours a week. I performed well, which is why I pushed myself even further. I took calculus IlI over the summer, while working longer hours. It did not work out well for me academically, and serves as my one poor recent grade. Although I struggled with the course over the summer, I don’t regret taking the course ecause it taught me a lot about how I learn information.
Our minds are like sponges, and when I was taking 23 credits during the semester I was able to absorb the steady stream of knowledge from various different sources, despite the high volume. However, during the month long summer sequence I was being hit with a fire hose of information. Instead of absorbing the information, I was blasted back. After the fire hose turned off for the day, I was only able to absorb the remaining puddle of information around me, during the limited amount of time I was not working.
I learned the lesson that I should have familiarized myself with the content covered in the class before taking it during the summer. I am currently taking calculus II during the Fall semester, and my familiarity with the material has led to me currently have a grade above 100 after the first exam. In the future I will familiarize myself with the information covered in a difficult class prior to taking it. Our current human advancement is the product of the accumulation of new advancements from all prior generations. I will be a part of this generations addition to human advancement.
