Ashley

I was a freshman in college in 2006-2007. I loved my school (Mount Holyoke,) but was really depressed and homesick. My grades were horrible and left after my first year. I came home and worked for a year, and then just this past year I started taking classes at a community college to bring up my grades. I’m planning to work for the upcoming fall semester and then transferring back to Mount Holyoke in Spring 2010. I know that’s where I want to go and I’m really excited, but it’s going to be so hard for me to see all my best friends graduate in May and I won’t be graduating with them.

I’m 21 and I’ll probably be a second semester sophomore when I return because I didn’t finish enough credits my first year in college to be considered a sophomore, but I did do a full course load this past year and passed all of my classes. I assume I’ll probably graduate in 2012 or 2013, depending on how many of my credits transfer.

People (my family, friends) keep telling me that a lot of people get off track and take a roundabout way to getting a college degree, but I can’t help feeling like I’ve somehow failed. I always assumed that I’d just skate through college with no problems and then head on directly to grad school. I know there is no “average age” for college grads either – I have a friend who graduated just this past May at 25.

Have any of you not taken the “traditional” four year – one year after another route to getting your college degree? How did you get over feeling like you’ve wasted a lot of your time?

I went here for a year. Loved it, but I was really depressed and didn’t do well. It was my first year in college and I withdrew, came home, worked for a year and I’m still home but I’m taking classes at a community college. I had no intention of reapplying to MHC, but this past week I was on campus visiting my friends (two of whom were graduating.) The commencement ceremony was sooo nice and just being back up there was amazing. So many people remembered me and I felt so humbled because I felt like my first year I was so isolated and sad and homesick all the time. But the fact that I felt like people still cared about me; even people who’s names I didn’t remember was soooo nice. Being on campus made me realize that I can do this! MHC was my first choice after hs, and I felt like I failed. But I’m going to swallow my pride and reapply. Hopefully I get in. I’m ready this time and even though I won’t get to graduate with my friends (class of 2010), I know I can do it.

I worked at Hollister for a year, so a lot of my wardrobe is from there. I’ve started buying more stuff from Abercrombie lately though. I <3 Polos. Lol!

I’m not gonna lie and say I love name brand clothing too. Maybe that’s shallow. Whatever.