What does it take to make it through the first year of college? Recent Unity graduates e-mailed us their answers. The good news: All are doing okay — some even great. The bad: Many struggled with homework, had to take remedial classes or change study habits to keep up.
The following Unity High School graduates responded to our questions about college: Brittany Douglas, CSU Northridge; Claudia Garcia, San Francisco State; Karla Martinez, San Francisco State; Alfredo Moran, UC Merced; Yareli Ortiz, Notre Dame de Namur; Livier Perez, University of San Francisco; Eric Romero, UC Santa Cruz; Amado Rosas, UC Santa Cruz; Edwin Santay, UC Merced; Shatika Sloan, CSU Northridge.
Question: Did you feel prepared entering college?
Eric: Unity did prepare me. The staff is great and gives good advice. Since it’s a small school most of the students have the great interaction with the teachers.
Brittany: At Unity the workload was much heavier than (at my) college so I have no problem.
Alfredo: I believe Unity gave me the stepping stone to get to college, but I don't think it gave me the study habits necessary to succeed. My first semester was a wake-up call to what college expects of me. There was a trial and error of efficient study habits. The work counts more and you can't check your grades (online) so you have to constantly be doing good.
The thing that I like most about college was the freedom to study what you want. I went to my classes but in my free time I read and did things on own such as philosophy, mathematics, art, painting, and music. I experienced a renaissance of the human spirit you could say.
Amado: I consider college a unique experience that no one is really prepared for. Even though Unity gave the tools and techniques towards a strong base in college, college requires a lot more work than high school does. I noticed that my study habits were not adequate to get it all done so I changed them.
Yareli: I felt totally prepared entering college. I think they gave me the tools to succeed. I wanted to go away for school, but not too far from my family and local friends so I decided to move 30 minutes away. If my parents wanted to see me then they would, which was rare.
Karla: Unity was helpful in the sense that it guided us through the college preparation. For example, showing us how to apply and to stay on top with the deadlines and informing us about available scholarships.
Livier: I’m not sure if anyone is ever really prepared to enter university. However, the culture of university is something each student learns to adapt to. Each campus has a different environment and you won’t know how to adjust until you are there.
Juan: At first I did feel prepared but as soon as I went to orientation I did not know what they were talking about. I was confused and felt out of place. I felt like dropping out. The homework load was not as bad as I thought.
Edwin: I felt prepared entering college because I took all of the right classes. For example I was strong in English and all of the social science classes that I took helped me a lot because I had a strong background.
Question: What are some challenges that you’ve faced?
Yareli: Managing my time. I think it was nothing high school could prepare me for. Homework is overwhelming.
Shatika: My biggest challenge was learning how to balance my classes with fun. School could not have helped me with that. It was something I had to learn on my own.
Livier: My biggest challenge was time management. It took a few months before I found a balance that worked for me. The first month was a shock because there were nights I had no homework to do. Other nights felt endless because of everything I had to do. Every class demands different amounts of time and work. You learn to prioritize.
Another challenge I feel is very true for most students of color and first generation goers is finding a niche. Most Latinos and African-Americans join clubs where the majority of people are Latinos or African-Americans. I opened myself to other clubs, friends, and languages and feel I have gained a richer experience. I am not implying that students shouldn’t join clubs with similar ethnicities but do not let it be the only group or club you interact with. You never know who or what you are missing out on.
Karla: College was a big step for me because I had (originally) decided on UC Davis, but it's pretty scary feeling that you’re out on your own. I felt homesick since I was leaving by myself. I just didn't like the aspect of knowing that I was going to be there for a minimum of four years of my life. I wasn't prepared to go far. You have to decide for yourself and don't let other people decide for you because you have to feel comfortable. I saw people were just choosing random schools, either because the campus was nice or because everybody else was choosing that school. I don't regret not going to UC Davis even though it was a more prestigious school because I wasn't ready. I believe that if an individual is successful, they would be successful in whichever school they chose. I'm happy and will gladly graduate from SFSU.
Juan: The orientation was intimidating; I went from going to a school of 200 to 300 students to a school of thousands.
Eric: We actually had more work in high school, really. The only thing is the writing. It is more complicated. One regret I have is leaving everything to the end — procrastinating— but now I'm doing better.
Final question: What advice do you have for those in high school?
Eric: Listen to your teachers! They have been through high school and college and they know what they are talking about. The best thing about going to college is the great experience you'll get, just trying and seeing new things. I’ve always been used to Oakland but once I got to Santa Cruz it was like a whole different planet. I've done things I wouldn't normally do. I ended up joining a frat. You’ll do and learn so much from being away from home and just experiencing life first-hand.
Brittany: Go to the college of your choice and embrace the diversity and new experiences. My only regret is not living on campus to get the full college experience. The best thing about going to college is all the cool people that you get to meet. You really get exposed to people that are completely different from who you are.
Claudia: Buy your school catalog to know what are your requirements to graduate. Get a counselor for help because at moments it could get difficult to understand. Have a record of the classes taken and the grades you received. If you live off campus, you could decide to just go on certain days if you take BART and/or bus to save on transportation costs.
There is a lot of reading so stay on track. The best thing to do is to buy a planner and plan the week for what you are going to do.
Amado: Start developing good study habits early since the amount of reading and writing that awaits in college is a lot more than in high school.
Yareli: Get good grades from the beginning because if you don't, when you apply for college your choices slim down with C- or even B-average grades, so work hard from the start.
Livier: Just because you might dislike people or studies in high school don’t mean the same is true for university. Everything is different and things can change if you let them. Break free from your comfort zone.
Shatika: Don’t procrastinate. Waiting to the last minute just leads to more stress.
Karla: There's always time to party and do well in school. Once you get to college you need a way of making money. It can be difficult to cope with both. Having a job while going to college makes you mature and you start thinking differently because you are faced with many decisions. It makes you set future goals. Apply to as many scholarships as possible because extra money doesn't do you any harm.
After the first year you already know what to expect. If you survive the first year you'll survive your college career. You get more analytical essays in which some professors are really picky about your writing. They push you to analyze a topic further or they want you to proofread your writing more thoroughly.
Juan: Talk to teachers because you’re going to have to do a lot of that in college. Do the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP). I learned about college, learned the campus, and met friends that I still talk to.
One thing I regret is not doing remedial classes over the summer at a community college. I am fighting to get out of them.
Shatika: Develop good study habits for yourself. The homework load is different from high school. In college it’s mostly research papers and studying.
Take the math and English placement tests seriously. I went from AP Physics and Trigonometry back to (remedial) math. My intelligence felt really insulted. My teacher even asked me what was the top number of a fraction called!
Edwin: Focus on math, English and biology and you'll do fine. Read a lot because in college you are required to read a lot. I read about 50 pages each night for all of my classes. There’s also a lot of writing. For my English class, I wrote four essays and many drafts.
I should have stayed in Calculus my senior year because next semester I need to take Calculus. And currently I am not feeling strong in math.
Yareli: The best thing about going to college is you’re treated more mature than being in high school. If you’re not in class the professor doesn't care; if you don't turn in your homework the professor isn't breathing down your neck. I like the fact that as a college student you’re not being treated like a baby. It shows you how to be a lot more responsible.