The Colonel
Preparation for college: Is it enough?Tuesday, March 13, 2012 By Graeme Mohan
Roosevelt students are always told every year that we are one of the best public schools in the area to get an education that will prepare us for college. I was always a firm believer in that, as I spent my first three years as a full-time student here. However, this year has been a different experience for me because I have spent only half of my day at Roosevelt and the other half of it studying at Kent State University as part of the Post Secondary Enrollment Options Program (PSEOP). What I now know is that Roosevelt does help prepare us to continue our education at the next level, but not to the extent that I thought. Maybe I’m one of few that have this belief, but then again, I’m one of few students enrolled in Post Secondary. Roosevelt definitely has helped me in preparation for next fall when I enroll full-time at Kent State and major in broadcast journalism. Many people misunderstand me when I say “preparation for college.” I am not just talking about the academics here at Roosevelt, but also the social experiences that many of us put ourselves in. When I started here as a freshman back in 2008, I had no idea how to interact with so many people because for years we were placed in one classroom or one pod at Stanton and just got to know those people. At Roosevelt, we have the opportunity to get to know everybody not just in our graduating classes, but also from the other classes. Now from an academic standpoint, Roosevelt is also a good place to be because in my college classes, particularly the ones that were writing intensive, my professors have been very complimentary and much of that I owe to the teachers that I have had for the past four years. Roosevelt has many challenging classes that they offer and that make you have to think critically rather than concretely. For me, taking classes such as Advanced Chemistry, Advanced Physics, Advanced Placement United States History, and every math class I took (mostly because math was my weakest subject), might not have been the most exciting experiences of my life, but it required me to work hard in all of those classes. Even in English, which I consider my strongest subject, I was still challenged to improve and realize my full writing potential. Roosevelt is a great school to learn and to interact with people and if you are planning on going to college, you cannot find many schools in the area, including private schools, which match our academics. Being a part-time college student this year has been an easier transition than I expected it to be because of all the knowledge and social skills I have gained from attending Roosevelt. When first writing this article, I kept trying to convince myself that Roosevelt had not prepared me for college because I had not learned much. That is a lie, because in reality, I’ve learned so much that has just become second nature to me. I am proud that I have gone to Roosevelt for my four years of high school and I know come next fall, there’s no stopping me. |