How I Picked My Major - Journal Your Path

Unlike many high school students who look at colleges based on the party scene or football team, I looked at colleges based on specific services they provided. As a student with many disabilities, I needed a college that would allow me to access support services for my vision, my hearing and my mobility challenges. As a child, my dream was to become an architect. As I entered my sophomore year of high school, I looked to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) for its renowned access to support services, as well as its well-known engineering programs. I was interested in architecture. However, I soon realized that the architecture classes became increasingly difficult due to my cerebral palsy. I was not able to manipulate the tools needed to draw, nor could I tell if the measurements displayed on the computer screen would work in real life. I realized that my dream [...]

Topic: A Specialization in Obscurity

The Ph.D. candidate who specializes in philosopher Jean Baudrillard ‘s theory of hyperreality in graphic novels. The English lit master’s student who studies post-structuralism in Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way. The undergrad majoring in 19th century French poetry. These hardworking, passionate scholars regularly face the same dreaded question: “What are you going to do with that?”

Academic Support

When struggling with a subject in high school, you might have looked for a local tutor to help clear up the confusion. And it was safe to say that the tutor was either a local college student, or recent college graduate. So, what happens in college when you are struggling with your coursework? Who tutors the college kids? Who offers to the opportunity to proofread your 20-page research paper a few days before you need to turn it in? Who offers the opportunity to take un-timed exams if you have a documented learning disorder? All of these things happen when you take advantage of your college’s Center for Academic Excellence / Writing Center. These places are usually located somewhere within the caverns of your school’s library (which should become one of your top-5 places you could be found, during any given day, while in college), and should be put to [...]

Why You Should Not Fear Failure While in College

In continuing to answer questions sent from the Granada High students, I wanted to spend some time answering one that was not included in Lisa’s post. The question was something along the lines of, “What was your favorite memory from your days in college?” The easy answer would be something along the lines of, “Well, there was this one weekend, where I went to this fraternity / sorority house, and everything that happened that night made me feel like I was in Asher Roth’s ‘I Love College’ video / “Animal House.” During my college career, I did partake in these kinds of weekend activities. But, those fleeting moments did not define my college experience. On the contrary, my favorite college memories include the times I failed. In particular, failing one of my intermediate economics courses was probably one of the best things to happen to me, and here’s why: Failing [...]