Reentry Student for Most Individuals, the Decision

¶ … Reentry Student

For most individuals, the decision whether to attend college is one of their first major decisions in life. In fact, this decision is one of a handful of decisions individuals make in life which arguably significantly impact the rest of their lives, both career wise and personally. The process of obtaining a college education is rather complicated, both on a practical level as well as an emotional level. On a practical level, individuals must devote a large portion of time to taking the SAT, touring college campuses, filling out college applications, writing personal statements, obtaining letters of recommendation, deciding upon a major, etc.

Emotionally, the decision whether to attend college involves a great deal of learning, much of which starts before an individual ever sets foot on a college campus. While most individuals enter college directly out of high school, I chose not to. Instead, I went to trade school for automobile repair, and have spent the past 15 years working in a Ford dealership in my hometown. While this path is not for everyone, it enabled me to gain invaluable hands on professional experience that most individuals who enter college right out of high school must wait years to obtain.

Likewise, working for Ford over the past 15 years has cemented my interest and motivation in obtaining a college degree. Throughout my entire life, I have always been extremely curious intellectually and have constantly looked for ways to increase my knowledge and understanding. Particularly, I have an interest in astronomy and plan to major in this in college. The reason I became interested in astronomy is that despite the landmark advances that have been made in space exploration, there is still a large amount that remains unknown about the universe. Upon obtaining my college degree, I plan to use the "book" knowledge that I will gain as well as the practical experience I have already gained in order to unravel some of life's greater mysteries and to perhaps make some improvements in our understanding of the universe.