Blog
Find advice and follow the college experiences of our current first-gen student bloggers.
Familial Love
Leaving home was easy for me; it meant freedom, independence, and a new beginning as I went to a school nine hours away. As much as I loved my family and still do, in my mind, staying home would have been holding me back… at least, that was what I thought at first....
The Law of Equivalent Exchange
Have you ever heard of the law of equivalent exchange? It's a concept law from an anime and reads, "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent...
Bear Beginnings
My freshman year was full of ups and downs. I feel like the large amount of downs that occurred were all more than worth it for how much they built me as a person and a student; however, this is the time to talk about all the ups. Freshman year was my first time...
Choice, Acceptance, and On
I never felt I was good at anything in high school; I had no special talents or skills, no specific or niche interests, and all I had were some silly fast-food jobs. Downplaying my own accomplishments made me feel that my options were limited to whatever college would...
Love Letter to My Past Self
Love is in the air, and in the spirit of the season, I wanted to write a love letter to myself, 2 years ago, in my senior year of high school. Dear me, You’re almost at the finish line! I know it’s that time of year when you’re getting decisions that could change your...
My College Search Didn’t Go As Planned—and I’m Glad It Didn’t
When I first started my college search, I was convinced I wanted to go to a big school—one with tens of thousands of students, the type of school where it was basically its own small city. I pictured college exactly the way it’s shown in movies,...
Summer Time is Fun Time
Hola! My summer has been packed but also relaxing at the same time. Right after school ended in May, I went to Peru for three weeks through the Spanish for Healthcare Practicum at the University of Piura Campus Lima. This was a three-credit program that helped...
Home Away From Home
Hola! I hope you are enjoying your summer and also resting from all the hard work you put into the semester. Today I'll be writing about the experience of being far away from home while being in college and how it feels to be returning home for the summer. Initially,...
Life After the Cap and Gown: My First Month Post-Grad
No one talks enough about how weird June feels after graduation. You spend four years sprinting toward the finish line, convinced that once you cross it, everything will fall into place. But here I am, diploma earned, stage crossed, inbox cleared, and still waking up...
College Budgeting for First-Years: Out-of-Pocket Expenses
Before starting college, I mainly worked jobs to save money for tuition and books since I knew that college itself would be a financial burden on my family. Luckily, I was able to work closely with my school’s financial aid office to come up with a package that I...