What Goals Have You Set For Yourself In Order To Earn Your Degree?

-I’ve been pretty realistic about how long I’m taking to get my education. Most people strive to have a bachelor’s in no more than 4 years. But if you’re like me and you work full time to pay it off without the hassle of student loans, it’s better to accept the fact that you’ll need to take your time. I’ve been going to school for 4 years now and almost have my Associate’s degree. My mom took 10 years to get hers because she was raising me. Don’t focus on unrealistic time constraints because things come up in life, and you’ll be disappointed and possibly lose your motivation if you don’t finish “in time.”
-Figure out up front how you’re going to pay for college. If your family is helping you out financially, that’s great, but a lot of people don’t get that luxury. If you can’t get scholarships or grants, don’t get discouraged. You can work and go to school at the same time, and if so, you should look into working for companies that offer tuition assistance. Even McDonalds offers full tuition reimbursement! If you take the loan route, apply for student loans with low interest rates (it’s best if a parent will co-sign with you, especially if you have little or no credit.) This is good stuff to talk to a college counselor about.
-Also realize that the average person changes his or her major twice. I went from being an English major to a Computer Science major to a Psych major….and now I’m considering getting an education degree. Finding out what you really love doing (and not just what you think you’d like to do) is important, and it’s a hard decision for some people. This is yet another good conversation to have with a college counselor.
-Be sure that you’re ready for school. I know this sounds silly, but people like me who were only mildly motivated in high school find it much harder to keep up with college homework. It’s tough, and studying is no joke. You have to dedicate much more time and effort. Get involved in study groups and build good relationships with your professors.
I hope this helps!