Author: Austin Neil

Highlight: I will always give my all in everything that I do because in the end hard work always finds its way to reward you.

Document Text:
1 You Get Out of Life Exactly What You Put Into It --by Austin Neil “I will always give my all in everything that I do because in the 2 end hard work always finds its way to reward you.” ____________________________________ Community college attended: Manchester Community College Location: Manchester, Connecticut Date success story was submitted: 21 September 2018 Community college sponsor/mentor and college affiliation: Patrick Sullivan, English Department, Manchester Community College Key search terms: Recent high school graduate, parent attended community college Academic major: Radiation Therapy Some people believe that if you are going to a community college, you are not “worthy” enough to go to a four year university. That is not the case with any community college. A community college offers just as much as a four year university would, and I am happy with the decisions I made coming to MCC. There were a few different reasons as to why I chose to go to Manchester Community College. My father attended Manchester Community College in 1984, and he majored in food service management. I decided to ask my father a few questions about his experience attending MCC: Myself: What was one of the things you liked about a community college? My Father: I liked that there were small classes, which made it easier to receive one-on-one help with the professor if needed. It also reminded me of my small town high school, therefore it was easier to transition into as opposed to a huge lecture hall class at a university. 3 Myself: What was one of the things that you found challenging about going to MCC? My Father: It was hard going to school full time while also working full time. Going to a community college made balancing the two possible because of the flexible schedule that I was able to work out. Myself: After graduating, what did you find most rewarding going to MCC? My Father: After graduating from MCC, I was able to open two successful businesses, which led me to where I am now in my career. After asking my father a few questions about his experience at MCC, it was helpful to know that he has made it far in his career. This showed that it could be a great option for me. Going through the college process, I knew that it was going to be challenging to find a school that had my major. My major is radiation therapy, and it is not offered at most schools. The State University of New York, the University of Vermont, and MCC were the main schools that I looked at that offered this major. I would like to be in the radiation therapy program because many of my family members have had cancer and or have died from cancer. It is a horrible illness, therefore with radiation therapy I could help people fight back and hopefully beat cancer. When I found out how short the list was I was happy to see that MCC offered this major. Along with finding the right school, we also had to think about the financial aspect of college. MCC offers the same courses with lower tuition than four year universities. Courses at MCC are also usually transferable, making it easier to transfer to a four year school after achieving your associate's degree. The location and the new 4 renovations to the school were also a big plus. These reasons made my decision clear. The radiation therapy program at MCC is extremely competitive. They only allow forty interviews, and take eight students out of about two hundred applications. Knowing that has made me work even harder to achieve success in my courses. Before I knew it, I was signing up for my classes, and getting everything ready for school. Just like any new start at a new school, I was a little nervous. I was nervous for two reasons. One being that it would be a new environment that would take time to get used to. The second reason I was nervous was because I went to a technical high school. I chose to go to a technical high school because I am a very hands on learner, and at the time I did not think college would be in my path. It was a great school, and taught me many different skills. I enjoyed welding and the cool projects we did, such as building a truck bed. Me welding the bleachers at my technical high school 5 I enjoyed playing baseball, basketball, and football during my time there. However, only half of each year was academics and the other half of the year was working in the shop that you were in. I worked hard in both areas of school, but having to go from half academics to full on college academics was going to be challenging. I made the decision to further my education after high school because I realized welding was not a career you can do when you are older, and since it was a construction trade, I did not like how I would always have to look for work. I knew it was going to take some effort, but anything worth doing will not be easy. Anyone trying to continue their education should realize that anything is possible, even if at the beginning you are not sure what you are going to be doing. I chose what was best for myself based on my father’s experiences and other aspects that went along with MCC. The first semester of college was tough, as it normally is for most students. My main struggles were math and anatomy. There was so much information in each class. I had to make sure I was taking great notes in both classes, and also getting any extra help when needed. MCC teachers and the school offer a lot of help to the students. There are many opportunities to get the help you need that will also fit in with your busy schedule. MCC was a great choice for me because it allows me to go to school in the day and work at night. Although it was challenging balancing work and school, I managed to figure out how to balance them in order to succeed in my classes. Learning the skill of time management was the most helpful tool during my first semester. By the end of the first semester, I had made the Dean’s list. It was a great feeling of accomplishment 6 knowing that through all the struggles of adjusting to college, my hard work and determination had paid off. During the second semester, math was still hard, but anatomy was even more challenging because everything had changed. I had a new teacher and an entire new curriculum. There was a lot more work, but I knew that only meant I had to work even harder. With the help of the tools I learned from the first semester, I made it through the second semester with the same GPA as the first. However, I did not make Dean’s list because I only took ten credits that semester. At the time when I was signing up for classes, I did not realize you needed a certain amount of credits to make the Dean’s list. Half way through the second semester I received an email from Patrick Sullivan, the chapter advisor of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society at MCC. The email was an invitation to be a part of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. This was a great honor and I was very thankful for this opportunity. I was also proud of myself because this was a huge accomplishment for me. I joined a couple weeks later. It was a great decision because not only is it good for a resume, but it is a great honor to be part of such a prestigious group. The best part about being a part of an honor society is that the members can tremendously help out the school and the community through the work it does each year. Anyone that gets a chance to join this group or any other group in college should definitely join. You will not regret it. It was also beneficial to join because it greatly increases the college experience. I understood that there were going to be more responsibilities when it came to school because of being a member of this society, but I know in the end that it will all pay off. The opportunities that it could potentially allow 7 me to have throughout my time here at MCC and the gratification it gives me is why I believe it was a good choice to join. I have only gone through one full year at MCC, but so many great events and opportunities have happened to me throughout this time. Knowing that I have my family, friends, and my teachers at MCC in my support system is what allows me to succeed in tough situations. It is important to have people you can trust and that you can always go to for help. I will always give my all in everything that I do because in the end hard work always finds its way to reward you. I will continue to go through my journey with this motto: you get out of life exactly what you put into it. I have one more full semester of prerequisites until I need to apply for the radiation therapy major at MCC. I hope to have many more successes during my time at MCC and throughout life.