Why I Came to College

(1) Why have I chosen to attend college? I have put this question to myself at many times and in various forms during the past three and a half months which have constituted the first semester of my freshman year. (Have I come because of parental influence, or because I have some goal of my own that I wish to pursue)? After (pondering) these questions on many occasions, I have finally reached the conclusion that I have come to college not for one single reason, but for many, and that it is something that I truly want to do.

(2) Originally, my parents did influence my opinions about education in general. My mother, an elementary school teacher, was always proud of my academic successes, but she never really pushed me or demanded that I achieve excellent grades. However, from the beginning of my schooling, my parents seemed to assume that I would attend college, and by the time I reached high school, I had become accustomed to that idea as well.

(3) (When I entered high school, I enrolled in the college preparatory program offered there, looking ahead four years to college attendance). However, as I proceeded further through high school into my junior and senior years, I became (genuinely) interested in many of the subjects which I was studying. Chemistry, physics, and calculus were the courses which held my interest most strongly and I felt that I wanted to continue to study those areas beyond the high school level. (Up to that point in my life, I had always claimed that I wanted to attend college. but didn’t realize why until my high school career drew to a close).

(4) Finally, I began to recognize in myself a strong drive to obtain knowledge. (I knew that I would not be content to simply end my educational career with high school and enter the working world). I truly felt a need to continue learning in order to gain a better understanding of the world around me. My final decision to attend college seemed a natural one, and my choice of engineering as a field of study came easily as well, since the profession fit well with my academic preferences.

(5) The fact that I enjoy learning and gaining knowledge was my main reason for choosing to enter college, but I must admit that it was not the sole reason. In today’s world, a college education has become almost essential if one wishes to compete in the job market. In the next several years, this trend will surely continue, with a Bachelor’s degree becoming almost (indispensable) if one wishes to find a worthwhile position, and a Master’s degree becoming highly desirable for advanced positions. Although it may sound materialistic, I felt that attending college was a practical and necessary step which I took to ensure a secure future for myself and my family. I made my choice to study engineering primarily on the basis of my love of mathematics and the physical sciences; however, the fact that it is a well-paid and respected profession did have some influence on my final decision to study engineering, rather than a pure science curriculum. Either field would have allowed me to study those subjects which hold my interest, but the decision to pursue the one which would ultimately be more profitable was not a difficult choice to make.

(6) A third reason that I am attending college is that I have always hoped that I could make a contribution to the world. I knew that a career involving science and technology would give me the best opportunity to do this. I also knew that in order to pursue such a career, I would be required to go through college. Hopefully, this will enable me to someday make a contribution to the expansion of the frontiers of society’s knowledge, and to in some way benefit mankind.

(7) Finally, I chose to attend a diversified college, as opposed to a purely technical institute, because I feel that college should allow a person to grow in areas other than pure academics. It should also expose that student to a variety of social and political ideas, helping to expand his mental horizons. Attending Rutgers University has definitely allowed me to come into contact with a wide variety of lifestyles which could only be found together on a collegiate campus. Additionally, while I am able to major in a scientific field at Rutgers, I am able to simultaneously take courses which explore other fields of study and allow me to become a more diversified and well-rounded person. This overall gain of general knowledge which is available only to the college student is another reason that I was lured toward the pursuit of a higher education.

(8) Thus, I came to college not for one reason, but for several different ones. It was something that I had planned, even without fully knowing why, for several years. It was certainly the next logical step in my educational career after the completion of high school. However, only in my final two years of high school did I actually begin to recognize in myself the inherent desire to obtain information and learning which pursue the other goals which I had set for myself. (I also knew that I wanted to become a more diversified person, and that a college education was the best means to attain that end). 

(9) Why have I chosen to attend college? Sometimes I am unsure of the exact reason myself. I am sure, however, that it is what I should do and what I want to do with the next four years of my life.