My name is Nelly and I have been studying in UC Santa Cruz for almost two months. The transition to college has been really challenging. But because I have the opportunity to be a member of the Bridge Program through EOP the transition has being more easier. Through the Bridge Program I have a mentor with whom I check in every week about my academics and anything else that I may need help with. The Bridge Program helped me with the transition to college, because I had the opportunity to move in a week earlier. During that week we had an intensive writing class in where we had the opportunity to see what was ahead of us. The mentors and staff gave us advice about midterms, clubs, and other topics. This program has been really helpful, because I’ve learned how to manage my time in school.
Being away from my family has not been easy because I’ve always been close to home. I was really homesick during the first weeks. My friends really helped me out by being there for me every time they would see me upset. My roommate and I have a really good relationship and we have kept each other motivated throughout this journey. Now that I am away from them I come to realize that being far away may be one of the toughest things in college.
Academics are really challenging but I was expecting that to come my way. The Bridge Program has provided me with tutoring for my classes which have helped understand my classes and the main concepts. Coming to a big school I thought it was going to be difficult to interact with my teachers, but I was wrong. I have a class of 300 students which is named Latin American and Latino Studies the professor is so engaged with its students. He always tells us to strive for a better future, and to reach our full potential. It may be a big class, but I honestly do not feel like a number. I feel like the teachers do care about every student.
My high school did not exactly prepare me for the “college” life, but I know it prepared me more than other schools would have. I have made the library my second home I stay in the library until I am able to finish my homework. I think what has helped me out trough out the transition has been the strong support system outside and inside of school. The strong support system that I have has motivated me to do better academically.
I know nothing is perfect in life, so why question the difficulty of college? I trust myself to give my full potential in school, and hopefully obtain good grades. Thank you EdFund for giving me the opportunity to experience the college life. I promise I won’t disappoint you.
– Nelly, UC Santa Cruz ’15
