Compare and Contrast College Life Essay Assignment | Online Homework Help

The Lives of College Students: Past Experience, Present Struggles, and Success as Students, Future Goals

Write an essay comparing and contrasting the two college students you interviewed. Be sure you have a clear thesis and support.

Read through your interview notes and decide what areas you want to focus on in your paper. What are the themes that are emerging in your paper? Are you going to have a straightforward thesis that focuses on the past experience, present struggles/success as a student, future goals? Or are you going to focus on a specific theme in your thesis; for example, the struggle for success. (Focus on one theme or included all of them.)
Remember that this is a compare and contrast paper, so you must compare the two students that you interviewed throughout your paper

Interview Questions
Person 1
Baseline Questions
1. Do you receive financial aid?
Yes
2. Are you a part/full-time student?
Full-time student
3. What degree are you aiming for?
Finance
4. Do you work? If yes, full/part-time?
No
5. How long have you been enrolled in college?
It’s my first year
6. Are you the first person in your family to attend college?
No
Past Experience
1. Did high school teachers help you with the transition into college? If so, how?
Yes, they would give academic advice, and that their learning process would be way
faster than high school.
2. What kind of student were you in high school? Are you the same student now?
I was a regular student, responsible and independent, that hasn’t changed in high school.
3. Describe your life in high school. Was it enjoyable? In high school the classes were
easier, and I spent more time with my friends.
4. Why did you decide to go to college?
I decided to go college pretty much to make my parents proud, and being able to get
opportunities in my future.
Present Struggles/successes
1. What are the differences between your high school and college experience?
The schedule between classes is different in high school. You have to go in the morning
and in college you choose your timing and you have more free time.
2. How did you picture college life? How does it compare to the reality of college life?
Base what the teacher used to say about how hard it was and that you will be by yourself.
But really if you know what you are doing it seems very easy and enjoyable.
3. Is the college you are attending your first choice? Explain. What made you attend the
college you currently attend?
No, because the first option was way expensive and it didn’t feel prepared to expend that money, because
4. How did you decide on your major? Who influenced you on deciding the major? Did you
seek advice?
My class in high school really inspired me, and I find it interesting.
5. What struggles in your first semester have carried over to your other semesters in
school?
Have to carry too many reading and papers in just one day for not just one class.
6. How do you manage your time between work and school (other personal
commitments)?
I just focus on my school, because I don’t have that many responsibilities.
7. Describe your college experience so far.
You have to be awake of what you are up to and be rushing all the time.
8. What’s your hardest class this semester? Why?
English because I don’t like reading and writing, I’m more of a math person.
9. Has college made you broke? Explain.
Yes, because I had to spend on books and they are too expensive.
10. In what way has attending college changed your life?
You become more responsible, in the aspect of seeing people that are older than you and
that make you realize that you still have a long way to go.
11. Has it been easy to make friends in college? Explain why or why not.
No, because most of the students are older than me and it is difficult to find things to talk
about because we don’t have the same interests and age is kinda the cause of that.
12. How long have you been in college? What pushes you to stay in college?
I’m finishing my first year, my family and my future.
13. What is something that distracts you from getting the grades you want? Explain
why.
Sometimes when I am ready to study my favorite streamer goes live and I get distracted
and I don’t do my work that I was planning to do.
14. Did you ever consider transferring? If so, why?
Yes, personal problems as being far away from my family and friends.
15. Have you ever thought about dropping out? Why?
No, because I know that I’m really doing the right thing and I liked it.
16. What advice would you give to incoming college students?
Know that you will be given a lot of work and that implies a lot of responsibility and
being focused.
Future goals
1. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Being in a stable job and with my master degree.
2. Do you plan to further your education once you complete the school you are currently
enrolled in?
Yes, my master’s degree in finance.
3. What are your future goals/career plans? Explain why you have these goals and what you
plan to do to accomplish them?
My career goal would be getting a graduate and getting an internship out of it.
4. Is there anybody in particular you aspire to be like? Explain why.
You think you would be happy in your future job after college? Yes, because I choose to
study.
Person 2
1. Do you receive financial aid?
Yes
2. Are you a part/full-time student?
Full-time student
3. What degree are you aiming for?
Civil Engineering
4. Do you work? If yes, full/part-time?
No
5. How long have you been enrolled in college?
It’s my first year.
6. Are you the first person in your family to attend college?
Yes, I’m the only child.
Past Experience
1. Did high school teachers help you with the transition into college? If so, how?
High teachers didn’t really help at all. They focused on their stuff but not on how we
were supposed to prepare for college.
2. What kind of student were you in high school? Are you the same student now?
While in High School i used to be pretty chill, more outcoming. Since I started college
everything has changed, I’m more nervous to talk and I feel lonely.
3. Describe your life in high school. Was it enjoyable?
High School was, with no doubt, the best time of my life so far. I met incredible people
who I’m really happy to call friends.
4. Why did you decide to go to college?
I decided to go to college to make my mom proud, and let her know that all her efforts
are not worthless.
Present Struggles/successes
1. What are the differences between your high school and college experience?
High school and college are completely different worlds. In high school you were with
the same people for many years, and you developed a perfect bonding. While in college
you have to fight for yourself, while also competing against all the other kids who are
trying to get their degrees.
2. How did you picture college life? How does it compare to the reality of college life?
I thought it was this place where freedom was the default environment, but so far it’s
been nothing like that, to be sitting against a screen for many hours just to finish ONE of
many homeworks is just insane, but i guess it’ll be worth it.
3. Is the college you are attending your first choice? Explain. What made you attend
the college you currently attend?
NJIT was always my first option. They have one of the best engineering programs among
the state of NJ, I guess that was it.
4. How did you decide on your major? Who influenced you on deciding the major?
Did you seek advice?
My math teacher during sophomore year helped me decide my major, he’s also a civil
engineer. So he became my role model.
5. What struggles in your first semester have carried over to your other semesters in
school?
It has been hard to focus, and mix my social life and education has also been a struggle.
6. How do you manage your time between work and school (other personal
commitments)?
I have no idea, I just try to find energy where there is none.
7. Describe your college experience so far.
A total nightmare, exams, classes, mean professors, I don’t get along with my classmates,
etc.
8. What’s your hardest class this semester? Why?
Chemistry, I’m in danger of failing the class, heavy lectures are totally killing me, and the
Coronavirus outbreak did not help.
9. Has college made you broke? Explain.
Not really. The multiple scholarships I got have helped me a lot, and also the federal
grants.
10. In what way has attending college changed your life?
I still feel the same way as when I left high school. it has not made a change in my life,
yet.
11. Has it been easy to make friends in college? Explain why or why not.
People in college are not really your friends. So of them just take advantage of you. Not
everyone is like that, but the majority is.
12. How long have you been in college? What pushes you to stay in college?
I’m about to finish my freshman year. My parents are my reason to keep going, just to
make them proud.
13. What is something that distracts you from getting the grades you want? Explain
why.
Personal problems in general, it’s hard to manage time. That’s the only reason why I’m
not getting the grades I want.
14. Did you ever consider transferring? If so, why?
I’ve been thinking about it since the beginning of the Spring Semester. A friend of mine
asked me to move with him to Massachusetts, to be more specific to UMASS. It’s an
option, let’s see what the future holds for me.
15. Have you ever thought about dropping out? Why?
No, I never give up. Even when I’m about to fail, I try harder and harder. I just want to
accomplish myself.
16. What advice would you give to incoming college students?
Make sure you know what you want to do. Life isn’t that hard, it’s just a matter of try
hard and enjoy your time in college, spending time with family and friends helps a lot too
Future goals
1. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Probably working as a city planner for NY or NJ, maybe more, maybe less. I wanna be
the greatest version of myself.
2. Do you plan to further your education once you complete the school you are
currently enrolled in?
I’m not 100% sure, for my career, it’s not really necessary to get a masters or a pHD, by
getting a bachelor’s degree is all that’s needed to practice as a civil engineer.
3. What are your future goals/career plans? Explain why you have these goals and
what you plan to do to accomplish them?
Of course, I want to get my degree. And then have new experiences. Travel around the
world, maybe get a job in another country. I’m just thrilled to see what’s next.
4. Is there anybody in particular you aspire to be like? Explain why.
I wanna be like my mom. She doesn’t have a degree, but she’s the purest woman I know.
She has put a lot of effort into giving me all the opportunities I have now. I just want to
give her back what she has done for me.