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The fear of the unknown is powerful. It can cause you to do what is necessary to succeed, or cause you to shut down and run. It's good old flight or fight that I'm talking about. 

Why am I talking about fear on a blog that's supposed to be about college? Because fear is one of the biggest obstacles you'll have to conquer in college, especially if you are a first-generation college student.  Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of your own power and potential. 

But the message of today's blog is to encourage you to push past the fear. To go for it- to try it anyways. 

And I think that's a message that a lot of students, especially high school students, don't hear. 

The other night, I was facilitating a workshop and I happened to ask how many people were scared of college, and the conversation took off. Think about it. How many of you have heard "college isn't like high school"? How many of you know of at least one person who went off to college and had to come home? 

College isn't a gladiator battle of intelligence, it's a process through which an individual (you) find the ability to confront an obstacle and overcome it. And the secret to being successful is realizing that you've already faced a gazillion challenges and have overcome them (at least enough to progress forward). And that's the honest, yet simple, truth. 

Take it from someone who has first-hand experience, and has literally advised hundreds of students: take the mountain (college) and break it up into smaller pieces (pieces or instances where you make the best choice possible). 

It's about changing your way of thinking and how you approach the situation, and this takes time and practice., but as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. 

At the end of the day, take stock of all the things you have accomplished in spite of fear. Asking someone out, running for student government, trying out for the team, etc. 

If fear didn't stop you then, why should it now? 

​I love to write and between my assignments and endless journals, I have written many words, strung together to make up sentences. But one of the sentences in a statement I wrote sticks out like no other "Sometimes getting into college proves to be a barrier in and of itself". There are many reasons as to why I remember this phrase, but perhaps the biggest reason was one that I was reminded of today as I read an article entitled, "A College Adviser in Every School".  
       The article itself shed light on college advising in high schools and the fact that there is more that can be done. And I don't imagine there is a single sentence in that entire article that I didn't agree with, but that isn't the point of this post. If you are a student, parents, educator, caring adult, I want you to know that it is in each other that we will find the answers we need to move on to the next level; whatever that may be. 
        One of the resources that I have in the students and parents section is called My Map to College and it is simply a booklet with phrases that are popular in the worlds of admissions, financial aid and college, While it provides some guidance, what it really provides is a key terms that you may want to consider when trying to navigate the process. But a hidden feature of the booklet is that it empowers the students and parents. It gives you the terms, but it's up to you figure out the reason why that term is important. And those reasons are different for everyone. 
        By providing the outline but not a checklist, students and parents have the opportunity explore how their experiences and situations fit within the scheme of higher education. The booklet also directly invites students (and their families) to seek the counsel of others, people they trust to help them build their map to college.
            So you see, maybe this theme of coming together, sharing our stories- our hopes- our dreams, can help change out outcomes of educational attainment of Latinos; one student at a time.

It's March. Soon, you'll start to receive your financial aid reports from various colleges and universities. A reminder that May 1st  the national deadline to pay your acceptance fee (the fee to reserve your spot at a college or university). 

As you start to open up the reports don't panic. It's great news if you have secured enough grants, scholarships etcetera to pay for school, but if you have not please don't panic. 

You can turn down all offers and/or  reapply the following year. It is called Gap Year- making sure to take no college classes that may affect admissions or financial aid decisions, 

You can ask the school for more money. More than likely they will not be able to grant more money, but there are exceptions. 

Apply like crazy for scholarships. This is where Latinos Go To College comes in. Follow us and stay engaged with us as we hold workshops to help you understand what all this financial aid jargon means and how you can best position yourself financially. 


Whatever path you choose, please choose wisely. As we always say: college is an investment of your time, talents and resources (money just being one of them.) ​