Coming from a family history of virtually no one having pursued postsecondary education, I felt a desire to get a headstart on my college career. By middle school, I was already researching top graduate schools in the country, not realizing an undergraduate degree came first or the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition. I write this to say that while I knew I wanted/needed to go to college to chase my goals and dreams, I did not understand the path to getting there or the various little steps along the way.
When I got to high school, I began following in the footsteps of my friends whose parents had graduated from college and understood the importance of using your high school years to your advantage. I enrolled in AP courses, took Spanish classes early to meet the Foreign Language requirements (courtesy of UNC system schools), and got involved in clubs/volunteer experience. By the time I reached my senior year, I felt confident that I was on par with my friends who came from families with postsecondary degrees. I felt like I had done everything right. By December of that year, I had received my acceptance from Appalachian State University and was already on Facebook groups trying to meet new friends for when I began living in Boone.
A lot changed over the course of the following semester, and I ultimately ended up withdrawing my acceptance, after having paid the deposit and attending orientation. My first year post-high school, I attended a local community college (go Surry Knights!) and took courses that would transfer over to App State. I knew I still wanted to attend a university eventually, the timing just wasn’t right for me fresh out of high school, and I felt underprepared to take on the challenge of living in a new town without any immediate support.
Transparently, I didn’t do very much socially with my time as a community college student. I went to school, went to work, came home; repeat. I experienced a depressive episode and found it hard to finish coursework closer to the end of the semester. It was actually during that first semester I learned if you communicate with professors/instructors that you are going through issues preventing you from performing academically, they are typically willing to work with you to come up with a plan. My English instructor gave me an extension on our final essay of the semester along with some encouraging advice. This instructor ended up teaching my favorite class I had while I was at Surry.
The English instructor I had while at Surry Community was also the person who taught me how to write a proper email to professors. As a First Generation student, I had never been taught how to write a formal email to a college professor. We learned general college “tips” in that class: practical skills like how to format a bibliography correctly, but also skills that would prepare us for university-level writing, like critical thinking. Ultimately the lessons I learned while enrolled at my community college put me ahead of my peers once I became a student at Appalachian State. I grew confidence in myself over the course of the year and my ability to be on my own.
Just because the timing hadn’t been right the first time I applied to Appalachian does not mean that my First Generation student story was over. I successfully graduated from Appalachian State this past May and can honestly say it was one of the best days of my life. I look back to who I was five years ago and how she thought she had her pathway to college figured out; I look at the seniors I help with now, and how some believe they have it all figured out. I am proud of the work that we are able to do as College Advisers since we are able to be a resource for the kids whose plans don’t go accordingly; it is what I wish I would have had at their age. I write this all to say that just because everyone is starting at a different place, does not mean anyone is behind in their individual success.
Written by Ashley Bingman, adviser at Mitchell High School
Ashley Bingman, Adviser Mitchell HS
