Julia, a former Maryvale resident who recently started college and transitioned to independent living after living at Maryvale, shares her first college essay about ... college.

I enjoy college for several reasons. First of all, I am more independent and on my own. Despite me still being under strict supervision, college has made it easy for me to forget my living situation. Even though I just started college, I love it because all the work keeps me motivated to do my best. Furthermore, I enjoy college because it is helping me grow as a person every day.

Additionally, I enjoy meeting new people who then become my friends. Specifically, making friends along the way has helped me learn more about college. Meanwhile, I have realized it is not easy to transition from high school to college. For instance, the work to do is doubled, and there are certain requirements. Then I am on my own completely with no teacher always there to help me. However, I never liked school growing up, I liked college as soon as I started. The work is not as hard as I thought it would be. Also, college has made me realize what I want for my future, and there are many resources available for me. For example, as a foster care student, I am in a program specifically for foster kids, and the program helped pay for all my books and materials. As a result, with all the resources available, the people I meet, and the work assigned, it has helped me enjoy college more.

In conclusion, college has made me see things differently from school to reality at home. Furthermore, I do get stressed out about my assignments and things I have to do daily, but there is always a way to deal with it. Moreover, with this being my first college class, I have learned many new skills that will help me out all throughout my time in college. Finally, I enjoy college because my first professor has taught me skills to prepare me for my future and now I think about things in different ways with all the advice and lectures, I am ready to succeed.