I hope that everyone either enjoyed or is enjoying their February vacation!  I did not have any college forms or anything else due but I still spent some time over vacation researching scholarships and grants that I could apply for to get money for college. There is no such thing as too much free money for college!  Some great websites for you to check out local scholarships are NHHEAF’s NH93.com and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

The good news is I’ve been accepted to a community college in central New Hampshire and I wanted to learn more about them, their curriculum and their transfer options, so during my free period at school I went straight to the library. I would like to major in nursing and on their website I was able to determine what it would cost me to complete my general studies and my nursing classes in college (the prices are different depending on the class I take because nursing majors have to pay additional lab fees, etc.). I also found a campus map, some activities that this particular college has to offer, as well as sports, tutoring, and other student resources.  I’m not sure where I will attend college next year, so I want to really investigate all of my options so that I feel completely comfortable and excited about each one and the opportunities offered there.

As part of my research, I spoke with some people I know in college and asked for their advice.  I was told that for some people it is easier to start with their General Studies courses instead of focusing solely on the class requirements for their major. General Studies classes are the classes that everyone has to take in college no matter what they are going to study. These classes can include English, math, science and many others. Every college may have different General Studies requirements.

I think I have decided to begin by taking my general studies classes before completing my nursing classes. Every person is different, but for me I think that it would be easier to adjust to college life and the higher academic demands if I go slowly instead of jumping full force into all of my classes.  Part of my decision was based on the fact that like I mentioned, general studies courses need to be taken no matter what you decide to study in college, and if I decide that I don't want to study nursing anymore, I can count them towards a different degree.  I definitely want to keep my options open!

For information about New Hampshire Community College options (check out what all seven campuses offer!), visit www.ccsnh.edu

Until next time,
Meryssa