Opinion: Searching for a way out of college

January 16, 2009February 25, 2020 The Guardsman

By Arcel Cunanan
Opinions and Editorials Editor

We all had dreams when we were young — whether it was to be an astronaut, a firefighter, or a lawyer. My dream was to become a doctor, a pediatrician to be exact. If everything had gone the way it was supposed to, I would have already graduated medical school and been in my first year of residency by now. So what went wrong?

I had poor grades at a high school that lacked recognition. Applying and getting accepted to a prestigious college was nothing but a figment of a very hopeful imagination. I placed my future into the hands of only one college. A huge mistake, since the California state university system at San Francisco State University slowed me down and burned holes in my grandparents’ pockets.

With all the requirements and prerequisites, it almost seemed impossible to graduate. Not only that, but being too focused on friends, partying, and a certain love interest my 3.0 GPA to decreased effortlessly to a 1.47 and was punished by nearly two years of academic probation.

Since plenty of other students were traveling down the same path in the Fall of 2005, a Health Education course was offered at SFSU that had “easy A” written all over it. For me, that translated into positive points towards a better GPA. Finally, I had a chance at redemption.

But midway through the semester, my mother’s serious illness and near death experience forced me to take a break from school. Still eager to learn a year later, I took up a course at a vocational school which sounded like a good idea. The pharmacy technician license which arrived in the mail after the 6-month course and 240-hour internship has yet to provide a stable job.

Unemployed and unsatisfied with life, it was back to square one: getting on track towards earning a bachelor’s degree. After three semesters of general education courses at City College, the dream changed from pediatrician to not really sure to pharmacist and finally, to journalist. It made sense to transfer back to SFSU because I had already earned units there. Everything was mapped out for graduation in three years. Yet, another fork in the road forced me to let go of that plan.

Though ready to transfer in fall 2008, an SFSU counselor informed me that my application had been removed from the system because I had missed two consecutive semesters. My only option would be to go through the College of Extended Learning, show up on the first day of class, cross my fingers, close my eyes, and whisper “please” numerous times in hopes there would be enough space to add.

In addition to that nightmare, students of the College of Extended Learning pay $220 per unit plus miscellaneous fees. Talk about a rip off, that’s more than the amount for a full load of three semesters at City College.

Lack of money is not the only issue: “Governator” Schwarzenegger has proposed budget cuts that will hurt colleges all around California. Classes will be cut and there will be less enrollment allowance.

I have officially been in college for almost five years, and quite frankly, my brain is exhausted. How much longer will it take for me and many others to graduate with the Governator’s cuts? Is it really worth it to pursue a degree with the way the unemployment rate is rapidly increasing?