Where I'm Going

Pre-Writing Artifact: My Plan for TCU

Though TCU is a welcoming institution, I do feel that there are struggles in college that cannot be avoided. TCU offers many resources to students, but many are unknown by the students, or do not fully have what the student is looking for. The issues I am referencing are depression, anxiety, stress, homesickness and financial struggles. Many of these are unavoidable, going to college is a major change in a youth's life and there is no taking away the personal struggle they will face, but there are ways of leading them down the right path early so they don't waste a lot of time. There are a lot of students who don't experience catastrophic issues in their first year, yet their minor problems could potentially keep them from getting all that they can out of college, so those need to be addressed as well.

 

Revision Artifact: Google Research  

Sources: 

• https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-i-wish-i-knew-as-a-college-freshman-11621378363 

• https://educationdata.org/college-dropout-rates 

• https://www.unigo.com/colleges/texas-christian-university/reviews/describe-the-students-at-your-school 

• https://counseling.tcu.edu/student-services/

 

Quotes:​​

​​

• "you’re in college for self-oriented goals: to educate yourself and become a better candidate for whichever job you want at the end"

• "lacking the meaningful personal connections and pursuit of real interests that make life exciting"

• "In the United States, the overall dropout rate for undergraduate college students is 40%"

• "30% of the dropout rate comes from college freshman dropping out before their sophomore year"

• "Black students had the highest college dropout rate at 54%"

​

Peer Response Artifact: Interviews and Site Visit

I interviewed two people, one who is in my friend group and another who is a female and not in my friend group. They both come from different backgrounds and have different ethnicities but they are both freshman at TCU.

Questions:

• What do you want out of TCU? 

• Do you feel like TCU is a welcoming school?

• Do you feel pressured to fit a norm at TCU?

• Have you felt your mental health decrease at TCU?

• Have you seen other people struggle with their mental health at TCU?

• Do you feel like your ethnicity gives you an advantage or disadvantage at TCU?

​

Tucker Leandro, a Caucasian male from North Carolina who is in a fraternity at TCU.

1) "A degree, setting myself up for success in the future, grow a network, mature"

2) "Yes, they do a lot for their students, spend a lot of money for campus events like concerts, bouncy castles and petting zoos"

3) "Yes, if you're not in Greek Life as a guy it would be really boring, I wouldn't know what I would do besides school"

4) "Yes, its hard at the beginning when you feel like everyone's judging you and stuff, I felt alone"

5) "Absolutely, lots of girls only talk about how they are depressed or anxious and don't sleep. I've seen guys that I think are struggling but they never talk about it"

6) "Advantage, most people here are white so I don't feel out of the ordinary at all" 

​

Isabel Gajendran, a Chinese and Sri Lankan female from Santa Cruz, California who is not in a sorority at TCU.

1) "Degree, employment after college, setting up for success"

2) "The school, yes they do a bunch of stuff to try to make you feel comfortable, RA's, activities in the commons... The student body no."

3) "Yes, girls wear lulu and golden goose, everyones in a sorority and they have money to spend"

4) "Not knowing people, social anxiety, it was not hard transition living without parents because I was independent before college'

5) "Yes, mostly has been school related though"

6) "Disadvantage, but I am used to it, I was reluctant to rush because I'm brown, there was fear of being used for diversity agenda"  

​

Site Visit 

Texas Christian University is a clean, brick based school with beautiful landscaping. It is a private campus so the only people on campus are students, faculty, and employees. The vibe on campus is so great, everyone is wearing TCU gear, there's almost always things happening in the commons like concerts, petting zoos, or even inflatable slides. There are many places to eat on and around campus and there are usually families touring the school in the spring. My favorite place on campus is by the language houses, there is a common area that feels like a little village. 

​

​

Mentor Response Artifact: