My college experience was a mostly positive one, I learned so much during my time there, and I am not just talking about the course I studied. The best thing to come out of college for me was that I learned a lot about myself, college was really a journey of self discovery for me.

Unable to get the subject choices I wanted, I left school at sixteen to attend the nearest college to my home. This meant that I was traveling for about three hours a day to get to college and back, but that is the nature of island life you spend ages traveling to get anywhere. Even on my very first day I knew that I had made the right decision, I had always been a very mature kid and finally being surrounded by adults and being treated like one was all I needed to convince me.

I really enjoyed my course and did very well in my first year, although when it got to my second year I realized that I was simply not enjoying it anymore and couldn't see a future career in it. So I decided to take a year out and change my course, again I was sure almost immediately that I had made the right decision, I was enjoying my classes again and for the first time I actually felt like I knew what I wanted to do with my life.

College wasn't easy for me financially, during my first year because of my age I received a very small bursary which basically covered my travel and maybe my lunches. Living on a small island there is no work for a sixteen year old out with the tourist season and I actually had to skip college more than once because I just couldn't afford to get there. By the time I went back to college aged 18 I had a full time job in a bar, although I had to cut my hours drastically to attend college. However this did not make things much easier as something happened with my paperwork for my college grant and loan meaning that I never received a single penny of it until the last month of my course. Most weeks I was at college three days a week and working four or five, this often meant that I would work till one in the morning and get up at six thirty for college. I knew that this was the only way I could afford to attend college and I was willing to do that in the short term because it was worth the long term gain, but looking back I have no idea how I managed.

Going to college was definitely a positive experience, not only did I gain valuable qualifications but I met some wonderful people who I remain friends with to this day. I also learned so much about myself and I feel that I have grown so much as a person since going to college. It may have been hard financially and I certainly didn't have the busy social life that most students do but going to college was one of the most positive things I have ever done in my life and I don't regret it one bit, in fact I am hoping to return to my studies by going to university in the near future.