Everyone has an opinion of college, but like your GPA, opinions change over time.
The opinion that you have at the start of your Delta College experience is probably different from when you leave.
Experiences on campus will sway your opinion of the school, whether it’s good or bad. As the semester winds down and graduation approaches, Collegian staff members share their reflections on Delta College and what it’s come to mean to them.
ALEX COBA, EDITOR IN CHIEF
Most people have this notion Delta College is kind of trashy.
Even before I graduated high school I would hear people murmur: “Oh, I don’t want to go to Delta. I feel like that’s rock bottom.”
This couldn’t be further from the truth. McDonald’s is rock bottom.
If done correctly, Delta College is not only the cheaper option than going into a four-year university right out of high school, but it’s where you get a sense of what you want to do with your life. I switched my major twice before I settled on journalism.
Granted Delta College has some issues and I wish I was out of here sooner, but I for sure don’t regret my decision to come. This is the place where I found my passion and where I got to meet some extraordinary people. I’ll always be grateful to Delta for that.
SABRINA RODRIGUEZ, STAFF WRITER
My experience at San Joaquin Delta College has been amazing. I transferred to Delta two years ago due to the fact that the college I previously had no longer offered the radio-television program. I continue to work towards my goal yet needed a better structure within that field so for the betterment of my career I decided to take the risk to drive an hour away to gain the knowledge and experience that I needed.
The professors and the radio-television program have been so encouraging and helpful and have even guided me in directions for job opportunities.
Not only do I feel that they are good professors but they are also people I can call a friend. So when people ask me how I feel about attending Delta College I would say I am blessed to be able to attend the school and graduate with what I want to major in.
They say when you really want something you’ll work for it and you’ll find a way and believe me there were many obstacles that I had to do to get what I wanted. Like I always say if it was easy everyone would do it and this road was not easy but I still did it.
VICTORIA TORRES, STAFF WRITER
After graduating high school in 2015, my plan was to never attend college and go straight to work.
Being the daughter I am though, I wanted to make my mom happy and attended that fall. I dropped a class, failed two, and barely passed one and figured I knew school wasn’t for me.
It wasn’t until I saw a counselor and decided to take three guidance classes: Guidance 30, 31 and 32.
The instructor was Stacey Bagnasco, a counselor at Delta. My life was changed, literally. She noticed I had a knack for writing but I was reluctant to see what she saw in me. At the end of the semester and after doing a ton of research about who I am throughout the course, I found my calling.
I am now a communications major who finally took the leap and joined The Collegian where I found a sense of purpose and fulfillment through writing.
I didn’t become a college dropout in case you were wondering.
I am now graduating Delta and moving on to a state university with no doubts or negativity.
I am ready to see what others saw in me, especially Bagnasco and of course, my mom.
CHANELLE ANNE MUERONG, OPINION EDITOR
I honestly don’t remember what my first thoughts on Delta were other than the fact that I was a high school graduate and I was legally an adult.
I do remember how free I felt though because I usually stayed until my dad picked me up, which was around 6 p.m.
I loved the atmosphere of the school. I loved how close everything was around campus. I liked having a crowd of friends to hang out after classes.
The professors were interesting and the online portion of some classes confused me for a while but what really stood out was how calm the atmosphere felt whenever I sat in the quad area. There were always people hanging around or doing something weird. I guess that comes with every college campus.
What this campus has that other colleges don’t have, however, is the Collegian.
Honestly, I never thought I would be close to a group this weird since I graduated high school. We all came from different backgrounds but somehow we all work well together. We’ve lost some members since I arrived but we also gained some new members, and each brings a little something extra to the group. I will miss them when I graduate.
MICHAEL WEBER, SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
There are two types of people who go to Delta College: people who want to be here, and who don’t. Being on both sides of that dichotomy, changing my major thrice and attended for four years, I consider myself a veteran of the Delta experience.
My first years here I didn’t feel any passion about what I was doing; I was on autopilot. I hated my classes and I had no friends. The hardest part of Delta for me was feeling disconnected from a strong sense of meaningful work and community.
As a last effort to continue my education, I ditched the practicality of pursuing business and engineering, and I pursued the arts. And I loved it. I connected with people who were like-minded, and my homework didn’t feel like work.
I am now graduating and transferring to Humboldt State University. I learned so much from my career at Delta, and I wouldn’t change it.
Delta is either a personal hell or it is a place where you can hone your creativity and skills. It is a benevolent institution. It is up to you to decide which place it will be for you.