As a senior in high school, counselors and teachers repeatedly tell you that you can easily transfer from community college to a university in two years.

Sitting down at my first appointment with a City College counselor, I found that transferring in two years was not going to be that simple.

My math and English placement scores weren’t deemed to be at a college level. I had a part-time job as a barista, and being a new college student, I didn’t want to overwhelm myself with classes.

While coming up with an education plan, it was recommended to stick to transferring in three years as opposed to two. I agreed, in hopes that everyone was right about three years being the best option for me.

Although community college was supposed to feel like one step closer to getting into a university, it felt even further from my reach.

After my first semester of fall 2014, I decided this was not the route I wanted to take. With only six transferable units after my first semester I decided to do everything I could in order to have 60 by the end of next spring.

I decided to take 15 units for the spring 2015 semester. It was hard to balance working, going to school and still having a social life, but I managed. I ended up getting all A’s and one B. This motivated me to continue on.

This past summer, I took it upon myself to take classes to make up for the fall semester. It’s hard enough taking a 16-week class being squished into six weeks, but three total classes was even more challenging. Also, my hours at work rose up to 30 hours a week due to everyone being out of school and the craziness of Comic-Con in Downtown.

It got exhausting waking up at 5 a.m. to make drinks for people then rushing over to school to sit through a class while friends were out soaking out in the sun, but once the semester was over there was a feeling of relief knowing I was nine units closer to the required 60 units.

There is a two-week break between the summer and fall semester. During this time, it started to feel weird having so much time to myself. I was so used to my mind being occupied doing schoolwork. It was a routine I was getting used to. Challenging myself became something I enjoyed doing.

It takes dedication to want to achieve your goals. Even when it got tough, it was worth it when my grades reflected on the work I put into everything.

I’m finally where I need to be now. This semester I’m taking a total of 16 units and my college applications are sent out. All I need to worry about is finishing off strong and playing the waiting game.