ISLAND VIEWS

[I]Editor’s Note: The following essay and mini-essays are written by the students of Mrs. G.C. Borja-Robinson’s writing classes at the Northern Marianas College. The views expressed are solely those of the students.[/I] [B]Dropping out of college[/B]

By LYDEE PANGELINAN

Students today drop out of college for various reasons. This happens even when many employers look for people who finish at least two years of college. So why do students drop out of college? I believe there are three reasons. One, they cannot afford the tuition. Two, they prefer to work. Three, they fail a course(s).

One reason that a student drops out of college is that he or she does not have enough money to pay tuition. Often a family cannot pay college tuition for a son or daughter because the parent(s) earns minimum wages. Or the parents can only afford to pay the tuition of one family member. Although a public college is relatively inexpensive, many students cannot afford the tuition. Thus they cannot study.

Another reason for a student to drop out of college is a job. When a student gets a good job, he or she prefers to keep the job instead of attending college. That student may have been working at a job while going to college too. He or she finds out that working is preferable to taking classes. It is difficult for him or her to leave the job due to the salary the job provides. Such a student finds out that there is a better future to working instead of studying.

Another reason a student does not finish college is due to academic failure. Sometimes a student has problems with some subjects, especially mathematics or English. So he or she ends up failing the course(s). e or she has the opportunity to take the course again but chooses not to. Often it is more preferable to work in an easy job where one does not need to think.

Students usually drop out of college for these reasons: lack of money, a good job, and academic failure. I hope students do not drop out of college. Education is an investment for your future.

[B]The importance of exercise[/B]

By HO JIN WOO

What kind of exercise do you like to do? I sometimes jog beside the beach with my family, because exercise is important for our health. Everyone wants to live a healthy life. Three years ago, I didn’t think we needed to exercise to have good health. I was young and had a lot of energy. Later I realized that as we get older we need to exercise to stay healthy and have full energy. So I decided to start exercising to keep my body weight and stay healthy. Now I spend three hours a week jogging with my family. My wife does not like to jog, but I bring her to the beach to exercise. I encourage my family to continue to exercise so that we will be healthy and live longer.

[B]Swimming[/B]

By DONG MEI GU

Do you like to swim? Many people like it. I believe swimming is the best exercise to improve your health. For men, swimming strengthens the muscles of the whole body. It helps them stay stronger and more flexible. For women who want to keep fit, swimming is a good way to lose weight.

There are many styles of swimming. They are: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. I think the most beautiful is the butterfly stroke. However,it is also the most difficult to master. Freestyle is the fastest swim stroke.The breastroke looks like a frog. The backstroke is the most comfortable for me. When I feel tired, it is so fantastic to just be able to float on the water surface. I like to swim. It provides great benefits to our health.

[B]Walking[/B]

By IN JU AHN

Do you like exercise? What kind of exercise do you like? For me, I prefer to walk. Walking is easy and simple compared to other forms of exercise. Some people may prefer jogging, but jogging is a little hard for me. When I lived in Korea, I used to walk for one and a half hours everyday from Monday to Friday. I did not use public transportation so that I could exercise. Walking everyday helped me maintain my weight and good health. When I took a vacation from my job, I stopped walking. I noticed that I easily gained weight during my vacation. I also noticed that I was too uncomfortable to do any physical activity, even walking. So if you want to maintain your weight and stay healthy, why don’t you try walking? Walking is a very easy way to keep your body weight. If you have any spare time, try it now! Walking is an easy exercise for anyone.