Self-Dependence

John Peacock
UWRT 1102
Intawiwat

I have always been told that college will be one of the most fun times
in your life; but at the same time how college will be completely different
than what youre used to. College is the first time in most young adults lives
where they will have to be more self-dependent. Growing up under your
parents household had its perks even though most people would say that
they couldnt wait to get out from under their parents wings and go to
college. Once people go to college, they soon realize that they needed their
parents a lot more than they thought they would. In college you have to
solely rely on yourself for food and you have to manage your finances as well
as your time without the help of your parents serving as your financial
advisor or personal alarm clock. Becoming more self-dependent in college is
a lot similar to how Chris McCandless was solely reliant on himself when he
began his long journey to the Alaskan wilderness. Chris, like most college
students had to break away from under his parents arms and by doing that
became solely reliant on himself for food, money, time management, etc.
College is a lot of fun and while most of college is devoted to classwork;
college actually plays a vital role into shaping who you are as a person and
its gets you ready for the real world. So the real questions are, how do
people become independent in college and how is Chris McCandlesss
independence different/similar to college students?

College is the first big step in most teenagers lives into transitioning
into an adult. College is likely the first time when teens have to do most
things on their own without the backup help from their parents. College is
where the art of self-dependence comes into play. Eighteen years of your life
you lived with a parent or guardian who provided for you in every way
possible; from money to food to shelter to transportation and so on.
However, when you get to college your parents are no longer there to wake
you up in time for school or give you enough money for lunch that day;
instead you have to learn how to manage those things yourself. Youre not
going to be a forty-year-old man or woman and still have your parents
providing for you. College is where you learn how to become more
independent. In college you have to assume more responsibility, be more
informed, know where youre going, and make your own decisions. If these
things are hard for you to do and hard for you to get a grasp on by yourself
psychologists recommend: getting to know yourself better, challenge your
beliefs and assumptions, become more assertive, meet your own needs, and
learn to soothe yourself in challenging situations. These useful steps can help
better prepare yourself to become more independent and to start
transitioning into an adult. Becoming more self-dependent is a hard thing to
do, thats why you live with your parents for the first eighteen years of your
life. Two of the biggest challenges that college brings and that your parents
help you with so much in your childhood are time and money management.

When you get to college you have to be the manager for your time and for
your money. You cant expect anyone to tell you when youre running low on
cash or when to wake up so you dont miss a class. Even though the main
purpose of attending college is to get an education; college is also meant to
prepare you for your next step in life, adulthood. And if you are not good at
balancing your money and your time you need to start better preparing
yourself to be better at those two things. Time management and money
management are two key aspects of becoming more independent and
becoming an adult. As for me and most other college students, college is the
first big step in depending almost solely on yourself. And if you are not good
and relying on yourself, then you better use some of the steps I talked about
into to becoming more self-dependent so that you can have a successful
college experience and learn to become a better, more independent young
adult.

Chris McCandless, otherwise known as the guy from the Into the Wild
book and movie was a young adult who went on an epic journey into the
Alaskan wilderness that eventually brought an end to his life. How does
McCandless relate to my topic and this essay? Well the answer is simple;
Chris McCandless was a young adult who had lived under his parents wings
until he went off to college. Chriss childhood was filled with disagreements
and arguments with his parents. All of this eventually led to him breaking
away from his parents and breaking away from society and led him on a

journey to the Alaskan wilderness. Along his path Chris had to be more selfdependent than ever, relying on himself for food, money, shelter, etc. Chris
in these cases was similar to most college students, in the way that he had
to be solely reliant on himself for most of everything without the constant
assistance from his parents. Now college students, for the most part, dont
completely break away from their parents and break away from society and
so in this case Chris was a little extreme. However, Chris had to learn how to
become more self-dependent so that he could make enough money for food
or find his own food and so he could make sure he had somewhere to sleep
and so he could make sure he kept up with the time and the type of season it
was up north. In these cases, Chris McCandless was a lot like college
students in the way they strive to become more independent. A lot of people
find McCandlesss story inspirational and insightful. They like how Chris was
able to stand up for himself in the face of adversity and fight for as long his
he did in the Alaskan wilderness until mother nature got a hold of him. Of
course college students do not have to go to the same extreme as Chris did
by completely relying on himself and completely breaking away from your
parents, but Chriss morals are something to live by and respect. In the end
Chris knew that some reliance on others and your parents is essential to
success and survival in his case, but we college students can all serve well
into looking at how McCandless lived life and how he strived to be a
successful self-dependent young adult.

College is always talked about being one of the most fun times of our
lives. Until you go to college you cant really realize its importance. Not only
is the education important, but college also serves as a stepping stone into
adulthood. College is where you gain a sense of independence and learn how
to be more self-dependent. Becoming more self-dependent can be difficult
for some a lot of people, but the outcome will prove to be beneficial in the
long run. People like Chris McCandless serve as a good example into how to
become more self-dependent. All of McCandlesss ways and views should not
be followed but the core of his thoughts are something to abide by and
respect. The art of self-dependence is essential in becoming a successful
college student and a successful adult. Self-dependence as its definition
states, the reliance on ones own strengths rather than on others, is
important. Nothing will be handed out to you in this world and in order to set
yourself up for success you need to learn how to be more self-dependent.
Self-dependence gives you a sense of freedom because with independence
comes the ability to live life the way you want to live it. In the words of Chris
McCandless So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will
not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned
to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism; so I urge college
students to learn to become more self-dependent so that you can live within
the initiative of yourself.

Works Cited

1. Into the Wild. Dir. Sean Penn. Perf. Emile Hirsch. 2007. Film.

2. McKay, Brett, and Kate McKay. "How to Become Self-Reliant | The Art of
Manliness." The Art of
Manliness. N.p., 01 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

3. Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. New York: Anchor, 1997. Print.

4. "6 Ways to Become More Independent, Less Codependent." World of Psychology.

Ed. Margarita
Tartakovsky. N.p., 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.

5. Zorn, Joel. "How Do You Become Self-reliant and Prepare Yourself for College
Life?" Quora. N.p., 6
May 2015. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.

6. Blair, Karen L. "How to Be Independent From Parents as an Adult." Everyday Life.

Globalpost, n.d.
Web. 03 Apr. 2016.