Tazmia
My career question is what are the risk of going to an out-of-state 4 year college with having a mother back at home that's diagnosed with epilepsy?
Since 2012 my mother have been diagnosed with epilepsy. Its the worst feeling to see the most important person in your life in need of help and you cant help them. Every since then me and my mother grew close and I have been the mother of the house because I'm the oldest out of three children ( I have two younger brothers). I have balanced school, after school activities, being the head of the house and still manage to do what I need to do to get thus far. Now that I'm a junior in high school, with good grades, and a plan for my career, I'm starting to think about college. I want to go out-of-state to a four-year, HBCU college to start my career in Marine Biology. However, the only thing that's holding me back is the health of my mother. I don't want to leave my mother alone just to focus on myself when she can't help herself now. I really need some assistant on what should I do and how should go by doing it. #college #medicine #marine-biology
1 answer
Betsy Orton
Betsy’s Answer
Hi Tazmia, so sorry to read about your mother's epilepsy diagnosis. I'm hoping that she is receiving treatment and under the care of a doctor. I understand how you're feeling, as my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer right after I graduated from high school, and I already knew I was going away to college. It was certainly challenging, and I did feel some guilt about going away. But my mom encouraged me to go to the college I had already selected and not to worry. Technology is a wonderful thing and we were able to call and email often. I also went home a fair bit during my first year, as she was going through chemo and radiation. My point is, it's very doable for you to go away to college.
Which HBCU are you looking at attending? Just because your college is "out of state" doesn't have to make it unreasonable for you to travel home to see your mother and family. And depending on the age of your brothers, they may be able to step up and help with the household. If the epilepsy is severe and to the point of needing more care, you might also reach out to your mother's doctors about other resources and organizations who might be able to help. There are often nonprofits who can help with that sort of thing, as well as potential government programs. Best of luck with your college choice and marine biology studies!
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