When i was around thirteen my parents had split up and I was to move to Joppatown with my father,his girlfriend, and her son.  All of my friends lived thirty minutes away in Rosedale and I spent that summer there with them.  I allowed no time to adjust into my new home, family, and community and before i knew it orientation for highschool had passed.  I started school that year without knowing a single person.  I was transitioning to a new school, a new family, a new neighborhood, and from middle school to highschool all at once.  Needless to say as bad as I wanted to join the wrestling team I did not.  As bad as I wanted to talk to that girl, I did not.  I did not want to attend gym and after two months I was still so nervous I still couldn't find my classroom.  I then stopped going to that school, moved in with my mother and attended Overlea High where I new everyone and I was imediately one of the most popular students there.  Problem with that is that the previous nschool was much better and I would probaly have done much better academically.  The school that I transfered to allowed me to be comfortable and i worried more about keeping my reputation then i did my grades.  I couldnt wait to get out of my gifted and talented class so i could stand in the hall for five minutes with my not so gifted friends who would probaly be leaving after that class. 
          My experience or situation was very much like Tinto describes as the transitional phase and seperation.  Very clearly, I could not seperate from my past and my friends and so therefore I could not transition into my new neighborhood or school.  Tinto is very right in my opinion when it comes to his theory on intelligence having little to do with transitioning or success for for that matter.  I didnt tranition because I didnt want to.  i was not willing to let go of my past even though I knew i would be more successful at the new school.  Since i could not seperate I could not transition and therefore I could not succeed.
 When I transfer from Dundalk to a four-year college I feel that it will be a much easier transition for me then when from moving from middle into highschool.  Some reasons are that I am more mature now and I understand first hand the importance for higher education.  Also, I am not nor will I be attatched to anyone from this school.  Family has taken the place of friends and so seperation will not play a part in my transitioning process. 
     Even though those issues from the past no longer exist I do feel there will be some new ones although even that feeling may lessen when that time arrives. Being older thhen the average student, not having friends within the school and being married with childeren are all things that I feel will slightly seperate me fom the rest of the student. 
    The school(s) that Im looking into attending are UMBC and University of Maryland(College Park).  Both schools offer science and biotechnology as there main majors and unless something changes then that will be my desired major; Biotechnology.