Human beings are like play dough: they start out average but with the right guidance they can become what they were meant to be. Telemachus in Homer's Odyssey, had to overcome many obstacles and with the guidance of his mentor followed the path to become who he was destined to be. The transition from high school to college is also a difficult journey and requires a great test of time and effort. Although slightly dissimilar, Telemachus' initiation into adulthood and the beginning of the transformation from high school student to college student are dubiously similar because they both transition into confident, independent people. Telemachus' initiation is a little different, but it is very similar to the initiation that high schoolers go through. in college. With Telemachus, he had started out as a somewhat awkward, mean, timid, and helpless young adult. Telemachus' self originally doubted itself quite a bit, whether it was verbal or internal thought. “My mother has always told me that I am her son, it's true, but I'm not so sure,” Telemachus said (The Odyssey 1.249-250). In this case Telemachus doesn't seem too sure that he is the true son of his almighty father, Odysseus. He didn't know the man well and had nothing to go on, so he had immense doubts about his future and who he was and who he would become. This gradually changes once Athena meets him in disguise and gives him guidance. Eventually, through her guidance, he became more confident and assertive. Athena gave him the instructions he needed to hear to accomplish what he needed to do. He went from being a humble, depressed, and doubtful young man to an assertive, more confident being. Telemachus had once said when meeting Nestor: “That's why I came to p... middle of the paper... parents who try to help them succeed but don't play a big role in their preparation for college. The guidance they receive and the obstacles they must overcome make the initiation for high school students quite similar to the initiation of Telemachus, as they both end up becoming confident and independent beings. Overall, the initiation Telemachus experienced was incredibly similar to the initiation an average high school student goes through to become a college student. They are not carbon copies of each other, but both end up with the product of great value, confident and independent people. Even though not everyone does exactly like Telemachus and not everyone goes to college, everyone can go through an initiation exactly like them. Each of us has goals or obstacles to overcome, whether we know it or not.