College Admissions Essay: I Will Determine My Future

From a very early age, I always assumed it was a part of my future to pursue an education. The American educational system engraves the importance of school at a very young age. Elementary school children are motivated through rewards when they try their hardest to reach their goals. Students are exposed to statistics and facts outlining the consequences of not getting a college degree as soon as they reach middle school. High school counselors and staff make it their priority to ensure that students apply to college. Students are conditioned to believe that education is the building block to a successful future. My cultural upbringing did not support my choice to pursue an education, however, I refused to conform to my family’s behavioral expectations because certain norms must be challenged due to progressive time periods and conflicting values.

Growing up, I’d always been expected to do well in school. Which isn’t out of the ordinary, every parent wants their child to be successful and have a beneficial career. So, since good grades were what my parents expected that’s what I got. All throughout elementary, I strived to do my absolute best in every subject. At my sixth grade graduation I was awarded the Presidential Award for Academic Achievement, in my junior high years I did well as well. My eighth-grade year I achieved my goal of obtaining a 4.0 G.p.a. The first year of high school was nerve-racking but I still managed to keep my grades up. However, Sophomore year was definitely a bump in the road for me. In all my ten years of being in school (including head start and kindergarten)

Growing up, school was not a major factor in my life. I come from a hard-working, middle-class military family. My mother, a Filipino immigrant, was a homemaker. My father was a 21-year United States Marine veteran. They were my first impression of what I thought my future would be. Being the youngest of four children, I was expected to fall in line behind my siblings when it came to education. I was never pushed to excel in my studies, so I did just enough to get by. As I watched friends escape the grasp of a military town and ascend to their respective colleges, I was left wondering what was next for me. I attended my local community college for a brief period of time. I treated college no different than high school. I

After barely graduating in the spring of 2017 from Lopez Early College High School, I went straight to my parent’s house not knowing exactly what I was going to do with my life. I knew I had ruined my life after not paying attention to my teachers and counselors about applying to colleges. They said I was a wonderful and intelligent student with a tremendous capacity of succeeding in life. Although everybody thought that about me, I never did. I was constantly under pressure thinking that I had to work in order to support my family economically, so our house was saved. I was also worried about whether my parents were getting divorced after every insignificant argument they had. I had to be an excellent example for my two younger siblings; but even though I tried my best, I never was.

I am fortunate enough to have parents that can afford to send me to college, and support my choice to pursue a higher education. By attending college, I will eventually graduate with a degree and later earn a high paying career. Along with this, I have found college to be a way to discovering who I am. I have been able to move out, take over my own bills, and earn responsibility by doing so. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to attend college. Financial reasons typically hold individuals back from attending universities, and that later may affect their lives. Although I attend class daily, the true effect college will have on me in the future goes unnoticed. An education is something that is highly valued, and so important. Everyone should have the chance to have an education, but unfortunately, it does not happen. College for me, is a privilege. Therefore, I will work hard to earn my degree, and later put it to

Beginning with the fatalistic discourse utilized by my family, peers, and educators, I internalized such thoughts, and implicitly understood that, quite naturally, I would make the predestined transition to college from high school. Finding

There is also the aspect that I want to go to college because it is what is expected of me. Only my mom really completed college and got a degree. On my dad’s side completing college isn’t really a big thing. Despite that, everyone from both sides of the family expects me to complete college and I want too, for them and for me. In fact, I want to do more than just complete college, I want to go on to get my masters and my doctorates to prove to myself that I can. I want to live above and beyond the expectations set before me and college is what gives me that

As cliche as it may sound, college was never an option that I gave myself. Going to college was more of an obligation that I set for myself when I started enter the field of education as a student. In my household, the goal of getting into college was always around me. The daily discussion in my household when it comes to the discussion about school, always starts with, “When I get to college”. When I have discussions with adults and career counselors about my career choice, I always start off with, “When I finish college”. A college education is important in my family, and I have been taught the values of having a college degree can guarantee me a successful job in life. My mother continually pushed me towards the entrance of college,

The biggest challenge in life is being yourself in a world that tries to make you like everyone else. Conquering the greatest plains on earth, and solving the devious mysteries of mankind is what I consider living life. Working a 9 to 5 like an average joe was never an option for me. My vision is what makes me different. My drive for success fuels my work ethic because I do not want my children to experience pain and suffering. I want my life to be the pinnacle of perfection for other people. In my life I’ve been through many trials and tribulations. At the age of 4, I lost my closest friend, my father. It changed my perception of the world,I noticed there were greater opportunities available in life. Things far more superior than what’s going on in my own town, state, or country. If I wanted to obtain greater opportunities in life I would have to excel at the smaller things first.

For many, after graduating high school the next big step is college. I never asked myself why or if I even wanted to. Yet, since I was not yet ready to join the work force, and didn’t want to disappoint my parents, I simply followed the path that I was supposed to take. For a while I had no direction, but through the loss of my high school English teacher and my dream of making my family proud, I discovered that college was the place I wanted and needed to be.

My moms raised me with a strong set of morals, including “hard work pays off.” Sometimes this can be discouraging when you work hard, but it doesn’t pay off as you’d like it to. I’ve always gotten the grades I strive for without much struggle. However, once high school started, everything changed. I’d work for weeks on a scholarship essay, and I wouldn’t even place. I’d work for months to get something published and then read other people’s names in the congratulations announcement. I’d constantly wonder: Who’s at the top of the class? Who’s going to win the end of year awards? When you consistently get the grades that I do, people just expect those grades. No one congratulates you on your hard work anymore, and you don’t always get recognized. Despite the lack of recognition, I still take pride in my grades, and continue to work hard. Getting great grades is something I know I can do, even when it’s difficult to do. The difficulty makes it even more satisfying when I see the hard work pay off, and I get the grade I wanted. I’ve encountered

Throughout my academic career, my grades and accomplishments have always been of extreme importance to me. To keep up with my goals, for example, making honor roll every quarter, I have taken steps and faced setbacks that have enabled me to see the big picture rather than focusing on the little issues that could discourage me from reaching those goals. To make the honor roll at my high school means obtaining a 3.5 grade point average or above for the entire quarter. As a freshman, I made it my goal to meet this standard throughout my complete high school career. To do this, I studied hard for every one of my classes, always did my homework, and put in as much effort as I could; I gave it my all. Through tough classes and staying up all night

When I think about the next five years of my life, I like to think that I will be getting on my feet and succeeding in life. It has taken me a while to figure out what I want to do with my life and what I would like to do for my career. Over the next five years, I am going to have to do a lot in school and outside of school to prepare for my future career .

In elementary school, I was never the smartest kid in my class. I wasn’t the dumbest either, but I certainly didn’t fit into the category of ‘gifted’. I envied the kids who could skip studying for the weekly spelling tests and breezed through their math tests as if they were nothing. For the most part, I was always just in the middle of the pack. When I got to high school and heard all of the talk of prepping for college, I knew I had to step up to the challenge. I began to put all of my time and effort into maintaining good grades throughout freshman, sophomore, and junior year. As a person who never stood out for academics, it was incredibly rewarding when I earned grades that rivaled those of the kids who were naturally intelligent.

The future. A place filled with unknowns and unexpected twists and turns. As I near the end of my high school career, the idea of college and all that follows it is becoming a reality in my mind. I do not know what God has in store for me, but I do know that He has a plan. As a freshman, I thought that I would have everything figured out by senior year; however, now that it is senior year, the future looks more mysterious than ever. While this is the case, I have still postulated some of my future goals and ambitions.