I Used To Bite My Nails Analysis

A lot has changed since freshman year. I moved to Oak Ridge, so my father and I could be with the family. I switched to Oak Ridge High School and struggled tremendously, but most importantly, I made friends that needed me. Although my trust issues are still very much a problem for me, I’ve learned to cope with them by surrounding myself with people that I love. My heart continues to swell every time I

The first days of classes, were not horrible, my classmates were amiable and were interested in me since I was new, and it wasn’t common to have new students in the middle of sophomore year. However, I didn’t share much with them, when they tried to start a conversation I would answer their questions and cordially dismiss them. I kept quiet not only because I felt that if I shared my past, I would someway forget it, but because my English wasn’t fluid and I didn’t want to make mistakes. I became a loner and deep inside I was sad because of

Freshman year I was shy and never really stepped out of my comfort space. I thought I was prepared for high school. I signed up for two honors class thinking that they would be hard but I knew I could figure them out. Reality was quickly thrown into my face.

When comparing my life and personality as a freshman to my current life, there are many differences. As a freshman, I was unmotivated and immature. Going into highschool, I wasn’t prepared or used to doing a lot of homework. In elementary and middle school I had been one of the smartest kids in my class, and school was easy. Then when I started 9th grade, I realized I actually had to put effort in my work, so I didn’t. Freshman year I was mean and rude to those around me, including my friends and teachers. I remember myself as loud and obnoxious, and I didn’t really care about other people’s feelings or how my actions would affect others. When I reflect on what I was like, I see myself as the few kids in my PGC group who don’t pay attention

I had never enjoyed school much through the years, and it’s not because of the learning, that’s what I loved about it. I just found myself to loathe the social end of it, as I had went through troubles with that. I had eventually had to seclude myself from most people. But as I came to college, expecting the worse in result getting the best. It has been an experience so far and can clearly see a difference, my attitude towards everything has changed. Before it had felt like I had no friends, but now I feel like I definitely do. High school felt like it was very close-knit, everyone was in everyone's business; it was a little community of its own within a small or medium sized building. At a college community there is just too much going on and it’s not all about what Sally did or what George did, or what they did together. There may be things said and all among somewhere in there, but it honestly does not even matter. Perhaps I am not quite hitting it on the nose of what’s the difference but the feeling is a whole new one and it’s the best kind of change I can find. Although there are still some that stir up the drama that is high school and trivial that could be avoided. Everyone wants to stray away from. The whole experience though, has made me think that maybe life isn’t just like high school despite what the popular saying is, ‘you never get

Once it was as a freshman, just my overstuffed backpack and me experiencing an environment radically different than anything I had been exposed to ever before. Later it was as a junior, frustrated with a lack of self-confidence. I was plagued with social anxiety, paranoid over the smallest issues and mortified by the prospect of being approached by someone in public. It was painful to check out of a convenience store by myself, let alone meet new people or strike up a conversation with strangers. I used to think that this was going to be my life; every social encounter would be like walking on glass. Finally, towards the spring of my junior year, I clawed my way out of that pit, and I realized that the world wasn’t out to get me. I forced myself to get outside of my comfort zone, and I’m incredibly proud of myself for making that leap. And with the encouragement and support from my friends at school, I ultimately learned that hard work and initiative are two of the most important virtues on the path to success. And this all stems from the personal connections I’ve made with my peers at school, with these relationships dictating the way I have matured and developed mentally.

One of the hardest and most influential days of my life was when I started middle school. It was my first time switching schools in six years and I wasn’t sure I was ready to. Some of my friends had known me for those six years and some even more. I had all sorts of questions running through my head on the day of the orientation. Like, what if I don’t fit in or what if I get lost on my first day? All of these questions disappeared when I stepped into what would soon be my new school.

I was quite young then so it didn’t really register to me. “Where we moving to mama?” I questioned. “Centralia baby, put that stuff in those boxes over there” She motioned to the brown rectangular boxes in the corner. And as quickly as the conversation was so was the move. No exaggeration, we left that day with everything we owned. I’m assuming, because we never went back again. Before I knew it, I was walking up the steps into Lincoln 4th grade center. My nicest shirt, and prettiest barrettes. Now being me, I was absolutely dreading the first day, as I am very inadequate under pressure. Which then causes me to be painfully shy. No, I’m not one of those standoffish people that make you feel super awkward when you are around them. Just more in a way of “new beginnings.” Also, as I said before cliques were very much established by then. Having those two odds against me, it was hard to make friends. I don’t remember making any close friends that year. By 5th grade though, there was one girl that I did become quite close with. But

After my freshman year, the drama would get to me so easily. I began to take things personally while others would just let it go. At times, I would go to my room and call my mom. My mom would pick up the phone and ask me what happened. It must be very hard for parents to hear or see their child cry. I would cry and cry for hours. I wanted to leave. I wanted to go back to my old school. I wanted my old friends back. That’s when I wanted to become more

The end of eighth grade was coming faster than any year before. It was about to be summer and most of the eighth graders were eager to be a freshman in high school next year. I was not so excited about this. School used to be hard for me, waking up, discussing with new people, being in classes that I struggled with eight hours each day. Speaking in front class petrified me to the point that I did not want to ask for help. There never used to be a time that I felt confident volunteering, raising my hand, or presenting in front of a class. I soundlessly coped with anxiety through eighth grade, causing me to be unsuccessful in a few classes, and wanting to not go to school most days. High school is incomparable to middle school, I knew this change

As I was putting my mind and focus on just school, I lost many friends along the way with the new mindset I had. The students who were smart and I jokingly made jokes that they’re lame or they’re nerds, soon became my new circle of friends. I took AP classes, and they helped me and I learned more and more each day. Turns out that they’re very cool and not that bad. Soon, I began to join extra-curricular activities like Science Club, Drama Club, Student Council, Ready Set Teach,etc. I went to Science Fair Regional for the very first time and also was in UIL One-Act Play and they were both awesome,unforgettable experiences for

I went through all of middle school having many friends; even though everyone was going through possibly the most awkward stage of life, there wasn’t a disconnect between all the cliques as there is now, in high school. Freshman year was basically the same as middle school, although everyone in the grade started dispersing into their own cliques, I had my main group of friends, and like every naïve freshman, I thought they were going to be there for my entire high school experience. I hadn’t reached the point where I realized that I was no longer in middle school yet, and then everything was completely different. Sophomore year came and a few people in my friend group left, maybe because they got a boyfriend or because they were on a different sports team and became closer to those players, but I hadn’t lost them entirely yet. But slowly I became distant from those friends. I noticed that by the end of

I attended Grayson County College in Denison, TX. I had moved there from AC after my first two semesters after graduating high school. It’s a very small town everyone knows everyone and everyone knew me because of my cousins, the Portillo’s or aka the ‘douche bag jocks’ so no one ever really gave me a chance to prove to them that I was indeed not a ‘douche bag jock’ like they put me out to be. The three semesters I attended I made approximately three friends and that included two of my co-workers. Last semester I took on five classes plus worked part time as a waitress. Most of my classes consisted of maybe 30% females and 70% males. I was in a business class that I don’t remember the name of but we had a group project

Upon first glance, my new school did not seem like much of a fit for me. Everyone seemed to like it, but I was having trouble fitting into the daily grind of a school that required much more effort and attention than I was ever used to. I did my best to keep up with everyone else, but this was hard for me, seeing as I was used to being one of the

Freshman year I remember walking into the school mortified, thinking that everything and anything that could go wrong would. I had never attended a Liberty-Benton School and knew about five people that would be in my grade. I was shy and quiet because I didn’t know any of the new faces. I was insecure about myself and thought that it would be almost impossible to make friends. Before high school, I went to a small, private,