My College Admissions Essay: My High School Journey

To many freshman the first day of high school is the opening chapter of a new novel, a fresh start to a sometimes embarrassing middle school experience we would all just love to erase from our memories. August 13th, 2012 was the beginning of my four year long narrative at Cypress Bay High School. Despite my desperate desire to grow up, become an adult, and move far away from my parents for college all that did not seem possible because I had never previously attended a public school. I was struck with fear that I would not be able to adjust to the fast pace dynamics of a large high school.

Up until high school, I never really knew what I wanted to pursue in. There were so many options and although I did have some idea before entering the 9th grade, I was still waiting to find a subject that I truly enjoyed. During my freshmen year, I finally found that subject – biology.

Growing up I was never the kid who talked too much or got in trouble in the classroom for doing so. In my 18 years of living I have never been considered very talkative or vocal. My father would always tell me that talking too much could land you in a big heap of trouble so I refused to do so. He had a phrase, “One thing guaranteed for a person that talks too much is swollen lips”. Hearing that as a child was kind of funny to me, but as I have gotten older I now realize what he was interpreting. I have seen a lot of people get into altercations for running their mouth’s too much and swollen lips is usually the ending result. Although I don’t talk much, I believe I can hold a pretty decent conversation with someone I have things in common with. I use to avoid talking to strangers, but being put in different settings with nothing but strangers has helped me with that to a

Contemplating back on my high school journey, I began to recognize and appreciate the life changes I experienced and the imperative lessons I learned throughout those four years. If I had to choose several words to describe my high school experience, I would begin with eventful, challenging, and memorable. High school afforded me many experiences that continuously led to stressful and challenging encounters. Being involved with the Ambassador Program and the National Honor Society was one of the greatest decisions I made in high school. Both clubs provided me with numerous life-changing opportunities that will continue to have an impact on me for a lifespan.

My Junior Year of high school just recently started. I have learned so many different things while attending high school, and still have over a year to learn even more. As Matthew Kelly said, “whether you are sixteen or sixty, the rest of your life is ahead of you. You cannot change one moment of your past, but you can change your whole future.” This means while I have done a lot in my past, I cannot change anything that has already happened, but I am able to change my future. One of the most important things that I am involved in right now is school. My first two years at CBHS were good, and I made decent grades. Some of the grades that I made I am not very happy with now but I cannot change that so I need to focus on my grades right now because those are the ones I can change.

My high school years, unlike the past years of steady achievements, felt much more like a sine graph with ups and downs. To begin with, I conquered my freshman year in a breeze. My easily achievable classes not only earned myself confidence, but also admiration and respect from my classmates and teachers. As a result, I comfortably acclimated myself to the status of a star student.

Looking back at the years that I have completed in high school is a funny but a true life changer. If I was to go back to one year of high school I would want to go back to freshman year. One reason why I would want to go back to freshman year is to talk to myself. Another reason I would want to go back it tell myself to listen more. The last reason would to see if I could improve myself in any way.

Starting high school, I was not a perfect student. However, over the past three years, it is clear that my grades have drastically improved. Whether it was adjusting to AP classes or balancing extracurricular activities and homework, I became proficient at handling the twists and turns of high school. By smoothing out my rough edges, I have become a student with distinct goals and a strong work ethic. Having experienced both low and high ends of academic success, my abilities and mindset can be molded to any situation. I am confident that I have the talent, ambition, and the adaptive abilities to become part of a guaranteed

Passion is necessary to excel. Once someone loses desire or motivation for something it becomes quite difficult to continue doing well in that field. I went through a crisis of lost motivation in my first two years of high school.

The first morning I walk into my job I actually went to the wrong floor but I got there eventually. I felt very nervous, as any other freshmen intern would feel. Everyone at accounting said I was cute and tiny, which I thought was good. They didn’t have me work on anything major as it was my first day so I don’t think they want to overwhelm me with work on my first day. I could instantly tell that I would like it here, everyone was so nice and it was like they were family and I wanted to be a part of that family. Now that I’m at the end of my first year I can proudly say that I have fulfilled my goal of getting to know many of my co-workers and forming a bond with most of them. I’ve learned many things from my co-workers. They’ve given me advice about school and how I should carry myself through the future. For that, I can’t thank them enough on how much of an impact they have made in my high school experience.

Early into my second year of high school, I had my eyes set on medical school. I had thought of nothing but. .As such, I research various schools in Michigan and others out of state—looking for the right pre-med program. Finally, after months of research, I applied to the University of Michigan-Dearborn where shortly after submitting my application I received an early admissions letter. Thereafter I completed my final year in high school and soon graduated the following year. Months later during the fall I began my first semester at the university. Once there I declared a Major in Biology but also concentrated on taking the needed classes for the pre-med program.

First year, nice and confident into getting ready to take high school on by starting with a positive outlook into the future. Being a freshman, it was necessary to take Physical education your first year in so I did. Everything was all going all right until the football unit came in. I have a tendency to take competition in everything and sometimes to a fault. When you have a class of freshman you are about to bond to have them be competitive in games, and that is exactly what happened during an exhibition game of football. I wanted to win against a JV football player and he got the best of me by tackling me while I was in an awkward position. This lead to me getting an ACL tear in my right leg, which lead to surgery, depression, and lacking the motivation to do anything.

It’s 3 a.m. I’ve struggled for the last hour to go to sleep. I am turning and tossing around my bed unable to shut my brain off. Why? Because i am stressed about tomorrow. However, there is something i must say. The real truth about tomorrow.

My junior year of high school felt cursed. It was a slow year full of disappointment and loss, leaving me in a dark abyss of self-loathing and loneliness. Like any other teenager, my parents argue a lot. Like any other teenager, they place me in the middle. One day it’d be “I’m still with them because we need to raise you.” the next day it’d be “I would be happy if I didn’t still have to take care of you.” It felt like a petty reason to be sad, but those words always made me feel that my existence was a burden- they've made me wonder if things would be better if I just ceased to exist. That disposition grew with the year; I no longer could deal with the extended hours and efforts that came with being in the band program or even focus on school work. Then, my cousin passed away. Not too soon after, my uncle passed as well. Within the next two months, my other uncle also passed on. This was the climax of my descent into depression, and it felt like my life was caving in. I quit all of my extra-curricular activities, I cut off all of my friends, and I let my grades drop.

To some, four years seems like a long time, but for me the past four years have flown by. In these quick four years, so much has changed and yet so much is exactly the same. You still go to school with most of the same people. You walk into the same familiar building and say hello to most of the same teachers. During these four years I have lost some friends, but I have gained real ones, which is one of the most important things to me. My outlook on life has changed. I have become a more open and understanding person and I have learned many valuable life lessons. I have made many great memories and I have learned to appreciate everything I have because nothing is permanent. My journey through high school is like a plane ride. It takes off freshman year and I go on a long, and sometimes bumpy, journey to get to my final destination. Even though in many ways I am still the same person as the one that walked through those school doors as a freshman, I have also changed in order to try to become the best version of myself and get to my final destination.