College Admissions Essay: A Career As An Athlete

Up until a year ago, I was one of the most conceited people you’d ever meet. School has never been difficult for me, and when I was in middle school, I undoubtedly showed that to my classmates. If I earned a 102% on a test, I’d relentlessly question my classmates about their scores, impulsively blurt out my own score, and heartlessly cause them to hang their heads in self-disappointment. Eventually, I realized the reason I did this was because I assumed my only talents were affiliated with academics. I tried basketball―nope. I tried track & field―maybe a little better, but nope. My insecurity controlled me, and I believed it was necessary to show everyone I actually was one of the best at something besides academics. Thus, following the pattern of my attempts at school activities, I decided, before my freshman year, to play golf with the school. Although I’d played the sport …show more content…
Immediately after finishing the eighth hole on the third day of tryouts, I checked my score and ecstatically yelled, “If I bogey the ninth hole, I’ll golf a 50!”
A fellow golfer in my group replied, “Hah, 50?! And you’re HAPPY about that? Dude, I shoot 44, so you can’t compare to me!” My eye instantly twitched with fierce anger, and frustration and hatred rushed through my body. It was quite an idiotic comment that wasn’t as offensive as others I’d heard, but something about it made me retort, “It’s the same way you would feel if you miraculously received a C+ on a test.”
He didn’t bother me again. I could tell my comment saddened him; because of this, I felt absolutely terrible. Like a lightbulb appearing over my head, a striking realization then came to me. The classmates I tried to make myself look superior to academically were exactly like me in that situation, except they generously didn’t fight back. Ever since that incident, I’ve attempted to not boast about my academics or anything at