College Admissions Essay: Life In The Classroom

From my position at the podium, in front of many critical eyes, I was sure that my heartbeat was audible to every set of ears in the classroom. My fingers trembled uncontrollably and while doing so, unknowingly crumpled the sheet of paper that was held between them. In that moment, I was hyperaware of everything that was happening around me. Every blink, every cough, even the constant ticking of the clock at the back of the room made me more uneasy than I already was. I waited patiently, as patiently as I ever had in my life, for the “Go” from my teacher. Even after receiving the cue, it took me, what seemed like minutes, to finally open my mouth to speak. My mind was racing and instead of reciting the words that I had carefully written out …show more content…
On a whim, I decided to enroll in a yearbook class, something that was completely out of my comfort zone. The entirety of the classroom seemed to easily be able to stand before the class and speak without hesitation. Towards the end of the year, after many icebreaker and team-bonding activities, I finally began to feel myself relax around the group of expressive students. Somewhere in this newfound comfort, I was able to dig up enough courage to apply for the position of Editor In Chief for our school’s yearbook. And because of this the beginning of my senior year was when I finally began to acknowledge my fears due to the requirements of the position I had obtained. The daunting realization that college was right around the corner seemed to be breathing down my neck and I realized that I needed to make some changes that would prepare me for the tedious task of applying for and attending a university, as well.
Summer sessions and early-morning practices led by my persistent and couraging Yearbook teacher began to help in the process of overcoming my fear of public speaking. Her practices included anything from improv speaking and paper balls to reciting a script to a fellow classmate. Slowly-but-surely, I found myself able to stand before the class and speak with little to no stuttering and