Tap tap tap. Click. Tap tap. Click. I was quick. I was focused. I was in the zone. And then…(gasp) I stopped.
As I perused through the questions on the Common App about education, testing, and family, I came across a question that stood out to me: Are you the first person in your family to attend college? I am quick with filling out applications, so I was answering each one in a matter of 10 seconds. However, this particular question made me stop. I hesitated for a bit and began to think. I thought, “Yes, I will be the first person in my family to attend college.” At this point, I began to reflect on what that statement meant. At this point, I realized the extremely huge jump I am about to make by applying to college.
Saying …show more content…
He is four years older and should be graduating college by now; was he not the first to make the big jump to college? Well, not really. I love my brother, I do. But, we just happen to have very different views on education. My brother did not attend a four-year university nor did he continue his community college education. He dropped out after one year at Glendale Community College. He was never keen on pursuing his academics because it was “boring” and “a waste of time.” He was rejected by all of the private high schools he applied to and thus, he settled for a local public school. Throughout his senior year, he did not see the value in a college education, so he did not bother to take his standardized tests or apply to a four-year university. So, to answer this question: No, I will be the first to make the big jump to …show more content…
Planning campus tours, learning about financial aid, studying for the ACT, and choosing colleges were all things I had to do myself. However, this was never a setback for me. Though it is, indeed, a frightening jump to make on my own, I worked hard to overcome it so the jump would not be as large. I searched for colleges that would be the best fit for me, one of them being Harvard, and I frequently sought my college counselors for further advice. I contacted college admissions directors to know what they look for in a good student and tried my best to match that standard. I kept my grades high as well as studied for the ACT for many months. I made sure I was taking the hardest of my classes—I took Pre-Calculus over the summer to take Calculus my senior year. And, I was determined to make an impactful difference with my extracurricular activities, creating the Campus Ministry Youth Board to improve campus ministries in LA. All of these things, all this hard work, I did to prepare myself as best as I could.
But, saying I am prepared for college isn’t enough. No, I feel I have achieved far beyond that. I have become more independent and more hardworking than I thought I could become these past four years. I am more confident in my life choices, whether financially or occupationally, because they are solely my own. I
As I perused through the questions on the Common App about education, testing, and family, I came across a question that stood out to me: Are you the first person in your family to attend college? I am quick with filling out applications, so I was answering each one in a matter of 10 seconds. However, this particular question made me stop. I hesitated for a bit and began to think. I thought, “Yes, I will be the first person in my family to attend college.” At this point, I began to reflect on what that statement meant. At this point, I realized the extremely huge jump I am about to make by applying to college.
Saying …show more content…
He is four years older and should be graduating college by now; was he not the first to make the big jump to college? Well, not really. I love my brother, I do. But, we just happen to have very different views on education. My brother did not attend a four-year university nor did he continue his community college education. He dropped out after one year at Glendale Community College. He was never keen on pursuing his academics because it was “boring” and “a waste of time.” He was rejected by all of the private high schools he applied to and thus, he settled for a local public school. Throughout his senior year, he did not see the value in a college education, so he did not bother to take his standardized tests or apply to a four-year university. So, to answer this question: No, I will be the first to make the big jump to …show more content…
Planning campus tours, learning about financial aid, studying for the ACT, and choosing colleges were all things I had to do myself. However, this was never a setback for me. Though it is, indeed, a frightening jump to make on my own, I worked hard to overcome it so the jump would not be as large. I searched for colleges that would be the best fit for me, one of them being Harvard, and I frequently sought my college counselors for further advice. I contacted college admissions directors to know what they look for in a good student and tried my best to match that standard. I kept my grades high as well as studied for the ACT for many months. I made sure I was taking the hardest of my classes—I took Pre-Calculus over the summer to take Calculus my senior year. And, I was determined to make an impactful difference with my extracurricular activities, creating the Campus Ministry Youth Board to improve campus ministries in LA. All of these things, all this hard work, I did to prepare myself as best as I could.
But, saying I am prepared for college isn’t enough. No, I feel I have achieved far beyond that. I have become more independent and more hardworking than I thought I could become these past four years. I am more confident in my life choices, whether financially or occupationally, because they are solely my own. I