College Admissions Essay: The Land Of Opportunity

The Land of Opportunity

I was eight years old and although at that time I did not know it, my life was about to completely change. That day, I woke up to see a small suitcase filled with only my essential belongings, and my mom quietly hurrying me to get ready. Before I knew it, I was in an airplane on my way to a completely different country. Confused and disoriented, I landed in New York City. At eight years old, I was faced with the challenges of learning and assimilating to a new language and culture. As an introverted child, this was no easy feat. There were tears fueled by feelings of anger and loss, but I soon became acclimated to what had become my life. Once enrolled in school, I quickly picked up the language and with moments of self-talk,

I slowly shifted my focus from popular trends and gossip to my studies and hobbies. All those years however, trying to be the best daughter I could be for my parents had instilled a sense of responsibility and achievement. I desired success for myself. As a result I graduated high school with honors and began recognizing my interest in human behavior. I spent time pondering about why we choose to behave the way we do and how we learn to perform basic human behaviors like talking, recognizing familiar faces, and caring for others. I referred back to when I was eight and realized I was not going home and the anger I once felt, but also the willingness to blindly believe in my parents’ decision. I wanted to know how a person could be so angry but so sure at the same time. I was becoming fascinated with behavior and mental processes. However, although I realized that my interests were in psychology, my challenge was to convince my parents that it was also in their best interest to support me in my decision. To them, studying psychology was a guaranteed way to end up in debt. I was destroying and dismissing their hopes and sacrifices before I even entered college. However, my parents instilled in me a sense of commitment to those and that of which I am passionate about and, against my parents counsel and advice, that Spring I began my undergraduate educational career in psychology. Four years later and almost a college graduate, I am ready to continue to pursue psychology in hopes to continue to grow my knowledge and learn to apply