Kent State University Personal Statement

It was early May of 2017 at Hudson High School. My fellow classmates worried about their Advanced Placement tests, but the excitement of graduation was the dominant emotion of the week. The idea of moving on from our families and friends was practically the only thing everyone was talking about. Personally, I was consumed by stress and anxiety. Not by my Advanced Placement tests, but the idea of college. I unsure if I would be able to leave my family and enter this academic world. The thought of it petrified me and the fear of failure fueled this fire to even greater heights. As a result, I had yet to apply to any college at this point. Before graduation, I met with my advisor. I informed her about how I was feeling, and she encouraged me to apply for Kent State University. Being that the university was only thirty minutes away from my home, I decided I would apply.

I was excited, curious, and cautious going into this situation. My summer was dedicated to finding my first job and becoming healthier. I was finally to find a job only a few weeks before beginning my college career at Kent State. Upon beginning my first semester at Kent everything seemed great. I had some people that I graduated with attending the university-allowing me to feel a bit more comfortable. As the semester continued, I began to realize the strain of being a commuter who often worked. I spent little time on the campus, going class and immediately going home to do school work before heading to my part time job. I wanted to be involved, but it was too much of an inconvenience to make my way out to Kent for short periods of time when I could have been studying or getting my homework done. As the semester progressed, I slowly began to grow apart from those I knew in high school and was not able to build relationships due to the fact that I was consumed with school and work. I began to feel isolated and as if I lacked