Personal Statement

An experience that has changed the course of my life was in regard to my academics. In this, I had learned the importance of personal growth. The very beginning of my academic career started in elementary school. This is the very basis of education, setting the foundation for what kind of learner you are and setting the path to the rest of the long road to academia. Though elementary school is a very distant memory now, the things I was taught during this time have impacted me still. I was told that I was smart as a fifth grader, saying I was levels above my current grade. During this time, I was actively involved in sports, reading competitions, and winning awards. This made for quite the shock during the transition from elementary to middle

Being dropped into an especially competitive environment, I tried to adapt to my new surroundings. At this point, the insecurities I had buried into now meaningless elementary school awards had begun to show themselves. There was always a nagging feeling of not being good enough, driving me to compare myself to others persistently. My accomplishments were undermined by the notion that there was always someone better than me. Yet, this was only middle school. It was a pivotal point in my development to adolescence. Abruptly, my grades began to fall lower than my usual standards. Previous achievements I had seemed meaningless now, in comparison to my peers. My competency seemed consistently questioned, especially in this competitive standing. It felt as thought I was silently drowning underneath the schoolwork, and more importantly, the feeling that I was not

Admittedly, it started out rough, but I had grown. Instead of surrendering and admitting defeat, I would persevere. Though I did not always get the grades I wanted, I would never give up. I was always taught to never give up hope. Despite the feeling that hope had dwindled in my past years, it was had returned strongly. There were times in this year that had set me back. A particular instance is during meetings with our councilors. He asked where I would like to go to school and my academic goals. He then told me my goals were unrealistic and I should reconsider. If I had heard that in the past, I would have given up easily. This signified a need for a change in my grades, and I would have to put in the work to prove that I was capable of achieving something I have wanted since I was a