College Admissions Essay: Reach For Success

Former baseball player Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” The journey of our life is full of winding paths and concrete obstacles whose sole goal is to slow us down, and to attempt to block us from reaching our ultimate goal in life, whatever that may be. These barriers are there for several different reasons, whether it be mental or physical. Sometimes these obstacles are motivated by fear, other times they exist simply because we have to make a decision, and that decision can be life changing. But through our determination, and through our perseverance, we can achieve what these barriers told us was impossible, and can pursue the path in our life that leads us to our ultimate self. Throughout my life, I have had thousands of barriers stand in my path. And the only way I was able to defeat them was through conquering my fears, and breaking my limits in order to achieve excellence.

Essay C: Considering your lifetime goals, discuss how your current and future academic and extracurricular activities might help you achieve your goals. Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) has had a big impact on my education. When I was in the sixth grade my math teacher, Mrs. Freeland, asks me to stay after class and told me that we needed to talk.

I must not challenge my worth by weighing myself against with others. It is because I am different and each of us is only one of its kinds. My goals for this year must not set by what other people believe what is important. It is I and me alone know what is best for me...I presume!

I am just a guy from a small town called Shady Side, Maryland. I grew up with small mindset of living. Success was like virtually unknown to me, the concept of success for me in the past. I was struck with meningitis when I was three months old that caused my deafness. From there, I often experienced so many barriers in the life.

“She’s pregnant!? Are you oblivious? Your life is over… Do you not realize what is going to happen? You MUST drop out and work to feed your family from now on! I thought you were smarter than this.” This type of verbal abuse continued in my brother-in-law’s family, but as buoyant as both my sister, and her boyfriend were at age 17, this only fed fuel to their fire for triumph. In this day of age, many unplanned pregnancies throughout young adults have discouraged their higher hopes and dreams. Many use the excuse “reality knocked me off my feet” or “things happen for a reason”. Who gave you this excuse…? Are you not the artist of your own reality? You can perhaps lash back at me with a higher power as the answer. Well, I am here to prove to

“Opportunity” is a powerful word that works wonders in those who hear it. It was the opportunity of gold and wealth that pushed thousands of people to California in 1849 as prospectors of new-found gold. It was the opportunity of a better life that drove millions of immigrants to the “golden-paved streets” of the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries. And it was the opportunity to create an educated group of next-generation youths that promoted free public schools around the world. Coming to Stuyvesant, I expected a dramatic abundance in the opportunities that would be presented to me due to the fact of the numerous clubs and extracurricular activities to keep students engaged in productive, non-academic pastimes.

Essay C: Considering your lifetime goals , discuss how your current and future academic and extracurricular activities might help you achieve your goals.

Who am I personally, after 50 years of being me, I am still a work in progress. I grew up in a tiny ski resort town, on the Appalachian Mountains, in New Jersey. My father grew up in New Jersey, but my mother is from Havana Cuba. My father never graduated from High School, but my mother did. They did not believe in higher education, especial for girls. They wanted us to get married and start a family, I always knew that was not for me. So I followed my dreams and traveled the world. Meeting exciting, educated people all along the way, my travels showed me all the things that I had been missing out on living in a tiny town. By traveling, I learned how to live independently, be frugal, and enjoy life, that is what made me a strong woman. My weakness is, that I wear my heart on my sleeve, I am temperamental, and no confidant.

Over the past few weeks, I have been struggling to figure out what I would be doing for the rest of my life. Finding the complexity with the realization of myself knocks me further away from finding purpose. consequently, the issue left two questions to ask; do I continue with this degree or complete the general education credits. Of course, knowing deep down what I want to be doing, I feared that I wouldn't be able to cope with the complexity of a University setting. What would happen if I did go?

Throughout all young adults’ lives, they are told by all adults that they need to set goals for ourselves to thrive to accomplish. I’ve lived my life looking up to the adults around me, so I have made a list for myself of the goals that I strive to accomplish in fear that the adults who pushed me will be disappointed if I do not succeed. Some goals are short term while others will take a considerable quantity of time and vigorous amounts of effort to accomplish. My top ten list is an agenda of the different elements I would like to accomplish within my life.

There is a deep inspiration within me that motivates me to press on and accomplish everything that I have set before me. I know what it takes to get what I hunger for, and what’s essential to be successful. I am a go-getter because I do not let anything stop me from achievement. After graduating high school in 2011, I enlisted into the United States Marine Corps and served until 2015 on active duty. Setting goals has always been a part of I am

     It seems in the society we live in today, having a college degree is a necessity. Years ago it was the norm for people to just go right into a full time job after high school, if they even finished high school; they did this to support their families. In today’s society a person has a difficult time getting a decent job without a college degree. During an adults working life, bachelor degree graduates will earn about $2.1 million and a high school graduate can expect to earn an average of $1.2 million (Day and Newburger, 2002). This is quite a difference and it puts a college education in

To bottle the essence in this premier moment- the liquid of success and pride, the raw emotion in that moment that has propelled my character to it's actualized state of being- would have been a fantasy amongst reality. I open my tear dotted eyes as my ears resonate the echoes of confetti cannons and cheers from the arena. My muscles ache with joy, and my mind is chasing the realization that is at hand. I have just won a midwestern color guard championship. The golden haze of chaos that ensues is one that has forever imprinted on my mind, a haze that lingers in my peripheral vision, in constant search of a worthy emotion to compare to. The prime success in this moment alone- has been the sole fuel in the flame of my determination and strive for achieved ambitions.

My personal goal that will never be completely achieved is my desire to help others for the greater good. My educational goals consist of graduating with honors at Western Michigan University and attending graduate school at the University of Michigan. At Western University I plan to pursue degrees in biology and environmental and sustainability studies. Ever since I can remember I have been fascinated with the science around us, and more specifically the living science around us. Pursuing a degree in biology is a predicted course of study for me; however, my choice to double major came as a surprise.

There are several qualities to have to be successful in college. These qualities can range from attending class to going above and beyond what’s expected. Success comes from the journey taken or the path chosen. Success also comes from being prepared. As a student, I must step up to the challenge and find the path to success along the way. Several ways I define success is to uphold academic integrity, have the ability to prioritize, and to motivate myself to stay on top of what needs to be accomplished.