College Admissions Essay: How Poverty Changed My Life

601 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Roles of adolescence in family

J.K. Rowling once said “Poverty entails fear and stress and sometimes depression. It meets a thousand petty humiliations and hardships. Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts that is something on which to pride yourself but poverty itself is romanticized by fools,” and this really resonates with me as my family has always struggled with money. No moment has better been summed up by this quote then when I started college.
I spent most of the beginning of my life living in a trailer where it was just my mom, sister, and I. The normal routine was school and home for us while my mom went to work early in the morning and didn’t come home until it was night. Some days after school we would be watched by a family member if they had time, but more often we just came home and waited until Mom got off work. …show more content…

At that time college wasn’t something that looked plausible for me anytime in the near future. That was until it was time to graduate and I received a lot of inspiration from teachers that I had grown really close to.
The summer before college was a time where I didn’t worry about anything. That of course was a terrible decision as summer went on, problems began piling up and more decisions needed to be made that I wasn’t ready for. The biggest problem I faced was how I was going to pay for college, not only this year but the years to come and if when I did graduate I would be swimming in debt that I couldn’t handle.
This leads to orientation which was a great day for me. It was when I learned that college would be completely paid for by some scholarships I wasn’t aware of and help from federal grants that I didn’t really pay attention to. No longer did I feel college was simply a gamble on my future. Of course I still had many problems that I needed to worry about when it came to

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel And Dimed

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    Barbara Ehrenreich’s story, in her book “Nickel and Dimed,” was humbling to read. Her quote at the end of her book left me speechless. She states, “I grew up hearing over and over to the point of tedium that hard work was the secret to success: ‘Work hard and you’ll get ahead’ or ‘It’s hard work that got us where we are.’ No one ever said that you could work hard—harder even than you ever thought possible—and still find yourself sinking ever deeper into poverty and debt (220).’” When I first started to read this quote I thought it was going to be encouraging, but by the end my heart felt heavy for people like Ehrenreich that are stuck in poverty and can’t seem to get out, no matter how hard they work. It is such an eye opener to me because I have grown up hearing things such as “work hard to get what you want”, which is similar to what Ehrenreich has heard as well, yet Ehrenreich didn’t find this to be true. Being privileged and having parents that support my financially is something that I take for granted.

    Read More

  • Homelessness in "The Glass Castle"

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poor people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, childcare, health care, and education” (National Coalition for the Homeless - Why Are People Homeless?). Such a condition is evident in Walls’ book. In The Glass Castle, the Walls family lives in gruesome conditions because of poverty. “Because on the rare occasion that we paid the electricity bill and had power, we’d get a wicked shock if we touched any damp or metallic surface in the room” (Walls 153). I don’t really think you need this quote, but if you decide to keep it in, say how the fact that they rarely have power is important.

    Read More

  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, these would not be possible if a person does not have a positive outlook in life. On the contrary to Junior’s statement, poverty does teach you lessons about perseverance. It happens to inspire, give hope and encourage an individual to work hard to get the true success in life.

    Read More

  • Stereootyping The Poor Essay: Steretyping The Poor

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poverty is a potential outcome for everyone. It’s sneaky and many people fall victim to it every year. No one believes that they have the potential to fall into debt, but it can happen through a string of bad luck, time running short, and other possibilities that can’t be controlled. People who are struggling with difficulty believe that there is no way out because no one will help them. However, there are ways for us, as a society, to help those who are short on income receive the help that they need. Many of the impoverished are thought to be slackers, addicts, or self-destructive to their lives. Society can help each other by dismembering the stereotypes given to people who are underneath the “Poverty Line” that they used as wedges between the classes. Labels given to those who’re poor have nothing to do with who they are as humans.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Why I Choose To Come To College?

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    Coming out of my senior high school was one of the most difficult tasks I 've been given up to this point in my life. I was overwhelmed, excited, sad, busy, and uncertain of the near impending future. The past 13 years of my life I had been studying, practicing, playing, and working my way towards a brighter future. I could see the future in front of me, it was as if I could reach out and touch it. It was almost like getting a shot at the doctors, I knew it was what was best for me but I was terrified anyway. But I pushed aside my fears and on August 8, 2015, I set foot on a college campus, my home for the next four years. I knew why I was there though; I came to college in order to channel the love I have for my country into the motivation necessary to take the next step up the ladder towards a constitutional law degree, a degree I’ll use to protect this country and the people who reside in it. But to truly understand why I came to college, I have to start at the beginning.

    Read More

  • College Admissions Essay: A Life Changing Experience

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    The experience of the APEC Youth Science festival was incredible. It has had an enormous impact on me in many ways, changing the way I look at the world and connecting me with people and events far beyond my formerly limited experience. I am extremely glad to have had this opportunity. It was a wonderful experience on multiple levels. It challenged me and expanded me intellectually and socially. I feel that this experience has had an immense impact on me.

    Read More

  • Getting into College and Taking the ACT

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Until this past spring I hadn't thought much about what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go for college. One day in the spring the junior class had a meeting in the auditorium about taking our ACT test and college plans. After that meeting I realized I needed a change, getting into college wasn't going to be a breeze, kind of how I had treated high school. Although I always considered myself to be fairly smart, I never had put much effort into school, but after seeing the facts and requirements to get into schools, and especially after hearing Ms. Rice saying "In today's world, the way to a successful future, is choosing college as your future", I knew I had to make an adjustment for the better so that college could be my future.

    Read More

  • I Am Reafy for College Life

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    Getting ready to leave for college is often one of the most difficult times for a young adult. Many people are not ready to take that next step into their future. However, this past summer, as I approached my senior year, I was lucky enough to take a trip up the coast of California to go to a National Student Leadership Conference and prepare for that life changing experience. This camp was based on medicine and health care. I received a chance to work with professional doctors and examine what a life in medicine would be like. It was, by far, the greatest experience of my life, and it has definitely formed me into the person I am today. Before this camp, I knew I was not ready to proceed with that next step in my life. But now, I know I am more responsible and knowledgeable to go to college on my own.

    Read More

  • Discovering a Hidden Passion Through Community Service

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    My life has not always been as bright and promising as it is today; I had no idea where my life was going, or how I would possibly be able to attend college at all. Since I was a child, my self-esteem has always been low, and any time college was brought up, it simply made my confidence drop even further. I never believed I could handle college, and never thought I would even be given the opportunity to attend.

    Read More

  • Stage Six: Critical Thinking As A Critical Thinker

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    College has a extensive impact on a person that some people simply don’t realize. When I first started college, I was a little close-minded and unsure about what it was I wanted to do with the rest of my life. When I was halfway through my freshman year, I decided to completely change my path in life. I left ECU, moved into an apartment, transferred to Pitt and declared my major intended sonography. Then suddenly I hated what I was doing, I had to take a step back and truly evaluate my life and what it was I was meant to do. I was completely lost. Then one day I received a text from a friend telling me to apply to a hospital located in Chesapeake, Virginia. I did, and I got the job. When I told my parents they were less than thrilled, they didn’t like the idea of me taking a year off from school to work, but I thought long and hard about what was best for me and decided it was something I was meant to do, it was the path I needed to follow. I worked for a year while living at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. I was completely independent, providing for myself 100 percent. While working this job, I realized that what I wanted to do and what I was called to do in life was become a nurse, which is something I would have never figured out had I not seriously weighed my options

    Read More

  • Transition from High School to College

    1662 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the end of my senior year in high school approached, I had to make an important decision. What school was I going to spend the next few years of my life at? When the financial aid packages arrived, I was torn between two colleges. After sitting down with my mother and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of both schools, I came to my final decision. It seemed like a year ago I was imagining what college life would be like and suddenly before my eyes, I would be a college student in a matter of four months.

    Read More

  • Poverty In College Essay

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the past decade, many college students have fallen into poverty. There’s a lot of issues that go beyond this topic, many people wouldn’t think College students could end up in poverty. Because, either those college students get scholarships or financial aid but, none of those could support a college student. I believe that there could be a more possible way for a college student to survive the college life and earn the degree they desire.

    Read More

  • Narrative Essay About Moving Home

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    Growing up, I was raised by a single mom who gave birth to me while attending college which meant we didn’t have a lot. I still remember being woken up early in the morning by her and driven to my grandparents where they would watch me while she took on 2 shifts each day. Because of the amount of hours, she would work my grandparents took on the role of taking me to my school functions and sporting events. Although it was hard not always having my biggest fan there to cheer me on I knew inside that she would give anything to be there watching but someone had to put food on the table. We had to move quite often due to my mom’s job constantly relocating her to different branches. By the time, I had entered the 1st grade my mother and I were moving into our 5th residence in the Houston area. I was still in my adolescence so moving never seemed to bother me as long as I had my toys and a TV I was pretty content.

    Read More

  • The Positive Aspects Of Poverty

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    People all over the world suffer from being in poverty. Young and old alike, they are always haunted by torturous questions such as, “When am I going to eat next?” and “How am I going to make it through today?” However, poverty is more than being poor; it’s an understanding that even though one might not acquire a lot, he has what he has, and he must learn to be content with that. Even though poverty is seen as a negative thing, there are a few positive aspects about it that are hidden away in the people who experience it. The only way to see it is to go and look for it. Poverty has a secret power that shows people how to live life to the fullest, and to thrive in the moment with all they have, while at the same time, teaches them how to be

    Read More

  • The Causes and Effects of Poverty

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, sometimes actions take place that changes a person’s outlook on life and as you can see poverty is one that can have a huge effect on not only one person, but also the people around him/ her.

    Read More

More about College Admissions Essay: How Poverty Changed My Life

Open Document