College Admissions Essay: Little Boxes

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Little Boxes Essay Most people can never fully understand themselves. Humanity is subtle and nuanced, and so to have a better comprehension of our own lives, we place ourselves into boxes and give ourselves labels to simplify our personality. Despite my awareness of this truth, I in no way refrain from overgeneralizing and placing myself into categories based on traits that may or may not be entirely applicable. The most notable example of this is that I consider myself an emotional person. This is certainly true; I’m quite expressive with my feelings and have generally pretty high highs and low lows. I am often very emotive and find it difficult to control my actions when I feel strongly about something. But the issue with labels comes from the affirmation of any …show more content…

I often feel as though I am placed into a category of teenagers who are academically ambitious. Again, this is not inaccurate; I do have an innate desire to succeed in school, and I know that is a positive thing. The issue arises due to the immense pressure that is put on students like me by society. From an early age, I’ve felt an immense pressure from my family, my friends, and the media to put all of my energy into getting into a good college and getting into a lucrative field of work. This push may have positive effects on society as a whole, but for many individuals it is extremely unsafe. Each year, thousands of students kill themselves out of feelings of frustration and inadequacy in terms of life success. That fact depresses me immensely. I feel as though I have no room to decide to broader aspects of my future because I’ve been conditioned to understand the importance of academics, and sometimes I wish I could break out of this box. I long to focus more on being happy than on being successful because in my opinion, happiness leads to success and not the other way

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