College Admissions Essay: Overcoming Obstacles

Overcoming the Obstacles
“You don’t understand me!”
“If you don’t know how I feel, don’t say anything!”
Theses quotes might be said once or many times in one’s teen life. Complaining about parents is one of the conversation topics among the peers. Sometimes teens feel like adults do not aware of their opinions anymore. Moreover, arguments among the family could ruin the relationship if members do not know how to deal with it. I learned how to solve problems through these conflicts and became more mature.
I was in the third year of Mathayom when students are forced to make their first decision about future career. According to Thailand’s education system, high school is divided into different programs. Each program limits student’s choices when entering college. As a result, most parents, including mine, prefer their children to choose the Math-Science program, which provides more options. Moreover, my

family demanded me to take the entering exam into Triamudomsuksa School, considering one of the best schools in Thailand and the entering competition is very high. At that time, I had already made my choice to study in Language program. I talked to my parents that I did not want to study in Math-Science program, that I wanted to be specialized in language. Studying complicate mathematic subject had no advantage on my future career and it would be just a waste of time. Extra time to practice my language skills would be more efficient. That was my explanation but it was rejected. My family still insisted their suggestion and pressured me to agree.
During that time, I cried a lot. I criticized my parents that they did not understand me. Comparing to other’s parents who let their children make their own choice even upset me more.Meanwhile, my father started to repeat his phrase every day, telling me to start preparing for the exam. I was depressed since my future path will be affectedby this important decision. Asking myself whether I am going to live my life to reach other’s goal even made me become extremely negative.I felt like I had lost my reason to live to tomorrow. As a result of many factors, I started to shut myself from others. Silence and ignorance became a barrier that separated my parents and me from communicating. I stop doing all the tasks I was responsible to and just sit still, feeling like there is nothing worth to do.
Everything seemed to get worse until I had a conversation with one of my friends.

Being in a similar condition, she understood how I felt. Because she was older than me so she was in a higher grade. She had passed all of those obstacles I was facing. I receivedmanyuseful advices thathelped me to start thinking for myself again. She told me that this is my life and everything depends only on myself. Parents can make the suggestion but they are not responsible to make the decision. I argued to her that my parents would not listen to me and only keep talking about their desires. She said I was wrong and asked me whether I have ever face my parents and speak sincerely to them about my dream. I realized from her words that I had never did something like talking to my parents maturelywith reasons. I took her advices, went to the conversation with my parents, and it was great. They finally accepted my decision and allowed me to choose whatever I want for my future.Finally, I continuedto study at Patumwan Demonstration School for the language

program.
What I had learned from this experience was that, no one could understand what I am thinking unless I speak to him or her open-mindedly.In addition, ignorance would not recover anything and would only make the situation get worse.