Personal Narrative: How College Changed My Life

When I first started high school I had no clue what I wanted my life to be like afterwards. My parents had planted the idea of college in my head, since both of them had gone, and said that was the only way to become successful in life so I always assumed college was going to be part of my plan. Throughout my elementary, intermediate, and middle school career I was a fairly decent student. I rarely had to worry about my grades and I never had to work exceptionally hard to do well, however in high school everything changed. I had always heard that grades were important and GPA was everything along with clubs and extracurricular activities to make us more rounded students, but none of that really registered with me until late into my sophomore year. It

was my first year taking an honors course and a course with all upperclassmen. I was terrified and overwhelmed at the amount of effort I had to put in to get a good grade in the class instead of cramming the night before and getting a B. Along with swimming and all the activities involved with that it was a true test of my mental toughness, which was ironically the slogan for our swim team that year. I was stuck between wanting to do well and not caring enough to actually put in the effort because I told myself I still had two years to improve, so I did the bare minimum. My parents however did not see it that way and my grades caused a lot of stress for everyone.

I couldn't participate much in swimming events, I couldn't hang out with friends or do anything. Everyday it was a battle. One night my mom told me neither her nor my dad thought I had the determination nor the discipline to make it at college. I had never seen them so disappointed in me. They were always so supportive and said I had what it took to be great if I would apply myself more so to hear my mom say that was the turning point for me. I knew I had let them down, my teachers down, and I let myself down. All of the sudden college wasn't a must anymore and I realized if I didn’t change soon I wouldn't be going, and they didn't deserve to have a daughter like that. From that point on I was determined to prove to them that I do have what it takes and to show them I want to be hardworking and successful in life. I now know that going to college is definitely what I want to do in the future. I know what it is like to fail and I know how heart wrenching and painful it was for my family and I. I would really love the chance to show my parents, my teachers and most importantly myself that I can put in the effort to be

successful.