College Essay

This is the essay that I plan to submit to University of Oregon

I am the place in which something has occurred. I am the square peg that doesn’t quite fit in the circular hole. All my life I’ve been told that I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t going to amount to much of anything. At seven my mother died of cancer, and with her, I believe that in some ways, so did my father. The end of my mother’s life was the beginning of my own personal hell. Overnight, I went from having the two people I needed the most in my life to having virtually no one. My friends, being only seven, left, not understanding why I didn’t want to talk about my family. Throughout the next eight years of my life I was completely and utterly alone. At age seven the child-like side of me died and with it, my childhood.

Because of all the negativity in my life, most people expected that there was no way I could succeed. Having a father that was a college drop-out and not having a mother I had no role model. In middle school I let everyone’s negative words have power over me. I let my grades slip. Going into high school I realized that I needed those good grades. Freshman year I resolved to make sure that I had all As. I ended the year with close to perfect grades. In math and English I had over 100 percent and in all of my other classes I had over a ninety-five. Freshman year I also started two clubs, The Forensics Club- which is the field that I am interested in going in to. (I am going to be a forensic anthropologist,) and The Creative Writing Club- writing is a hobby of mine to escape from life.

On top of all of the clubs that I started I also joined the lacrosse team. Now, not having much money- my family usually has no food by the end of the month- I had to work out a deal with the coach so that I could pay for my gear. The coach and I agreed that I would pay what I could when I could. My father made paying back my coach an almost impossible task. All of the money that I would get was taken from me and was very rarely returned.

Throughout all of this I was struggling with crippling depression and anxiety. I realized that I needed to go see a counselor. My father disagreed, but I took it upon myself to find a place I could go for free. I found a place and was able to better manage my anxiety no medication needed- which was a major achievement for me. My depression is still an ongoing problem, but I use the sadness to motivate me. I throw myself full force in to whatever I do. I’ve been through a lot in my life, and because of that I am a stronger person then I ever thought possible. I survived.

Author's Note

I don't know how many mistakes there are, but I'm open to any criticism