timetoshine
Nov 12, 2025
Undergraduate / Common App: Gap Year Essay [2]
Hi everyone, this is my Gap Year Essay. I wanted to know if it's good enough to submit this draft
When I looked at the time-11:59 p.m., December 27, my brother's birthday-I felt like I was losing something. I was exhausted, confused, and scared about my future. After a series of unexpected moments, I made a quiet decision: to pause. I wasn't ready for the American application process yet. As someone who values quality, I wanted to find where I truly fit. But senior year gave me too much pressure. I didn't apply anywhere (I didn't tell anyone). I cried until New Year's Eve. As the top student and eldest daughter, I felt like a failure.
Two months later-in March-I tried to be strong again. I promised myself to learn how to be true to me. In April ( after 100+ rejections) I got an internship shadowing and assisting a doctor. Time flew: exams, graduation, a small research project.
July - August, the time for local university entrance exams, was hard again. In my community, a "gap year" is not normal. Everyone kept asking, "So what will you do now?" I stayed calm. My parents supported me. I entered an exam and got into Tashkent State Technical University (to prove I wasn't a failure). But I knew I couldn't live to prove something. The undeveloped curriculum and limited major couldn't hold my goals.
Leaving that university was hard, but it was the best decision I've made. For the first time, I'm not rushing to catch up. I'm learning to trust my own pace and that feels like growing up.
Hi everyone, this is my Gap Year Essay. I wanted to know if it's good enough to submit this draft
When I looked at the time-11:59 p.m., December 27, my brother's birthday-I felt like I was losing something. I was exhausted, confused, and scared about my future. After a series of unexpected moments, I made a quiet decision: to pause. I wasn't ready for the American application process yet. As someone who values quality, I wanted to find where I truly fit. But senior year gave me too much pressure. I didn't apply anywhere (I didn't tell anyone). I cried until New Year's Eve. As the top student and eldest daughter, I felt like a failure.
Two months later-in March-I tried to be strong again. I promised myself to learn how to be true to me. In April ( after 100+ rejections) I got an internship shadowing and assisting a doctor. Time flew: exams, graduation, a small research project.
July - August, the time for local university entrance exams, was hard again. In my community, a "gap year" is not normal. Everyone kept asking, "So what will you do now?" I stayed calm. My parents supported me. I entered an exam and got into Tashkent State Technical University (to prove I wasn't a failure). But I knew I couldn't live to prove something. The undeveloped curriculum and limited major couldn't hold my goals.
Leaving that university was hard, but it was the best decision I've made. For the first time, I'm not rushing to catch up. I'm learning to trust my own pace and that feels like growing up.
