kjoalvey67
Sep 7, 2014
Undergraduate / "Tall Dreams, Short Arms" - QUESTBRIDGE Bio Essay [6]
UPDATED: Questbridge Bio Essay Rewrite (Original "Tall Dreams, Short Arms")
We are interested in learning more about you and the context in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations and accomplished your academic successes. Please describe the factors and challenges that have most shaped your personal life and aspirations. How have these factors caused you to grow?
Let's be honest: My story isn't glamorous. I wish it were. I wish I could lie to you, tell you I am the prom queen, tell you how many friends I had, how easy life is. I wish I could sing about how great high school is, and how flawless my home life is. That's a great story to tell, but it isn't the truth.
The truth is, life's hard. I'm not going to deny or sugar-coat that. Mom's working as a home aide, losing hours by the week. Paychecks are becoming slimmer. Dad lost his job, and what little money he's actually making bounces from his wallet to the bills immediately. We're still paying bills on my shoulder injury from winter, paying bills on my brother's Crohn's, paying bills so my brother with Asperger's can get the help he needs. We're barely scraping by. It's hard. It's hard for my mom, who has a degree, but is working a job that requires a GED, because she can't find anything else. She's requesting deferments for the loans she racked up when she decided to get an education after three kids. It's hard for my dad, who has his Master's degree, but recently lost his job as a mechanic, and can't find a job, even after countless hours spent online, applying for hundreds of jobs. Yeah, it's hard.
But, it's not only hard at home. I wake up, go to school, and pretend. I pretend to enjoy eating my lunch on the floor, because I give up my seat to be nice. I pretend that I shop at high-end stores, so my classmates don't know how much we're struggling. I am terrified that being "poor" will destroy any positive image I possess, so I lie. On top of it all, my school doesn't offer Advanced Placement OR International Baccalaureate classes, so I'm running out of classes to take. It's hard.
I'm going to stay honest, though. Life has been harder. When I was in sixth grade, I realized I was different from my peers. I tried so hard to fit in; I longed to be normal. No matter how hard I tried to act "normal," I was always left out of my group of friends, and, eventually, I ended up the attention of their torment. Then, it spread. You never knew who was talking, who would hit you in the hallway, who would smack your books out of your hands just for fun. The administration gave no ease, and saw no fault in my peer's actions. The worst feeling I can remember was sitting in the principal's office after trying not to fight back after years, but ultimately failing. After that day, I could not pretend I was remotely comfortable attending that school. There were days I thought I wouldn't get through. It was hard, but it got better.
On January 7, 2013, I walked into a new school as a new student. My hopes were almost as high as my anxiety. I immediately changed my image, no longer hiding my uniqueness, which I once believed to be a defect. Life is still full of rigor and challenge, but switching schools was, hands-down, the best decision I ever made. I am no longer bullied, even though I have few friends. I am much happier to be in a safer, better environment. Not only am I happier, I am succeeding academically, and my already adequate grades have risen. After only a year at my new school, I made the highest ACT score in the class. I now realize that happiness is truly the key to success. I also realize how hard I had to work to achieve that score, and how much harder I have to work to make something of myself and pay for college. Life is still going to be hard, and that's not going to change.
Now, don't get me wrong; I do believe life's hard, but I also believe that there is always reason to enjoy it. Yes, my family and I have struggled, and we may struggle in the future, but there's always a form of reward for the work we put out. I worked hard to achieve a good education, and, in return, my hard work got me a 31 ACT score. My family is also positive and supportive, and that, in and of itself, is a blessing. Sometimes, life is hard, but I manage, and I will continue to strive for greatness, no matter the obstacle. I'm not going to let anything get in the way of my dreams, no matter how big or small. It isn't going to be easy, but would it be worth it if it were?
UPDATED: Questbridge Bio Essay Rewrite (Original "Tall Dreams, Short Arms")
We are interested in learning more about you and the context in which you have grown up, formed your aspirations and accomplished your academic successes. Please describe the factors and challenges that have most shaped your personal life and aspirations. How have these factors caused you to grow?
Let's be honest: My story isn't glamorous. I wish it were. I wish I could lie to you, tell you I am the prom queen, tell you how many friends I had, how easy life is. I wish I could sing about how great high school is, and how flawless my home life is. That's a great story to tell, but it isn't the truth.
The truth is, life's hard. I'm not going to deny or sugar-coat that. Mom's working as a home aide, losing hours by the week. Paychecks are becoming slimmer. Dad lost his job, and what little money he's actually making bounces from his wallet to the bills immediately. We're still paying bills on my shoulder injury from winter, paying bills on my brother's Crohn's, paying bills so my brother with Asperger's can get the help he needs. We're barely scraping by. It's hard. It's hard for my mom, who has a degree, but is working a job that requires a GED, because she can't find anything else. She's requesting deferments for the loans she racked up when she decided to get an education after three kids. It's hard for my dad, who has his Master's degree, but recently lost his job as a mechanic, and can't find a job, even after countless hours spent online, applying for hundreds of jobs. Yeah, it's hard.
But, it's not only hard at home. I wake up, go to school, and pretend. I pretend to enjoy eating my lunch on the floor, because I give up my seat to be nice. I pretend that I shop at high-end stores, so my classmates don't know how much we're struggling. I am terrified that being "poor" will destroy any positive image I possess, so I lie. On top of it all, my school doesn't offer Advanced Placement OR International Baccalaureate classes, so I'm running out of classes to take. It's hard.
I'm going to stay honest, though. Life has been harder. When I was in sixth grade, I realized I was different from my peers. I tried so hard to fit in; I longed to be normal. No matter how hard I tried to act "normal," I was always left out of my group of friends, and, eventually, I ended up the attention of their torment. Then, it spread. You never knew who was talking, who would hit you in the hallway, who would smack your books out of your hands just for fun. The administration gave no ease, and saw no fault in my peer's actions. The worst feeling I can remember was sitting in the principal's office after trying not to fight back after years, but ultimately failing. After that day, I could not pretend I was remotely comfortable attending that school. There were days I thought I wouldn't get through. It was hard, but it got better.
On January 7, 2013, I walked into a new school as a new student. My hopes were almost as high as my anxiety. I immediately changed my image, no longer hiding my uniqueness, which I once believed to be a defect. Life is still full of rigor and challenge, but switching schools was, hands-down, the best decision I ever made. I am no longer bullied, even though I have few friends. I am much happier to be in a safer, better environment. Not only am I happier, I am succeeding academically, and my already adequate grades have risen. After only a year at my new school, I made the highest ACT score in the class. I now realize that happiness is truly the key to success. I also realize how hard I had to work to achieve that score, and how much harder I have to work to make something of myself and pay for college. Life is still going to be hard, and that's not going to change.
Now, don't get me wrong; I do believe life's hard, but I also believe that there is always reason to enjoy it. Yes, my family and I have struggled, and we may struggle in the future, but there's always a form of reward for the work we put out. I worked hard to achieve a good education, and, in return, my hard work got me a 31 ACT score. My family is also positive and supportive, and that, in and of itself, is a blessing. Sometimes, life is hard, but I manage, and I will continue to strive for greatness, no matter the obstacle. I'm not going to let anything get in the way of my dreams, no matter how big or small. It isn't going to be easy, but would it be worth it if it were?
