Submitting today, any last minute suggestions?
I remember opening my eyes, vision slightly blurred, body feeling mostly numb; the bright off-white ceiling seemed darker than ever. As I tried to gather every ounce of energy as I could, it hit me that school was just not an option today, for the fifth time in the past two weeks. The manic-filled nights were starting to take a toll on me. While briefly checking my grades, I noticed that high A's were starting to drop to low C's. Teachers were frequently asking me "what's going on with you?"; a question that I knew no such answer to, but I soon realized it was time to find out. Learning may be generally accepted as an academic term by most, but learning from experiences, not just textbooks, is what aided my growth into who I am today.
As a child, I had acquired the idea that achieving the highest grades was the key to success. I then spent my remaining grade school years striving for report cards filled with nothing but A's. It had become an unhealthy obsession, nearly always kicking myself when a B or two found its way to my report card. Soon the longing for the A's caused me to abandon my close friends for even closer friends; textbooks, paper and pencils. I focused on this so much, I was not paying attention to what was happening to my internal well-being. The abnormal sensations I started to feel not only eliminated my old aspirations for perfect grades but also reduced the urge to be social. My academic learning soon took a setback to the importance of learning about myself.
After a few weeks of visiting a light-eyed bald man, normality was finding its way back to me. It had been figured out that I have Bipolar II disorder. With the correct treatment, I was soon well on my way to a road of improvement; not only were my grades significantly improving but my levels of social activity with loved ones were escalating as well. Taking the time to learn about myself brought such a positive change on my being. The importance of accumulating intellect heightened in my eyes as my age increased; recognizing that without knowledge I would not be nearly as extraordinary as I am now.
Learning is necessary for true development. Without it, growing towards success would be practically impossible. I have discovered that the true key to success is not by acquiring high marks on a small piece of paper, the real key is to attain copious amounts of information about the world, yourself, others, through not only a textbook but through experiences and observations. I am convinced that Florida State University will give me the greatest opportunity to not only gain a well-rounded knowledge base, but to aid in the completion of uncovering myself. Starting a new chapter of my life at Florida State University would assist in increasing my passion for learning about who I am and what I can become.
