'Sorry, What was That?' - Need help with option C

Option C essay for Texas A&M

Sorry, What was That?

My freshman year in high school should've been one of the most exciting times, yet for me in an instant my life changed. Imagine hearing for fourteen years of your life and then having sound slowly disappear until you are barley able to hear hearing mumbles and meaningless noise. Unable to afford hearing aids my freshman year I had to fight to hear what teachers were saying I had to fight to learn. Having a hearing loss can produce many obstacle's in one's life. Sound is not something that should be taken for granted because it can be taken within a blink of an eye. Sound is what make life interesting and to live without sound is to not experience life at its fullest.

Going to a mainstream school and being hard of hearing is challenging people don't really know what to do with you. My sophomore year in order for me to be able to ride the bus home I had to ride the short bus because I was considered disabled. For me it was just a bus to get home and to avoid the dangers of the street I couldn't navigate as easily without my ears. Others didn't see it that way the girls from my softball team and kids in school would often tease and make fun because I rode that bus and even though I didn't show it their comments hurt.

People mistake deafness for dumbness I simply cannot hear that doesn't mean I am not capable of learning. I have a hard time in class its not the material that they give it's the environment I am in and even with my hearing aids I have trouble. My aids only amplify sound so when everyone is talking I can't make out distinct voices so by the time I figure out what the teacher has said he has already moved onto something else. I am constantly playing catch up but I am thankful for the select few students I have in some of my classes that will sit next to me and tell me what the teacher has said or write down what important thing I might have missed because I was writing and not solely focused.

Everyone wants to fit in when you're in high school and having a disability makes it hard to make new friends and be apart of things. When you wear hearing aids people often assume that you cannot speak or that you are completely unable to have a conversation. I have had people ask the rudest questions so can you read or why can you talk is hurtful it is the same as asking why someone is fat you just don't do it. Through all the obstacles I have faced with losing my hearing I have become stronger, humbled, and I have learned through my experiences to not having the gift of sound has made me the person I am today.

I really like the way you started the essay! A few tips- re-word "yet for me in an instant my life changed". Also, maybe change your 3rd sentence to

Imagine living with constant sound and rhythm for fourteen years, and then having it slowly dwindle away.
All the best!