Preview

College Admissions Essay: Dropping Out Of High School

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
476 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
College Admissions Essay: Dropping Out Of High School
I would never have imagined that I would be a high school dropout. Although I came from a single-parent household, grew up in a poor neighborhood and even lived in a homeless shelter once as a young child, I knew I would defy the odds. I tested into a gifted and talented program where I learned to speak French at second grade, sing in the chorus in third, and became a concert violinist by the time I entered middle school. I joined chess and French club and became a State-competing varsity athlete in track & field and gymnastics. I took advanced placement physics, volunteered with my church, and had a part-time job on the weekends. I was a star student with great potential for success after my high school graduation, but I never crossed the stage.
Instead of preparing for my SATs and hunting for the perfect prom dress I traveled back and forth to New York City during the spring of my junior year of high school as one-third of a trio pop singing group. I took a leave
…show more content…
Though I was able to make up for the missed coursework from my time away, I was still short half of a credit. I knew I didn’t want to be held back, so I made a choice. I was fortunate to find a cooperative program at a local community college that offered a GED track for students who had recently left high school before graduation and allowed for all general education coursework to apply toward an associate’s degree. The following spring, in 2003, as my classmates were finalizing their college applications, I was enrolling in my first semester of college-level coursework as I earned my GED. Fast forward three and a half years and I was able to earn both an Associate of Applied Science and a Bachelor of Science, finishing one academic year ahead of my graduating high school class. Defying the odds? I’m not sure, but I sure had a memorable experience, unlike anyone I have ever

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    High-school is a very important part of students lives. How one does during high-school will greatly affect their future and which college they go to. Getting into college you want can be very hard. I want to attend the University of Southern California (USC), although their undergraduate admissions are very competitive. Approximately 20% of the people who apply get accepted.…

    • 886 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Growing up poor is one thing, but growing up poor without a father figure has to be one of the hardest obstacles in life. Well anything worth having in life is worth working for. That is why when I saw the opportunity to be the first male in my family to graduate high school, I ceased the moment.…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    From a young age we’re asked what we want to be when we grow up, never how we expect to become when we grow up. I was well aware of what I wanted to become, but not sure how to get there until I started high school when my counselor explained to me the importance of having a full portfolio with a wide range of extracurricular activities. Then it became clear to me, I needed extracurricular activities to become who I wished to be. Throughout my high school career I’ve participated in several extracurricular actives such as math club, soccer and UIL One Act. In the future, I want to participate in these activities or anything similar to those I participated in high school.…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Spring semester of my Junior year I took a huge and ambitious risk and decided…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    HCA Personal Statement

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Life brings few unique experiences which permanently change an individual. One experience I want to share is the crucial events my journey from high school to applying to graduate school. Beginning my journey, I graduated from a continuation high school. At the time of my graduation I realized my prospects weren’t too good because of the negative life choices I had made before high school graduation. Realizing I was at a disadvantage I began to work to support myself.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through these distractions and kind words, I was destined to stay focused on what mattered the most, my education and future. Although my high school has some defects, it does not become an excuse for me to be unsuccessful. I took every opportunity available to me and through the guidance of teachers, I was able to perceiver and beat the odds of being another failure from Moreno Valley High School. In the next couple of months, making clarity of the next steps I am about to take into a university will not be easy, but the future will be worth the…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When I look back at my High School experience senior year was astounding, mainly due to my distinctive institution. I had the opportunity to partake on the football team, track & field team and was a honor student. Another benefit from my alma mater was the diversity of the institution and large number of students (2000 students). In my opinion Wilson Senior High School was the best DC Public School with high test scores and extracurricular activities for everyone.…

    • 520 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fortunately, by the fifth grade my parents were able to rent an apartment nearby our school and had found jobs in multiple Brownsville restaurants. After the move, things became much easier and we were able to have a much simpler life, though we were never able to forget the hardships we experienced and the effort we put into enhancing our lives. Today, I am sure my successes as of now are gratifying my parents as I am in the top 10% of my class, the Co-Captain of the Golden Stars Dance Team, member of the National Honor Society, Piano Club, HOSA, and in TRIO UTRGV talent search program. I attend rigorous AP classes to improve my opportunity to attend a university and have the finest future I can give myself. Although my triumphs may not look like much to most, I can assertively say that the trial of going through difficulty to have a superior future has been overcome with the comfort of focus, strength, and the right set of mind to build a better tomorrow for my family and…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The debate about whether going to college is beneficial or not has probably been, and may always be, around for years. Now I believe it's not up to me whether college for you is beneficial or not. Although your teachers, counselors, family, and friends may tell you what they think is better for you, the decision is up to you and no one else. Who you are, what you want to be, and how or why you want to do it are all factors that should be considered in your decision.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I’ve never been good at very many things. In fact, I quit or failed almost everything I’ve been involved in pertaining to school or extracurricular activities. I wanted to accomplish something that my parents would be proud of but I didn’t have much motivation. It wasn’t until my freshman year that I decided to work harder to achieve something to be proud of; I was just waiting around for the success to come to me. I quickly learned that I wasn’t going to get anywhere that way.…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I decided to go back to school because I have always wanted to complete my college degree. I am at a time in my life where I am not focused on education for everyone else in my family. I have regretted not completing my degree for years. I had to put my education on hold while I worked to pay my children's way through college and my husbands way through law school which was all at the same time. The end result of those four years was worth the hard work! This is my time now. Having this degree will help me have a second career if I choose to do so. My ultimate goal with earning this degree will be that I will know that I have career options and that I will finally have completed what I started years…

    • 142 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    How To Go Back To College

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages

    After all the compliments I had received that really got me to think about going back to school. I finally decided to go back to school. First things first I’d have to get my GED before I could even go back to college. Not only that, fall college classes started in two months and that was not a lot of time. So I set up the GED…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Everyday kids drop out of school at young ages. One of the common ages are 16 years old. Student bullies are just one of the first reasons but it’s a very strong reason for kids dropping out and it’s becoming more and more sever. Another reason why students drop out of school is because of plain dislike of the school itself, everyone has that one thing they don’t like about their school. Also, the fact of academics being too hard, There is so much that teenagers already need to focus on adding on to that is just a lot to handle.…

    • 475 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I have no idea, but I did recently catch the campus equivalent of the bubonic plague and have been trapped in my cinderblock home for the past 58 hours. This flu has wrecked me despite how high my blood-OJ content is. Besides taking time to figure out just how many bugs are stuck in my lighting fixture, I’ve otherwise had about 57 hours to think. I’m a second semester senior, so that means I (erroneously) think I suddenly have tons of wisdom to share, even though I just learned that Café de Grasta even exists.…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sophomore Year

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As I entered my sophomore year at Archbishop McCarthy High School I overcame many endeavors, both positive and negative, which crafted me into the person I am today. I had everything any girl could ever ask for in life such as, a supportive family, a steady boyfriend, and a best friend that never left my side. Despite these luxuries, I was sick of the same routines so I decided that it was time for a change.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays