College by Alex

College by Alex - November 2015 Scholarship Essay

When I first drove up with my mom and brother to Indiana University’s campus on a nice, summer day, I had just finished being homeschooled in a foreign country for a few years. Looking back, I made lasting memories but while I was there I felt quite isolated from everyone and didn’t really fit in with the people around me and had a miserable time. Then, of course, I made it onto a campus with 40,000 other students and had plenty of people to finally talk to, though this came with its own drama as many freshmen also face.
Next was a matter of settling into classes and making sure I did well. My first semester here, I did not do as well as I had hoped at all, especially reflecting the potential as a student I believed I had. I thought to myself that I just couldn’t handle taking all of these classes and having a job, maintaining my social life of which I now could take advantage and remaining healthy overall. Semester by semester I got better at taking classes and learned how and how not to prepare in advance and keep up as it goes along.
Overall, the aspect of my education that I’m most thankful for is my work ethic and how it continues to grow and how it applies to more than just schoolwork. Looking back, I had a different work ethic in elementary, middle and high school and of course finally in college. What defines the ethic overall, though, is how it has evolved throughout the years. I see trends in how I’ve operated this past decade and a half of my education and I’m glad that each part seemed to stem from each last part and moves on to the next part.
Now I’m in my third year of college and love every minute. This current semester is proving to be the most challenging between the two physically-demanding jobs, 18 credit hours and club involvement as well as trying to stay healthy and keeping friends (by happenstance what my homeschool education has taught me the most is self-reliance and how it’s okay and actually beneficial to spend time alone). Despite the challenge, I still seem to love every second and I crave new knowledge.
I’m glad that my work ethic has shaped me into a more driven person. I look forward to the future and everything I’ll accomplish because I know that if you focus on your task and do what you need to do you’ll get it done. With that, I’ll end by saying that it’s time to go to class now.