The Importance of Exploration by Elizabeth

The Importance of Exploration by Elizabeth - January 2018 Scholarship Essay

I would choose the word ‘exploration’ to describe why I want to go to college. I want to explore everything that college has to offer. College is a unique experience, in that it allows all different kinds of people to learn and experiment in a safe and relaxed atmosphere. I’m excited to go to college, because it promises to be an adventure. It promises to let me explore different subjects.
My favorite book of all time is The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I love this novel because it’s all about curious kids who go on an adventure. I first read the book when I was in fourth grade, and ever since then, I’ve wanted to go on an adventure just like those kids. I was a really curious kid, and I wanted to know all about why the world worked like it did. I wanted to know why the sun rose in the east and set in the west, and I wanted to know why people cried when they were sad, and I wanted to know why we spoke different languages all over the world. I was curious, and so I thought that I was a prime candidate to go on an adventure, just like the kids in the Mysterious Benedict Society.
But in reality, I was a kid from the middle class who had school to go to, and chores to do, and parents who would never, ever let me go on a dangerous adventure. I had a great childhood, but I didn’t have an adventurous, explorative one. I was never afforded the opportunity for independence, and adventure, and most importantly, exploration. Even now, when I have a driver’s license, I still have responsibilities and a schedule to maintain.
I’m not crazy. I know that college will come with its own set of responsibilities and chores and whatever else that’s required for college. But it’s also an alien environment. I won’t know anyone there. I won’t know my roommate, and I’ll have classes that I know nothing about, and I’ll have to learn everything quickly just so I can keep up.
That’s exactly why I’m excited about college. That’s exactly why I associate college with the word ‘exploration’. Because the independence that it will give to me will also allow me to delve into subjects I find interesting. It will allow me to forge my own path, making mistake after mistake in the hopes that I’ll turn out alright in the end. It will be an adventure, an exploration where I learn everything that I want to learn, and more.
I’m very, very excited about it.