The Real World by Holden

The Real World by Holden - February 2021 Scholarship Essay

From the time most students reach their freshman year of high school until it is time for them to graduate, they are bombarded with pressure and expectations from family and school staff to establish a plan for their lives. For most this plan includes college. We are told to do well in high school to pave the way for college, ultimately to do well in college too. But what is the purpose of college? We are given many questions to answer, but seldom are we given answers to our own questions, particularly this one.
The objectives in the college world are no different than that of high school, just on a larger scale. We are expected to pay attention in class, study, complete our assignments, and prepare ourselves to ultimately succeed in exams, which grant us the keys to success in a particular class. The truth, though, is that college success does not lie in classroom adequacy. There are plenty of individuals with college degrees and a great amount of natural intelligence who cannot get their lives together. Since the true key to college success is not hidden in the classroom, that means it can only be in one place. It must be inside the students themselves.
For many students, college is the first time they are truly on their own. They are many miles away from family or guardians, and therefore they do not have to answer to anyone for their actions. This is the crossroads at which college success is truly determined. At this crossroads, responsibility is left to the student. What they gain from their college experience is left to the student. They can either hold themselves accountable and show personal responsibility, submitting themselves to the obligation of college life. If they do not choose this route, they can choose to ignore their responsibilities and treat college like a four year vacation. While they may still graduate living this lifestyle, they can hardly be considered successful.
The obvious path to success is to accept responsibility and embrace the rigors of college education. This path creates a determination and consistency within an individual that will indeed prepare them for career life. It is not the assignments or the exams that create a successful individual. The assignments and exams merely bring out the characteristics of success already inside the student. To put it simply, the true measure of success in the world of education is awakening these desires and tendencies.
I have covered what it means to be successful in the college world. It is time to conclude with my own personal definition of success. Success is not in grades or money or fame. These things all deteriorate when we die, or before then in many cases. True success is living for something bigger than ourselves, impacting the people we come into contact with in such a way that they are inspired to do the same for others. Living this way does not depend on a college education. College or not, a successful life will radiate out to those in its presence, regardless of where it is at. I hope to live my life in such a way.