The Dangers of the Safe Route by Lauren

The Dangers of the Safe Route by Lauren - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

I graduated from high school at the top of my class with a Division 1 athletic scholarship and admission into the best academic program at the University which I was planning to attend. Unfortunately, after my first year of college I realized that these accomplishments which I prided myself upon didn’t mean much because I wasn’t passionate about the activities that I was devoting my time to. If I could change the way that I approached my years in high school, I would take more risks, and not be afraid to fail.
While in high school, I took many classes which were honors or advanced placement, but I didn’t take any of these types of classes in subjects that I was uncomfortable with. This approach helped me succeed in the sense that I was able to get the highest GPA in my class. However, it failed in the end because when I got to college I realized that I didn’t really know what I was passionate about or interested in since I never took advantage of the opportunity to explore different fields. I chose a major in college which I was comfortable in and good at, but not one that challenged me. After this year, I’m changing to an entirely different field of study which will be an unprecedented risk for me as my lack of variety of classes in high school means that I have very little background knowledge about many of the classes I will be taking.
I was also fearful of not being the best in my sport, and so I dedicated all of my spare time to swimming rather than taking time to explore other interests. If I could go back, I would miss practice every now and then to go to club meetings or community events. It is great to dedicate yourself to what you love, but it is also important to be a well-rounded person. The vast majority of high school athletes will not continue on to play their sport during college, so it is important to have other things that you can become invested in while in college, and later in life.
Taking risks as a young student is the best decision that you can make because the older you get the busier life gets making it much more difficult to spend time exploring new activities. As a college student, school takes up a lot more of the day, and many students must also spend time on a job. While you are a young student, explore as much as you can because it is the only way to truly find out what you are passionate about and what you want to spend your life doing. The path to success isn’t a straight line, so don’t try to make it that way by always taking the safe route.