Bursting the Bubble by Lindsey

Bursting the Bubble by Lindsey - March 2019 Scholarship Essay

The transition from middle school to high school is a big change in someone’s life. Most people perceive entering high school as entering 4 years of stress and pain. Although some parts are true (it’s not high school unless there is some kind of stress), one piece of advice that I learned and helped throughout my high school career was to step outside my comfort zone. The beginning of high school sees most incoming freshmen staying within their bubble and not wanting to branch out. As a result, this can confirm their belief that high school is four years of pain.
High school can be an intimidating and daunting place. However, branching out and trying new things can lead to new experiences and finding hobbies/interests that you never knew you had. Take classes that you never think you would, even if you think you might not like it. For instance, if you believe you are awful at painting pictures or creating pottery, take an art class. Even if you don’t up enjoying it, there are still multiple benefits to taking it. You can eliminate art as one of your career choices and as an added bonus, your art skills are improved upon, which is always useful in any career field.
Another way to step outside your comfort zone is to join clubs that you never thought of joining. I joined a synthetic biology competition because my friend wanted to, despite me having little to none interest in science. However, I ended up having a lot of fun for I discovered that I had a hidden passion for science, specifically things having to do with the brain. Additionally, I formed new friends that share the same interest as me. With my new friends, I was able to learn new things from them, including different cultures and they interact with American society. Furthermore, I obtained a real hands-on experience with working in the lab, which can help me when I go into the real work force.
While some people might think that doing things you would never think about doing could lead to new challenges that you will have to overcome, what’s life without challenges? Challenges make us stronger, and if you can overcome them, it strengthens the neural pathways in our brain and better prepares us for life. Additionally, trying new things is like a cycle, for when you start a new thing, you’ll want to continue and start trying even more new things. This could lead you to explore new things and could help you in the process of finding who you really are.
Stepping outside your comfort zone can be scary forces you to be more open with the world and develops upon skills needed for the real world. Although it can be scary, it makes high school seem less intimidating and a more fun place overall and reduce the amount of stress one feels when going through this next chapter in your life. Also, this kind of advice will help you in your later life.