Living With No Regrets by Ryan

Living With No Regrets by Ryan - April 2025 Scholarship Essay

My primary life goal is to fulfill my potential. One of my greatest fears is moving through life on autopilot, only to wake up at 65, retired, and realize I haven’t truly lived. Avoiding this terrifying fate will require setting ambitious personal and professional goals. Along with the goal of fulfilling my potential, I want to avoid living a “normal” life. Looking around today, I notice society has become weak and carries many attributes I despise. My philosophy is that I do not want what others have, so I must not aspire to or follow others’ actions.
The quote “To be exceptional, you must first be an exception,” perfectly encapsulates my philosophy regarding following others or traditional paths. I believe a successful life is neither easy nor defined solely by wealth. Instead, working hard and reaching amazing feats in all aspects of life creates success. I will major in business to start my own business focused on helping other high-performing individuals succeed. My determination to succeed has driven me to self-improvement books and podcasts. In the pursuit of creating the best version of myself, I have recognized the lack of resources assisting high-performing individuals like me. While unsure about which domain, I want to develop a product to help these individuals. Whether a fitness supplement or software for small businesses, I aspire to assist others like me.
Beginning a business will provide an outlet to invest my time and energy into while yielding clear, tangible results. Since I believe a successful life is defined by hard work and who I become over time, I am ready for countless late nights, early mornings, and stressful days. I have already taken action by teaching myself Python programming to enhance my technological skills and trading in the stock market to improve my financial skills. I am in the initial stages of developing an app, but I plan to dedicate more time to it when summer comes. As an avid runner who enjoys being active, I will couple my passion with my extensive running knowledge to build an app that creates training calendars for other athletes. When I became serious about running, I had to research independently as I lacked a knowledgeable coach to create a plan. My app will save other athletes from researching and making their plans by allowing them to input their goals and current times into artificial intelligence to create a comprehensive training plan tailored to each athlete’s needs.
While I aim to acquire a formal classroom education while at school, I am most excited about the countless opportunities that accompany college. The University of Chicago is one of America’s most prestigious universities, known for fostering intellectual curiosity and attracting incredible individuals. I am thrilled to connect with Nobel Laureate professors and world-class students because every opportunity or “big break” derives from a single connection. While everything in life involves a small amount of luck, the right connections minimize luck’s influence. These connections will be a significant factor in determining my future success with my entrepreneurial mindset, and college is likely where I will find business partners and lifelong friends. Apple would not have existed had Steve Jobs never connected with Steve Wozniak at UC-Los Angeles. The University of Chicago also boasts an exceptional entrepreneurial development program, with millions in grants that I aim to take advantage of. These two factors, combined with the lack of a full-time job, prove that the University of Chicago provides the optimal environment to begin and build a business.
The idea of creating an app that hundreds of athletes will utilize to achieve their dreams in and out of athletics thrills me. However, creating an app supporting these high-performing individuals is not the primary goal. I want to fulfill my potential and avoid a “normal” life, and an app will ensure I get to chase my goals and the best version of myself every single day.