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Taking It One Step at a Time

So it’s down to those last days before the application deadlines for colleges — most applications are due Nov. 30. Actually, applications should be in way before then, because the filing period began on the first of this month. Unlike others at my school who began on their personal statements in the beginning of summer, I waited until the start of school to start to ponder about what I should write. Then the stress came on full force as time passed faster and faster and the due date approached.

The personal statement is supposed to distinguish you from others, either making or breaking you when it comes down to those final determining points of your admittance. While keeping one’s statement short, sweet and concise, one has to sell oneself — hard. The topics given are so vague that it’s hard to start unless you really have something that has drastically changed your life. In the application book, it says the university uses the statement to learn more about you as an individual — your talents, experiences, achievements and points of view. Okay, that gives me a little bit of a better picture. My counselor showed me some previous personal statements to indicate what to do and what not to do. One example I read left me in awe. It was centered around a girl’s best friend who died in a drive-by shooting while just standing outside on the street for the bus.

So, I had to conjure up some ideas on what to write about. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. I thought about my passions, what drove me and what makes me different from every other person. Lo and behold, I figured it out. My passion for writing. I decided to use a cliché I’ve heard before but mold it into my own words.

I was discussing with my friend Brianne about life’s tribulations and how many burdens surrounded us: Staying up late nights to catch up with schoolwork, multiple extracurricular activities and trying to use a better method of time management while worrying about college applications were just a few on the list. So taking a deep breath, listening to the relaxing tunes of Norah Jones on my discman, I venture forth, taking everything one step at a time. Soon, the whole college application process will be out of the way, so we can be stress free, relieved and overjoyed with happiness. Maybe that was a little exaggerated, but you get the point. For those out there who are dealing with the same time and college crunch, I wish the best of luck to you too.