English 1 Essay 1 The Chance To Turn Over A New Leaf

Valerie Rueda 

Professor Rowley

English 1 

02 June 2014

The Chance To Turn Over A New Leaf

In life, everyone desires the alluring start of a new chapter. What better place to start fresh than college? College had so much to offer me from a new school to a new environment, new people, and teachers. College also gave me more freedom in life. Some college kids opt to move out and have complete freedom from their parents; others like me, stay home and attend college, but still obtain some of the benefits. This newfound freedom, in turn, has made me more responsible and mature. College is setting me up for my future and preparing me for what I want to be in life. I am able to study and do what I love, which is Art. I will be able to earn my Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree and have a career that I will enjoy for the rest of my life. It is giving me the chance to start fresh and turn over a new leaf. 

High school was easy, but instead of studying I was more focused on hanging out with friends, who I no longer talk to any more, and having fun. I would joke around and not pay attention in class at all. I ignored all my homework and responsibilities, this came to hurt my high school education in the long run. It made my junior year hell because I had to catch up with credits in order for me to walk the stage or even graduate on time with my fellow classmates. Throughout high school I told myself that I would go to a community college because it would be easier and cheaper, but if I had know what I did senior year everything would be different. Senior year I realized that I was perfectly capable of achieving good grades and that I qualified for financial aid, therefore I would have been able to afford a four year college. If I would have just applied myself all throughout high school and taken my academics seriously, I know that I would have been accepted into a UC or USC and not stuck at a community college. I would have strived for good grades in order to get accepted into a good school like all my wiser classmates did. Instead, I thought of myself as incapable of doing such great things. I now realize that I was completely capable of achieving the goal of going to a great school with an amazing art program, but I just did not believe in myself. 

Going to college is the only option I have in order for me to be successful in life. I don’t want to work a minimum wage job for the rest of my life or work somewhere I hate. I want to make my parents proud and succeed in life and live the life they want me to. To be able to raise my children the way they wish they could have raised my siblings and I. Unlike my parents I do not want to live my life paycheck to paycheck. I want to be financially secure and stable. Even though school has not always been my forte, it is the path that I chose in order for me to live a better life. I want to be the first person from my family to go to college and graduate with a degree. I want to show all the friends and family that doubt me that I can make something out of myself and that I am not a dead beat, with no life ahead of me, like some of my siblings. I want to make my parents proud of me one day, and for them to see their child walk across the stage and receive a degree. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to major in, but it came to me eventually. I put school first before friends and fun, by not going out and focusing on my studies. I made sure to remember this is the first and most important rule. I noticed that I actually did well in all my classes as long as I put my mind to it and had my priorities straight. In turn I received A’s and B’s at the end of the semesters. I also, did not let anything or anyone discourage me from succeeding in getting a higher education. 

College gave me fresh start to change my life. In high school, I failed to see the importance of college and it was not until graduation that I realized that college was the key to success. Therefore, attending college allowed me to turn over a new leaf. A new school offered me many new things. The first being a new environment with new teachers, where I could establish myself as a good student and diligent worker. Where as in high school I was a terrible student and did the bare minimum to pass a class. Secondly, there were new people where I did not know anyone and no one knew me. It gave me the chance to reinvent myself from the dorky, shy girl no one talked to into the confident woman I was always meant to be without all of the judgement of high school peers. Lastly, not knowing anyone was the greatest feeling because I did not and do not have to forcibly interact with others and I can focus more on class and getting work done without distractions. In high school I was constantly distracted by class mates and friends, therefore never succeeding in my academics.  

Along with college came many different freedoms. I am completely responsible for myself and do not have to ask for permission for anything. I pay for everything myself and do not ask my parents for any money at all. If I want something I have to earn my own money. I do not rely on my parents for much besides them providing a roof over my head. When I turned 18 I no longer had to ask for permission to go where ever I wanted, or check in with them. They consider me an adult and know that I am a responsible person, therefore they do not treat me like a child anymore. I am also able to choose what I want to study and major in. At first when I was younger my parents wanted to dictate my decision in what to major in. They wanted me to become a nurse, at first I said yes and allowed them to convince me that, that was what I wanted to do. In senior year of high school after taking an art class I realized that that was no longer what I wanted major in. My parents were completely supportive of my decision after seeing my art and what I am capable of creating when I draw. I get to choose what classes I like best and which ones I would like to attend. I also am able to organize my own schedule according to my liking and convenience. 

Above all, college is preparing me for my future and the life ahead of me. College is allowing me to grow, to change, and is giving me the opportunity to become the person I want to be by turning over a new leaf. Throughout college I will be studying and taking classes to earn my Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree. The degree is the key to my success, getting the job I want and working in the career I love. Which is to be able to sell my drawings professionally to those who love my work and to those who want to use it for their companies. My dream is to be hired at a company where I get paid to draw and create beautiful works of art for others. I am setting up the course in my life to do greater things past college. College is allowing me to expand and learn new things as well as build my network with people who love to do the same things as I and can help my career in the future. It is the best decision I have made in life and I am determined to succeed.