Student story: Admissions essay about a past mistake
About this video
A student explains that she wrote her college essay about a mistake that got her removed from her high school. She described adjusting to a new school, keeping her grades up, and difficulties with her parents, then explained how she overcame these obstacles and grew as a person.
You'll be able to
- explain how an essay about a mistake can focus on growth.
- describe the structure: the obstacles, then how they were overcome.
Key words
- Hardship
- A difficult situation that is hard to deal with.
- Obstacle
- Something that blocks your progress and must be overcome.
Transcript
- What I wrote about in my essay was a hardship, I had made a mistake in high school and because of that mistake, I had to, I was kicked out of that high school and I had to attend a different high school in a whole new environment, a whole set of new faces. I had to stay out of trouble and keep up my grades.
I did that, but in that time period I was having trouble with my parents as well. So in my college application I just highlighted the obstacles and the difficulties. And then I explained how I overcame them and how that made me a better person and who I am today.
That was essentially my essay in more or less terms.
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