Never Settle for Less
Taylor Thompson
Katz-1
College Essay
Never Settle for Less
Most people underestimate the power of a high school diploma in todays society. If a graduate and a dropout applied for the same job who do you think would be more likely to get it? Most likely the graduate; even if it was a GED versus a high school diploma, the diploma would definitely have a bigger impact on the employer. In my opinion the GED and the high school student are of equal potential, but that also means that the GED student could have trucked on through high school instead of taking the easy road out. Education and career options become slimmer, not to mention you’re not really showing your true value.
I want to graduate high school because I know I can. Not because I think that it will make life easier for me, or because it will look better for schools or work. I’m doing it for personal accomplishment. I don’t have to prove to anyone else what I’m capable of because I know. I know how far to push myself and I know what comes first in my life. Unfortunately a major priority in my life hasn’t been school but I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. I have been forced to go to school for more than 12 years. Don’t get me wrong, I love to learn. I just want to to learn what I want to learn about, not what the state or the teachers or to anyone else’s standards. An independent study is what I would prefer. I feel as if grades don’t reflect my intelligence.
These past three years I have passed all of my classes with average grades but junior year is when I started to fall behind. Personal issues took control of my life and overall I stopped worrying about school. I cared about the consequences but I didn’t care to show up. Approximately 120 classes I was absent for during my junior year and eventually teachers, friends even my mother didn’t even expect me to show up anymore. Assignments weren’t easy to catch up on when I had so many to make up for at once. I ended up dropping two AP classes first semester, one being AP English. I was really disappointed in myself for giving up on goals I had set for myself.
After dropping the AP course I was assigned a new teacher. So during second semester Mr. Ryan was my english 11 teacher. Mr. Ryan insisted that we must not be absent for his class unless we are extremely ill and in the hospital. This was a bigger problem for me than most other students. I am not a morning person and his rule scared me. There was my history of frequent first period absences. Instead of pushing myself to make it to class everyday, I definitely missed it about twenty times. Fearing the consequences, I would go out of my way about every week to meet with him outside of class and make sure that I still had a chance to pass his class. Although there were stipulations he was pretty flexible with changing things for me to be able to turn in late assignments and pass his class.
Second semester my absences still controlled my student life and I ended up barely getting by, aside from dropping another class. The only reason I went through the trouble to get my assignments in was because my english teacher proved to me that the entire school (staff, mostly) isn’t all about the same ideas. He actually showed compassion and became a positive influence to my education. I passed his class even when I least deserved it.
Here I am, first semester of Senior year and I am not on track to graduate. I plan on graduating and I have prepared the steps to get me there. My counselor has worked it out with me to earn two credits of work experience and then finish two credits with our online classes program. In order for this plan to be successful I really have to keep my work up for the rest of the year. The school work isn’t as much of a problem as school attendance. The mornings I have trouble getting on my way to school, I will just remind myself of what I am determined to accomplish, which is merely graduation.
Early June 2013, walking across the stage in Randall Stadium, a Wilsonville High school diploma to be mine: it may seem like an average accomplishment to you but personally, I couldn’t ask for a better scenario. My father says that if I graduate he will drive up from Southern California just to see me walk. A simple appearance is unbelievably motivating for me to reach my goals. I know that I can catch up on credits, push through this year and graduate. I don’t even want to consider the option settling for a GED or having to go through another year of high school, which clearly isn’t my favorite place to be.
