Why I Chose College
It had always been a dream of mine to go to college, but until my junior year of high school, that dream sounded as realistic as being a princess or a pirate. Money has never been plentiful in my life, but I did not let that stop me from wanting to go to college and make something of myself. I wanted to rise above the complications in my life so that I could become a better and more secure person from them. By taking a leap of faith and applying myself to the college of my choice, I put that dream into action, despite the odds being against me with hectic home life, unsupportive family, and financial instability. For a long time, college seemed to be more of an unattainable goal rather than a reality that could be mine. My family was constantly
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moving around, so my life was not structured; it was hard to focus on the possibility of the future when the present was so confusing, and it only got worse as time went on. My parents were often unable to afford to keep us in one place for long, and my father was always losing or quitting jobs. Eventually, it came to light that my father had been embezzling money from multiple employers, and hid it by quitting and moving us to a new city or state. My mom had begun to suspect something strange was going on, but we did not really discover the extent of what he had been doing until after he was gone; one day, after we had been evicted from our most recent home, he left for work and never came back. At the time, we were staying at a motel with nothing but one luggage case with some clothes and our dog. My father had complete control of our family’s finances and had wiped the accounts clean, along with selling everything that we owned. This and the fact that he forbade my mom from ever having a job or opening a bank account of her own meant we were completely dependent on him. Alone in an unfamiliar area with no money, my mom was forced to ask for help from her estranged brother, who she had not kept contact with as my father was also restrictive of who she could talk to. My dad left us during my freshman year of high school, and it has been mostly just my mom and myself ever since. Despite my mom having many siblings, most are unsupportive and tend to be more judgmental of our situation than understanding. During my junior year of high school, my mom was arrested for crimes committed by my father while they had still been married. Legally, they could not do this, but she was still taken into custody and held in jail in another state for close to a month before being released as not guilty. While all of this was happening, my mom’s family, instead of being supportive, told me that she would be found guilty and imprisoned. My uncle, who we had been living with, suggested I move out and find a new place to live, despite only being 17. Additionally, I was forced to pay my mom’s bills in her stead, as my relatives were unwilling to provide any financial help. Luckily, I had a job as a waitress nearby, or I would not have been able to survive. My dad’s family has been even less supportive, as they actively avoid contacting me, and they may be helping my father hide from law enforcement. It was under a year ago that my mom was able to move out of her brother’s home and buy a house of her own. She currently makes less than $30,000 per year, and is living pay check to pay check to keep herself afloat. By attending an accredited university and obtaining a Master of Arts in Political Science, I will be able to have a life that my mom and I were able to with my controlling father, who left behind a web of financial issues with us when he disappeared.
My goal is to have a job that I am passionate about that will also help me be financially stable and independent. As of now, I am only able to attend college because I have received a decent amount of federal aid, but approximately one-third of the aid I have received is from loans that will only accumulate in the years to come. Even with the loans and other financial aid, I am struggling to pay off my bill each semester while also trying to save up for my future. So far, college has been the most enriching experience of my life, and I cannot imagine what I would be doing if I chose not to attend. It has opened my eyes to new perspectives and knowledge that I may not have had otherwise; if I had to drop out for any reason, especially financial, I would be devastated, as I have already rooted myself in the culture and potential that it has to offer me. I am excelling so far, and was awarded for being in the Dean’s List for my first semester, and intend to continue achieving all that I can in my time here. I am committed to the major I have chosen, and intend to work in government so that I may dedicate my life and expertise to creating a fairer and just
community. The issues I have faced in my life have had a tremendous impact on the goals and aspirations I have set for my future. It has been hard to survive financially and emotionally with the family I was born into, but I have decided to grow from my experiences rather than let them inhibit me. The financial aid I could potentially receive from this opportunity would make my college experience even more beneficial and a guaranteed success in my life; a success that I would proudly know what achieved despite the roadblocks and despite the odds.
moving around, so my life was not structured; it was hard to focus on the possibility of the future when the present was so confusing, and it only got worse as time went on. My parents were often unable to afford to keep us in one place for long, and my father was always losing or quitting jobs. Eventually, it came to light that my father had been embezzling money from multiple employers, and hid it by quitting and moving us to a new city or state. My mom had begun to suspect something strange was going on, but we did not really discover the extent of what he had been doing until after he was gone; one day, after we had been evicted from our most recent home, he left for work and never came back. At the time, we were staying at a motel with nothing but one luggage case with some clothes and our dog. My father had complete control of our family’s finances and had wiped the accounts clean, along with selling everything that we owned. This and the fact that he forbade my mom from ever having a job or opening a bank account of her own meant we were completely dependent on him. Alone in an unfamiliar area with no money, my mom was forced to ask for help from her estranged brother, who she had not kept contact with as my father was also restrictive of who she could talk to. My dad left us during my freshman year of high school, and it has been mostly just my mom and myself ever since. Despite my mom having many siblings, most are unsupportive and tend to be more judgmental of our situation than understanding. During my junior year of high school, my mom was arrested for crimes committed by my father while they had still been married. Legally, they could not do this, but she was still taken into custody and held in jail in another state for close to a month before being released as not guilty. While all of this was happening, my mom’s family, instead of being supportive, told me that she would be found guilty and imprisoned. My uncle, who we had been living with, suggested I move out and find a new place to live, despite only being 17. Additionally, I was forced to pay my mom’s bills in her stead, as my relatives were unwilling to provide any financial help. Luckily, I had a job as a waitress nearby, or I would not have been able to survive. My dad’s family has been even less supportive, as they actively avoid contacting me, and they may be helping my father hide from law enforcement. It was under a year ago that my mom was able to move out of her brother’s home and buy a house of her own. She currently makes less than $30,000 per year, and is living pay check to pay check to keep herself afloat. By attending an accredited university and obtaining a Master of Arts in Political Science, I will be able to have a life that my mom and I were able to with my controlling father, who left behind a web of financial issues with us when he disappeared.
My goal is to have a job that I am passionate about that will also help me be financially stable and independent. As of now, I am only able to attend college because I have received a decent amount of federal aid, but approximately one-third of the aid I have received is from loans that will only accumulate in the years to come. Even with the loans and other financial aid, I am struggling to pay off my bill each semester while also trying to save up for my future. So far, college has been the most enriching experience of my life, and I cannot imagine what I would be doing if I chose not to attend. It has opened my eyes to new perspectives and knowledge that I may not have had otherwise; if I had to drop out for any reason, especially financial, I would be devastated, as I have already rooted myself in the culture and potential that it has to offer me. I am excelling so far, and was awarded for being in the Dean’s List for my first semester, and intend to continue achieving all that I can in my time here. I am committed to the major I have chosen, and intend to work in government so that I may dedicate my life and expertise to creating a fairer and just
community. The issues I have faced in my life have had a tremendous impact on the goals and aspirations I have set for my future. It has been hard to survive financially and emotionally with the family I was born into, but I have decided to grow from my experiences rather than let them inhibit me. The financial aid I could potentially receive from this opportunity would make my college experience even more beneficial and a guaranteed success in my life; a success that I would proudly know what achieved despite the roadblocks and despite the odds.