Scholarship Essays for College Admissions

In my junior year of high school, my parents gave me terrible news: we were moving from our town in Indiana to Schaumburg, Illinois. I fought, begged, and pleaded with my parents in numerous attempts to stay in my hometown rather than move over seventy miles away to a different state. Still, nothing I did could change their minds, so Schaumburg became my new place of residence. To me, nothing good could come of moving to a different state, and I felt that it was a mistake from the start; however, over time, I saw where the real mistake lay.

I went into the trans-state move with a closed mind. To me, there was no place on Earth better than my hometown in Indiana. My lifelong friends were there and I was familiar and comfortable with my surroundings. I knew that I was going to hate Schaumburg, and I thought that if I constantly expressed my dislike for the town, my parents would realize that moving back to Indiana was imperative. So, for the first few months, I sulked. I whined and complained about everything at my new school. I made lots of friends right off but never wanted to hang out with them on weekends; instead, I would make the hour and a half drive back to my hometown to see my old friends. Instead of making an effort to hang out with new friends, I spent all of my time talking to old ones on the phone. I was completely unhappy and I knew something had to be done, or I would remain miserable in Schaumburg.

As time went on, I became more open-minded about my new area. I stopped driving to Indiana every weekend and instead made plans with new friends. Now I visit my old area about once every two months or so, and I’ve found that I can have friends in both Illinois and Indiana. In fact, the move to Schaumburg has made me more open to change than I ever was before. I see now that my mistake was being so negative about coming to a new area. Had I tried more at the beginning to befriend people, I probably could have had an easier transition. Through this mistake, I’ve discovered how much I love the town of Schaumburg and all of the new friends I’ve made. I’ve also discovered a great deal about myself: I am strong and resilient, and I can thrive in any area as long as I adjust myself to change. I’m thankful that I have taken so many lessons from this life-changing experience. Through this discovery, I have learned that I can adapt to changes in my life, even if the situation is beyond my control.