High school is a strange time. After three years of trying to develop identity andfriends in middle school, students are expected to mature immediately on the firstday of ninth grade, but I never did this. I never fully realized in the earlier grades howimportant high school success, as measured by GPA, would be to my future life,and as a result I am applying to college with seemingly contradictory measures ofmy ability to perform college-level work. If I had worked and studied hard rather thanhanging out with friends and viewing high school as an opportunity to socialize, Iwould not have to apply to school with a 1200 SAT and a 2.5 GPA. Had I taken mygrades in my earlier years seriously, I could have been a college's dream candidate.This year I have made an earnest effort to improve my work ethic. My grade pointaverage is rising and my study habits are improving. However, after performingpoorly for three years, my GPA cannot reflect the transformation I underwent at thestart of this year. Dedicated to making something of myself, I finally matured andam now trying to lessen the consequences of my past actions. Armed with my newattitude and my understanding of the extreme importance of earning good grades tosignal my capacity to work responsibly, I assure you that I will never revert to thestudent I once was. In retrospect, I believe that it was my inability to choose my classes that resulted inmy lack of enthusiasm on the ride to school each morning. I enjoy the freedom topursue my own interests and anxiously anticipate the ability to choose my ownclass schedule in college. While I understand that college will be significantly morechallenging than high school, I have always found it easier to study for a class thatinterests me. I am also willing to accept the fact that as long as I am in school, I willbe forced to take required courses that I might be less than enthusiastic about.However, with my new goal-oriented nature, I will reali...
