example essay

I am going on my third time around for college. I have had some crazy experiences with school. It was difficult to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up because there have been many professions that interested me and when I finally thought I figured it out something went wrong. I finally realized if I waited until I grew up to go to college I would never make it.

I went to college directly out of high school for dental assisting. I wanted to get into the hygiene program but it was completely full so I thought I would go for assisting and continue on after that. I really enjoyed my classes and was doing really well except for my biology class. I struggled in biology, I always have. My advisor said that I needed to get that grade up or I wouldn’t be able to go to the hygiene program. I continued to try but I kept struggling and manage to get a D in the class and a B in the lab. All my dental programs I received A’s and B’s and was really happy with my grades overall. I thought my advisor would notice that I did really well in my dental so I could also do well in the hygiene program. Well, I was wrong when I showed her my grades she said to me that I wasn’t smart enough for the hygiene program and I just wouldn’t cut it. I was devastated of course because I was all set and ready to move on and at that moment I knew I had no chance. My mother went in and talked to my advisor and she said the same thing to my mom and my mom had a few things to say to her. I was so upset with everything that I said forget this I am not going to waste my money on dental assisting if it isn’t even what I wanted to be. Be young and dramatic I just quit and decided to take time off. Looking back I don’t know why I didn’t try to prove my advisor wrong and keep going and trying to get in but I didn’t want to find out I wasted my time. I gave up school for awhile and worked at a bank until my next opportunity came along.

My next bright idea was to go to school for medical transcription. I wanted to make some good money fast so I didn’t do my research on the school I chose, that was a big mistake. I chose this school because it was less then a year and you could become a transcription and make decent money. I figured I would go to school for the next few months and then find a job being a transcriptionist at home. I had it all planned out and it seemed like it was going to work out just fine. The school was great at first, we had one teacher teaching us the whole time and she was wonderful she had a lot of knowledge on transcribing. A month goes by and she all of a sudden doesn’t come back to class so we had a substitute who knew nothing about transcription she was just reading from a book. We had her for a few weeks and then we switched teachers again and boy was she was a little off her rocker. It was the strangest situation she would yell at students about the silliest things she made one student cry and leave the room. When the student came back she brought the head of the program down to our classroom to talk to the teacher about what just happened. Instead of going someplace private to discuss the matter they stood in front of the class and yelled back and forth. The student said this is very unprofessional and she demanded her money back. I don’t know why I didn’t do the same, what was I thinking? No wait I know what I was thinking I was thinking Melody you are not going to drop out of this school like the first time so if you can make it through the next few months you will have a great paying job at home. It never turned out the way I planned; instead I walked away with nothing. I knew the next time I went to school it would be the last time.

It has taken me awhile to come to the conclusion I would be going back to college. I have been working with children with autism for eight years now and enjoy every minute of it. This job is what really pushed me in the direction of pursuing education that is how I ended up here. I have been taking classes here and there for about two years now and just recently applied. I have taken mostly education class and found them very interesting. This time is different I am very motivated and passionate about my major so I am here for the long haul.

Looking back on my experiences with school I know I wasn’t ready. Sometimes I wish I was ready back then because it would be much easier when I was first out of high school. I didn’t have a house, bills to worry about a husband or three kids but I am grateful for the opportunity now. I am not only doing this for me but I am doing it for my family. And don’t they say third times a charm?