my college essay

College Essay
Throughout my years of high school I was never the smartest person in the room, being always surrounded by academic geniuses, words don't describe how difficult it was trying to keep up while being a multi-sport athlete. Taking the most demanding math class at the school in calculus bc meant more than Ap credits or some sort of academic benefit. It was a personal testament to myself. I knew if I could handle all my academic pressure alongside my athletics, it would prove anything is possible and anything in this world is not out of reach.
Walking into that class on the first day, I knew many of my peers alongside me at the time wouldn't be here by the end. I used to be one of those people. I always chose the easy way out, loved to take shortcuts, it was just who I was. Even today I’m not perfect, I still have these lazy tendencies, but I learned a valuable lesson from my past experiences. “To put forth effort and see a goal through to the end”. No matter how dreadful the path to your goals may seem, if you put in effort in addition to not quitting, you will never have that regret. The worst feeling to me is regret, because we only live once I want the cards that life dealt me to their fullest, which is why I didn't give myself the option to quit. In my calculus class, I sat in a corner surrounded by the top students in the class (school). The individual who sat in front of me was ranked first in academics in the school; because of this the days after exams we always saw each other’s results. While I put in late nights of homework and studying after an evening of athletics, I would walk into class and be greeted with many times a B/C on my exams, as opposed to the near perfect score the individuals around me would get. Nobody might admit saying it, but it hurts lagging behind. For a long time I was mad, I wanted to be the best. Not just on the court, but in all facets of my life. This was my story for the entirety of calculus. Whether or not I could even pass the AP exam lingered through the entirety of every lesson, I hadn’t yet pass an Ap at this point in time what makes me think I’m going to pass calculus bc, dubbed the hardest Ap in the school. It was all too much for me, there were points where I wanted to quit, I couldn’t walk home with a D on my transcript. Being the son of immigrants the pressure placed on us to strive for success has always been unimaginably high. I had to do something; I couldn’t keep going on like this. I decided to bet on myself when nobody would. Nobody thought I was going to pass the AP Exam not even myself. But that never stopped me from trying. I gave it my all. Where one would fall, I traversed. I knew what regret felt like, and never wanted to experience that cold feeling again. I taught myself self-discipline, better study habits, and made a never-ending search for tips and tricks. Taking these grueling courses not only served to educate me, but also built me up as an individual, I learned to adapt and grow. I had to take a step back and look at myself for who I was versus who I wanted to be, changing was the easiest part. Finding what exactly to change was the hardest art.
I’m blessed to be in the position I am. I learned how to believe in myself, to never give in and fold, as well as not judge a plan by its takeoff, because who knows where you could one day land.