As I sat listening to the proctor say, “This test will determine your future,” I plotted my escape from this trap. I didn’t care that so many family members were alumni—I didn’t want to go to this school. My friends weren’t coming here, and frankly, I thought I was too smart for this school. My plan, then? To fail the entrance exam. 

I’ve always been a straight A student. I came up with a strategy which followed as: reading the question, finding the right answer, and bubbling in the wrong one. I believed this would be the perfect way to get rejected. As the test went on, I turned to my favorite section: math. My bubbling-in-the-wrong-answers strategy continued, but I thought to myself: I love math, and I feel stupid getting this section wrong. 

I went back and erased my answers for this section. I had 23 minutes left. As I worked through the remainder of the section, I realized that I was making a mistake. I envisioned my parents opening the rejection letter. I felt the disappointment. I was better than this. For the last section, science, I tried my best. I read every question thoroughly and made sure to bubble in the right answer. As I walked into my mother’s car, she asked, “how do you think you did?” I told her I thought I did ok because it was really hard. Of course, I lied. How could I explain to my mother what I had done? 

My plan backfired. Yes I was accepted, but because of my failure in the early sections of the entrance exam, I was placed in the lowest level classes as a freshman. I even had to go to summer school. It was in this moment that I determined to reach the top academic level at the school. By my sophomore year, I’d leveled-up to the “regular” classes. Then, my schedule junior and senior year was composed almost exclusively with Honors and Advanced Placement classes. I understood my mistake, and spent the better part of the next three years making amends—not for my parents, for me. 

I know there will be more tests for me to take in the future. And some of those tests will be for things I don’t want to be involved in. I learned from this experience that being motivated to gain what you truly deserve is important in life and it has shaped me into the person I am today. I stand up for myself and work hard until I feel I have gained what I deserve.

I feel that I am ready to tackle the next challenge in my life, which is continuing my education at an institution that will bring out the best in me. I believe the University of Florida is that institution. While there are many choices available to me, I have chosen to not make the same mistake again. I will accept nothing but the best when selecting where I will continue my education and use the skills I’ve developed, not only to be a professional, but a contributing member to society. I welcome the opportunity and challenge to be a student at the University of Florida.