My Second Chance Won't Be Missed Admission Essay

When I was a young child, I was considered to be weak because my health was very poor. I was always told that my priority should be to become as healthy and strong as the other children; as a result, I used it as an excuse to not try as hard as I could have done. I always knew myself to be a bright child but managed to convince myself that because I was so weak, I was unable to work as hard as I could have done. That said, I always wanted to strive for me after watching my Father work in a local factory for twenty years. I saw how he struggled on after losing his fingers in a freak accident at work but he was still incredibly strong and would do absolutely anything for his children. He always told me that I could be an excellent student, if only I were to be given the incentive to do so and seeing his efforts made me realise that I too could be stronger.
Eventually, I lost my weakness and worked hard to become stronger than most. As I shed my shy, childish skin, I realised that there was fun to be had in life and so began spending a lot of time with my friends, again instead of studying. However, I quickly realised that life is hard and society is a jungle and I wanted to be armed with intellect and ability in order to survive. So, I decided to go to University. I began to prepare for my application and found that I was already behind my peers but I was determined to make my Father proud by being the excellent student he always said I could be. I stopped wasting time on frivolous activities and started to prioritise my education.
I was born and raised in Korea, and in order to attain a place at University, I had to pass a number of entrance exams: I was placed second in my class, much to everyone’s surprise – including my own! I realised my potential and began to work harder than I had ever worked before because I was spurred on by my own self-belief and the support of my friends and family. However, as pleased as I was with my results, I also felt ashamed that I hadn’t tried harder before because I am certain that If I had, I would have achieved an even higher score than that. It is very important to me to make my Father proud as he has been such a big influence in my life and has helped me to change my attitude towards studying.
If I had my second chance at things, I would study harder and not hide behind meaningless excuses for why I wasn’t trying hard enough. When I reflect on my earlier life, I realise that I was silly to not push myself to work harder – I used my physical weakness as an excuse to be mentally weak too. Seeing how proud I made my parents through the work I’ve done to get into University, it has made me want to carry on and continue making them proud of me. In addition to this, my parents have given me the opportunity to become all that I want to be by helping me to move to America two years ago. Since my arrival, I have worked hard to learn English and have rarely spoken my native language: I’ve taken every opportunity to study and improve myself, including attending workshops for people who speak English as their second language. I feel as though I am lucky enough to already be living my second chance as I have realised the error in my ways and I am dedicated to changing them and making the absolute most that I can of this second chance that life has given me. I set my sights on entering Purdue University quite some time ago, and I see it as my second chance – my opportunity to correct my past mistakes and to be the best that I can be. I am excited to be living my second chance.