Suddenly, “college admission” wiped out “Saturday sleepovers”, “summer camp”, and “movie on Fridays”. Instead, the routines of our lives are replaced with “2 p.m test cram, I can’t afford to get a B”, “after school track practice, I have to break 6 minutes”, “debate team tournament on Wednesday, I am have to improve my win-loss record”, and “come up with a essay analyzing values of the author at 11 p.m, I need to get A”. Suddenly, the meaning of sports changed, instead of “nice job”, or “good effort” our coach used to say in little league or soccer, Varsity soccer, Varsity Football, Varsity Field Hockey is now “competition of the elite”, “tryouts that takes only top 15 person”, “today, practice is until 7 p.m”. Suddenly, our hobbies was no longer something that we like to do, now, “Mock Trial is good for college”, “varsity basketball will make me a well-rounded person”, “I have to be the president of Club East because I need some leadership skills”.
So everything starts to pile up. So the little things, big things, the things that you didn’t take notice before, every single priorities, all of the tasks that you have to accomplish, starts to take you apart, break you down, degenerating you. Yet, You try so hard, yet, I try so hard, yet he try so hard, yet she try so hard, but we all knew that life is already dried up, dried up of hope, dried up of any motivation, and dried up of any love. So everything falls apart, I fall apart, you fall apart, he falls apart, she falls apart …
“Turn down the music, you know that you’ve done nothing today … do your homework” said our parents,
“What happened, you used to get A’s before, what’s this C about? “ said our friends,
“Young man, I don’t think you see the significance, if you have 2 more absences, you will L.C this class” said our teachers,
“Take this AP class, don’t you want to major in biology?” said our couselor,
“Only 3.58, you know, that’s hard to get into Duke” said our annoying relatives at Thanksgiving,
“Unacceptable, you need to improve your verbal score, or else you’ll never reach 1450 on SAT”.
Yes, I am “B” student”, yes I’ll never get Harvard. Yes, all of you are right about everything. But please give me some credit. It’s not like I don’t try. But please, give me a complement. It’s not like life is easy. It’s not everyone gets into ivy-league colleges. But please, comfort me and pick me up because I am falling. OK, I got a B in English, but it’s 89.9%. OK, I am not the 5% in my chemistry class, but I pay attention and always do my homework.
Yet, no body listens. No body cares. And right now, I don’t care either. I don’t care about your “colleges”. I don’t care your “1450 SAT scores”. I don’t care about your “extra-curricular” activities. I don’t care about your “4.85 weighted GPA”. No, I will not turn down the music. No, I won’t take AP Calculus because I never wanted to be a mathematician. No, I won’t and never will get that “4.0” on that report card. No, I can’t finish the science project yesterday at 3 a.m because I am not a superman.
Yes, I got a 1230 on the SAT. So? In the real world, they don’t care whether you can tell the analogy between “belabored” or “narcissistic”. Yes, I am getting a “C” in Pre-Calc, so, Mrs.Brashvanu? Conic section or trigonometric function equals “crap” when I win my World Series. Yes, I am “procrastinator” and I can’t manage my time right, after all I only doubling up in science, taking a couple of AP classes, in about 50% of the school’s clubs. Maybe, I should cut my sleep time from 3 hours per day to only 20 minutes, sure would increase my efficiency.
I am just … me.
Yes, I am me. I decide my future. I am me. Don’t tell me what to do. I am me and I always try my best. I am me and I always give my 110% effort. I am me and, I will succeed. Don’t tell me that I am lazy and that I’ll never get into a college because I am just like you, I will and I can.
