The Analysis of the University of Texas Austin - Essay Example

I started my career at Texas A&M International University, before transferring to the Laredo Community College for a year, before landing this year at the University of Texas at San Antonio. You might very fairly ask – why not start with the University of Texas at Austin? Why have I continually transferred back and forth between schools? Why do I want to be at the University of Texas at Austin now? There are several answers to these questions. The simplest answer is the last, why now? In the past year I have taken a very serious look at my post-secondary education, all the different schools I have gone to, and all the different experiences I have had.

One thing I realized was that something I did not have at any of the other schools was passion, and I realized that when I look at my graduation diploma for the rest of my life I want to experience a sense of pride, a sense of belonging, a sense of passion. And when I asked myself where I could get that sense of pride, where I could graduate from that I knew I would be happy with for the rest of my life, a series of images flashed through my head – images of Orange and White, of the football team I have always loved, of the school that has always been hanging around the back of my head.

These images were not the images of childhood or simply the glory of sport but augmented by what I know as an adult about the UT – the first-class education I could receive, the absolutely top-notch facilities, the faculty and staff with as much passion for their school as I have. And it became clear that I would not be satisfied graduating from any other school. Now one might wonder why it took me so long to come to this conclusion, and I think one answer is a lack of confidence. Though I have always loved UT Austin, I do not think before now I had ever had the confidence to apply.

I was strong academically as a high school student, a National Honor Society member with masses of volunteering experience and a proven ability to work in a wide variety of environments. But instead of going where I really wanted to, I went where I was sure I would get in, where I could be a big fish in a small pond, as it were. I did not want to apply to the school I really wanted to go to for fear of not getting it, for having my love for the school turn into resentment. I think I have now seen the error of my ways.

I look over what I did in high school, all the volunteering experience, my academic experience, and I think – I am a good student, I am a good person, I am involved, I can do this. I look over my academic record in the three schools I have attended since I left high school, and I think – I am a good student, I am a good person, I am involved, I can do this. And now, perhaps a little late, I am finally ready to take the dive, to take a risk to go to the school that I want, to stick my neck out for the chance of getting a degree from a school that I will be really happy with, a degree I will look back on with nothing but pride.

I do not want my post-secondary education to be a story of regret, of never trying. So I am trying. Thank you very much for your time and consideration, and I hope to come to add everything I can to your amazing school.