Free Personal Growth Essay Sample

The purpose of this essay is to highlight the growth of my character within the world of academics and in my personal decisions. One of the major events in my life that I believe caused the most growth, as a result, is the process of making the decision and finally transitioning to Trinity High School instead of staying in my town’s school district. This came with various challenges that I had to face and overcome to be able to come to my final decision. This involved a comparison of what I wanted and what I was receiving versus what I could get and eventually got. What I had to think about were the positives and negatives that impact me academically and personally. Meaning, what I want and need out of my school, what specific moments made me realize I wanted this change, and what I could gain from it.

My previous school and Trinity have very different focuses as far as what they think is most important to the student. In my town, they prioritized the focus on building a student’s values instead of the academic side. They were more elective-based, constantly pushing for high elective credits. Therefore, taking away the importance of learning the core subjects and not installing college preparations. This kind of environment was not the right fit for me, as I enjoy more focus on academics and want to show that I am a good student. I also want to be in a place where I can succeed to my highest potential and be rewarded for my hard work which I felt I was not able to achieve at my previous school. One of the biggest factors in my final decision was when hundreds of failures in the school were simply raised to passing grades. Having received very high grades myself, that made me feel like my accomplishment had been diminished and it did not matter that I was working extremely hard because there were others that did nothing and still got rewarded. In comparison, I found that Trinity is more academic-based. The focus is on succeeding in core subjects and preparing for college in a positively enforced way. This area was a key point in my decision-making process. 

There were some other desires I wished for as a student that I was not receiving the best that I could. My previous school was about five times larger than Trinity in the size of the student body, which made teacher engagement slim to none, and most students only succeeded by asking for help from friends or tutors. Most of my teachers were not the most invested in the needs of their students, they often were only available to answer one or two questions even if it was during the school day and they were not doing anything. I found it difficult on occasion to contact them through email due to most not responding for days, which made it difficult if there was a question about an assignment. This would sometimes make it very difficult for me to succeed because I would have to figure things out on my own which made some of my grades not always reflect the way I was working, which made me feel very isolated.  At Trinity, I have had good luck with my teachers and they have all been very supportive of me and my education. I have been able to easily get in contact with them and get the help I need when I need it. This was huge for me because I gained so much success and became not afraid to ask for help because I know that I can get the help I need. This made me grow in confidence that I was going to be able to get something in return for my questions as well as grow the relationships I have with my teachers.

Even though there were many clear-cut reasons to support my decision to transfer, it was not a no-brainer for me, I also had to think about what I was going into and what I would lose. I originally was resistant to the idea of change because I would be leaving what I have known my entire school career. I would have to make all new friends without knowing anyone. I would have to adjust to a small school environment that was Catholic and I do not have a religious background. Also, I was coming into Trinity as a sophomore which made it more difficult because I did not get the same freshman year as everyone else in my class and everyone already knew each other. All of this change would force me to step out of my comfort zone which I had previously tried not to do very much. This ended up having such a positive impact on me and it was not as big an element of stress as I thought it would be. I found I was able to succeed in these areas of potential struggle within the first few weeks of the school year, which allowed me to build confidence and character. 

Through the contemplation of these various points of comparison, I ultimately decided to transfer to Trinity and I was able to make the decision on my own and in my own time. Even though my parents wanted me to transfer at the beginning of high school, they allowed me to have freshman year in my previous school and come to the conclusion on my own if this change was appropriate for me. Therefore, by not pushing me and making the decision for me, my parents allowed me to grow and become more independent. They knew I was capable of knowing myself and how I could succeed and be prepared in a new learning environment. Going through this change allowed me growth in all aspects of my character such as in academics, confidence, independence, and relationships.