Outline:
I believe that true friendship will find everyone.
Talk about:
-Having good friends at home but then realizing that they aren’t actually that good.
-Only having one amazing friend at home and not really clicking the same way with anyone else
-Coming to college and finding 7 amazing friends that truly feel like family
Intro: briefly talk about background with friendship: Small town, not many choices for friends
Body: Becoming friends with my best friend at home. Coming to college and meeting my second family. Realizing that my past friendships weren’t actually true, long-term friendships.
Conclusion: Tie up story by connecting it to my belief that true friendship will find you even if it takes a while. Bring up the importance of being exposed to new people. College was my way of getting away from seeing the same faces for the last 18 years.
Draft 1:
Coming to college has made me realize that you will find your people. Back at home, I live in a very small town where everyone knows everyone. This makes it very hard to choose who your friends are. Oftentimes, I found myself stuck with the same group of people. Throughout my entire childhood, during elementary, middle and some of highschool, I would have friends but they were never very meaningful and most of them ended with an argument. I didn’t feel like I was being treated like I should be so I dropped those people. After years of doing this I began to think that this is how friendships are. That was until I met my best friend. Meeting her and becoming so close opened my eyes to what true friendships are. I felt so lucky to have her. Then I moved away to college and met 7 more friends just like her. This is why I believe that true friendship is one of the best things you can have in life.
I fully believe that I am nothing without my friends. I have a lot of trouble putting how I feel into words. Throughout my life, I have not had the best luck with friendship. I may have always had friends but they never lasted because I felt like I cared way more than they ever did. When I care about someone, I put a lot of effort into my relationship with that person, and when I didn’t receive that back I was often hurt. When I finally found friends that returned the same amount of effort that I put in, I was so happy. This is why I believe that true friendships are one of the best things you can have in life. I am so close with my friends that they feel like a second family. Since having friends like these, I have never been happier. I value these people as much as I value myself and I know that they feel the same way.
Draft 2:
Coming to college has made me realize that you will find your people. My entire life, I have lived in an extremely small town where everyone knows everyone. Growing up in this environment has its benefits and its drawbacks. For example, I went to school with the same kids all throughout elementary, middle school, and high school. This either means you create a life long bond with these people, or you come out hating each other. The latter of the two was the result. This of course resulted in it being extremely difficult to make lasting friendships. Everyone in my class was so sick of each other that we couldn’t be around each other. As a result, I would have friends but they were never very meaningful and most of them ended with an argument. I didn’t feel like I was being treated like I should be so I dropped those people. After years of doing this I began to think that this is how friendships are. That was until I finally moved away to college and met 7 amazing people who showed me what true friendship really is. This is why I believe that everyone will find true friendship even if it takes a while.
Throughout my life, I have not had the best luck with friendship. I may have always had friends but they never lasted because I felt like I cared way more than they ever did. When I care about someone, I put a lot of effort into my relationship with that person, and when I didn’t receive that back I was often hurt. Coming to college, I was so scared that the same thing would happen. However, I couldn’t be more wrong. Almost immediately I connected with my roommates and then with more people I met along the way. Now all seven of us are so close I cannot imagine my life without them. When I finally found friends that returned the same amount of effort that I put in, I was so happy. The friends I have met at college truly feel like a second family to me. I am at my happiest when I am with my friends. Being around them is my favorite thing, whether it’s going out shopping together, or just sitting in each other’s presence while studying, I enjoy every single moment. This feeling is reciprocated throughout the entire group. This feeling has been foreign to me because I grew up around people who always seemed to have a problem with someone else. Here, we are all just so happy to be around each other to the point that we could spend every second of the day together and not be sick of each other.
In conclusion, I believe that everyone will find true friendship no matter how long it takes. At times in my life, I felt like I was never going to experience a friendship where they felt the same way I feel about them. If you ever get the opportunity to get out of that small town full of the same faces, and same buildings and experience new things and meet new people, take it. Even if you are as scared as I was, do it anyway. You never know if you will meet someone who will mean the world to you.
Peer Review Reflection:
In reflection after receiving feedback on my this I believe essay, I have been able to make some minor changes. My group said that my essay was very good, however, I could rearrange some sentences to make the essay flow better. I also repeated some transitions that could be changed. Between now and the deadline for this essay, I think I will reread my essay a lot more and just make some tweaks in the wording. Overall, I think my essay is pretty good and it will be better after some minor changes. During the peer review sessions, I was able to give some minor corrections to my group, but most of my feedback was complementary. I enjoyed hearing the others read their essays. It was interesting to me to hear what other people’s core beliefs are.
Final Draft:
Coming to college has made me realize that you will find your people. My entire life, I have lived in an extremely small town where everyone knows everyone. Growing up in this environment has its benefits and its drawbacks. For example, I went to school with the same 35 kids all throughout elementary, middle school, and high school. This either means you create a life long bond with these people, or you come out hating each other. The latter of the two was the result. This of course resulted in it being extremely difficult to make lasting friendships. Everyone in my class was so sick of each other that we couldn’t be around each other for long periods of time. As a result, I would have friends but they were never very meaningful and most of them ended with an argument. I didn’t feel like I was being treated like I should be so I dropped those people. After years of doing this I began to think that this is how friendships are. That was until I finally moved away to college and met 7 amazing people who showed me what true friendship really is. This is why I believe that everyone will find true friendship even if it takes a while.
Throughout my life, I have not had the best luck with friendship. I may have always had friends but they never lasted because I felt like I cared way more than they ever did. When I care about someone, I put a lot of effort into my relationship with that person, and when I didn’t receive that back I was often hurt. Coming to college, I was so scared that the same thing would happen. However, I couldn’t be more wrong. Almost immediately I connected with my roommates and then with more people I met along the way. Now, all seven of us are so close I cannot imagine my life without them. When I finally found friends that returned the same amount of effort that I put in, I was so happy. The friends I have met at college truly feel like a second family to me. I am at my happiest when I am with my friends. Being around them is my favorite thing, whether it’s going out shopping together, or just sitting in each other’s presence while studying, I enjoy every single moment. This feeling is reciprocated throughout the entire group. This has been foreign to me because I grew up around people who always seemed to have a problem with someone else. Here, we are all just so happy to be around each other to the point that we could spend every second of the day together and not be sick of each other.
In conclusion, I believe that everyone will find true friendship no matter how long it takes. At times in my life, I felt like I was never going to experience a friendship where they felt the same way I feel about them. If you ever get the opportunity to get out of that small town full of the same faces, and same buildings and experience new things and meet new people, take it. Even if you are as scared as I was, do it anyway. You never know if you will meet someone who will mean the world to you.
Reflection as a Whole:
Reflecting on this project as a whole, I have found that my essay went through a lot of growth. While trying to write my drafts, I was having trouble talking about my topic. I had a hard time putting what I felt into words. This resulted in me changing around my belief a few times until I landed on my final draft version. I rearranged my belief maybe five times until I was able to write about it. This allowed me to tell my story in a meaningful way. Getting over this hurdle was the hardest part of this project. After that, it was really easy to get my thoughts down and I am pretty pleased with the result. I also used the other essays that we read throughout the course of this class to reference the structure of my essay. Most of the other essays told a personal story and then tied it up with their belief and I did the same. Overall, I actually really enjoyed this assignment. I liked being able to take time and really think about what means the most to me right now. I really enjoy writing personal essays because I am able to be myself in my writing which is really freeing.
