Editor’s Note: This essay narrates my journey from academic struggles to renewed determination. After facing setbacks at Indiana University and accruing debt, my life changed when I married Heather, who motivated me to pursue my potential. Her encouragement led me to re-enroll in college, ultimately achieving high grades and discovering a passion for pharmacy. I am applying to Mercer University because of its esteemed pharmacy program and its proximity to my current home, offering a chance to continue my studies while maintaining family ties.
Turning Failure into Success: My Path to Mercer – Graduate School Admission Essay
Until a couple years ago, I didn’t know if I would ever be a college graduate. I made many mistakes at IU around 1994-95 that I thought cost me a degree and a bright future. The motivation to succeed in college
really wasn’t there from the get-go. I was young and probably not ready to leave for a new “home” 300 miles away. I did “ok” in the beginning, but then it all fell apart. Those pre-approved credit cards kept coming in the mail; I kept accepting them. Eventually, I had about $20,000 in credit card debt alone, plus student loans. I bought things I had no reason buying, things that kept me away from studying, such as a big stereo, television, and computer. I was real lazy when it came to schoolwork. I felt the television set was much more interesting, or was it the girl next door, or was there a soccer game to play? Eventually IU dismissed me, and since I already had a part-time job at IU, I just changed to full-time.
I continued to be unmotivated as far as finishing school is concerned. I didn’t love the job, but I didn’t hate it, either. At the end of ’97, I started working full-time with benefits at the IU Library. In 4 1/2 years, I received 2 promotions, so life was good there. My girlfriend (future wife) was going to grad school, so I needed to keep the job to support us and for insurance.
The major turning point in my life was definitely marrying Heather. I met her at IU in 1994 when she came in my dorm room looking for a screwdriver (for her TV). Ever since then we stayed very good friends and in 2001, we got married. She has turned myself around 180 degrees and has shown me the potential I have to succeed and be happy in life. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology, so unfortunately (or fortunately), she knows me inside and out and she knows how to motivate me. She received a Master of Library Science degree and obtained a job in Sarasota in late 2001. I stayed in Tallahassee because of my job and we agreed that I would move down when I found a job down there. In March of 2002, I was hired at St. Petersburg College doing pretty much what I did at IU, but with a pay cut. I took the job anyway; we were unhappy being so far apart from each other.
Shortly after moving, we had a talk about where we wanted to be in 5 years. She had me write down pros and cons of my current working/schooling situation. It turns out there are so many more cons when you write it down and spend hours on it instead of thinking for a few seconds and blowing off the question totally like I used to do when we would have this discussion. Finally all the nagging of Heather, not to mention my parents and even her parents, and the fact that she was going to go back to school for a third degree, got me to do some research and I went and talked to some counselors at work and mapped out a plan to obtain my A.A. It wasn’t as far off as I thought. The college even pays for my classes; how can you beat that?
In August of 2002, I started classes at SPC. I went real easy the first semester and only took 2 classes, both online. My grades were decent (A&B), so I kept going. Eventually, I was attending school full-time while I was working full-time. It has definitely been a strain on my relationship with my wife, and my body as well, however, I have worked up to the point where I actually have fun going to school. The short term and long term rewards are well worth the extra stress. I can’t wait to take tests and do homework, because it is fun to get those good grades back for doing the work. I am not used to all these good grades in college. I even framed my report card from last summer when I got a 3.92 GPA. I was telling all my friends about it, and Heather’s friends about it, too. Eventually, Heather told me I was getting annoying, so I stopped bragging.
My introduction to the pharmacy field came from a childhood friend of Heather’s, Jennifer. Jennifer graduated a few years ago from pharmacy school and told Heather how much she enjoys her job, so Heather told me about it. I did some research for myself to find out what it takes to become a pharmacist and what it is all about. I already have the people skills from my 10 years at IU and 2 at SPC, all in public service, I definitely have the motivation to succeed and science and math are my strong suits. I would love to be a pharmacist because of the interaction with people and the praise you get for helping them (in the traditional pharmacy setting), the salary, the wide availability of jobs all around the country, and job security. It’s nice to know that you can pretty much pack up and move anywhere and someone there is in need of a pharmacist, just like a librarian. It’s also great to know that if we want to start a family sometime, I would be able to support us both without her having to work. If given the opportunity to continue my studies in pharmacy school, I would certainly not let the university down. After all, I have to answer to my wife, my friends, my family, and biggest of all, myself.
The reasons I picked Mercer University to apply to are twofold. First, I was doing some research on the Internet to rank possible pharmacy schools, and I found that Mercer was one of the top schools as far as preparing its students for their careers. I also liked the Indian Health Service Program as described on Mercer’s website. It sounds like a really interesting experience to prepare me for later. The second reason I picked Mercer to apply to was its location. I currently live in the Tampa area with my wife and Atlanta isn’t too far away as far as visiting each other is concerned. Since it is a hub for Delta, it wouldn’t cost that much time or money to fly back and forth occasionally. I have always wanted to live in Atlanta, as well. My love for the Braves goes back to the days of Dale Murphy and I am also a big fan of The Varsity eatery. I’m sure it would be difficult for my wife and I if I were to move there, but the rewards afterwards are so great that I know we would get through it.