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Gregory Tyler

Mrs. Cramer

College Comp Pd. 4

1 October 2021

College Application Narrative

Making the jump to high school can be scary enough as is, but then add on being the new

kid and only knowing a handful of people. Prior to my freshmen year here at Bradford I attended

St. Bernard’s Elementary and Middle School, a private, catholic school in the area that has since

been closed. I attended St. Bernard’s for eleven years and I think it has given me a better chance

to succeed in the future compared to starting my public-school journey earlier than high school.

My freshmen year was a big change and took some time to get used to, as I was used to having

less than ten kids in my class to having twenty different kids in each of my classes. I was also

extremely unfamiliar with the building and the teachers, and it felt like there was nobody for me

to turn to if something was wrong. While everything was new to me, I embraced the experience

by trying to make the best of a new challenge. I met and befriended many new people that

helped make the transition much easier. That year I also really invested myself in my

schoolwork to make a good first impression. Then obviously the year was cut short when the

world was turned upside down, which truly required me to make the best of a terrible situation.

However, I wouldn’t trade my first high school experience for anything because the pandemic

made the whole experience unique.

My involvement and love for sports also made my transition a lot easier. Basketball

quickly became my passion after I started playing in sixth grade and then joining the Fretz

Middle School team with one of my closest friends. After playing on the team in seventh and
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eighth grade I had made bonds with my teammates that would translate to off the court the next

year when they would become my classmates as well. I quickly became friends with their

friends, which helped me to become comfortable in a new situation and make the experience that

much more enjoyable. Playing basketball also changed how I go about my everyday life. When I

started playing, I was awful and the first time I scored was for the other team. After that I have

always wanted to be the best player that I could possibly be. I started playing more and going to

summer camps to try and elevate my skill as a basketball player. I soon took the same approach

with everything else in my life, to constantly work to try and be the best version of me that I can

be. Evolve or become irrelevant, which means you must strive to get better or fall off. I never

want to settle for average, I always want to be at the top of whatever it is that I am doing.

I am proud of my past experiences, my trials, and tribulations because they have helped

to form me into a better person. Through the good, and the bad I always have and always will

find a way to learn, to better myself for the future, to continue, to improve, and to never rest until

I am at my best.