Plans for the Summer

I'm soon going to be graduating from high school and beginning a new chapter in my life. I'm both excited and nervous about leaving home to attend college. I'm kind of excited that I will no longer be under my parents control in college, but I'm also really nervous about not being able to adjust to the environment. It'll be the first time I've lived overseas for a long period of time since I was two. I'm planning on learning how to drive this summer. I'm also planning on refining my skills in cooking and baking. My mom is also starting to make me do lots of chores around the house, because she says that I need to know how to take care of myself once I leave for university.

Thoughts on American Literature

I've always thought of American Literature as boring but after reading several stories, books and poems in American Literature class, I've changed my mind. Unlike American History, which is too short to be as interesting and complex as European and Chinese history, American authors have written some prety interesting stuff. My favorite American authors are Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Steinbeck and Sylvia Plath. They've changed how I think about American Literature quite a bit. The way that Hawthorne crafts his short stories is absolutely impressive and my favorite is Dr. Heidigger's Experiment. Steinbeck's descriptions are vivid and stunning, I thought they were overly wordy and hard to understand when I was younger, but I find it really beautiful now. I've read a short story by Sylvia Plath before, and it left me feeling unimpressed. However, when I read her poems "The Mirror" and "Mushrooms" this year, I was shocked by how well written they were. Those two poems are masterfully written and some of the best poems that I have ever read.

Advice on Applying for College

One of the main things to remember about applying to college is to start early. No matter how much time you have, time always seems to pass quicker than you think it will. It's not a bad idea to start thinking about what career path you might want to take during your freshman and junior year. It'll make planning the classes you need to take easier. It's also much easier to take the classes earlier instead of taking extra classes during your junior and senior year to fulfill the requiements. You'll also have more time to plan and the examinations needed for college, such as the SAT, ACT, AP tests ect. Your senior year is going to be busy enough without trying to stuff in a bunch of tests and fill out applications at the same time.
The hardest part of the application is always the essay. It's also one of the most crucial parts of the application. Start brainstorming as soon as you know the prompt, it'll make your life much easier when it comes to writing the essay. Think of the essay as something you're writing to someone you know well, don't make it too informal, but having a set audience would make it easier and make you feel a little less pressured. My main problem with writing my essays was that I was stressing out too much and coudn't calm down enough to write well. Relax a little and your writing will turn out better. In fact, if you start early enough, you can make your essay go through several drafts to polish it and fix mistakes. I threw away three or four rough drafts before I wrote something I liked and settled on it.