I don't want to hop onto anyone else's thread and steal their thunder, but I was hoping to get some advice on possible challenge/adversity essay topics:
- Stuttering - Throughout my childhood and high school, I had a stutter which I went to a speech therapist for. I struggled, and still struggle, with certain words and phrases. I was shy and quiet for years in my childhood since I was afraid to speak up, and while my stutter is significantly less noticeable, now, from time to time people still make comments about the way I speak and when I need to reword sentences. Over the years, I have come to value the people that gave me a chance and try to be more conscious that others have accommodations or personal things to address that are not readily visible.
- Athletics - I started my sport in high school and fell in love with it. I ultimately ended up walking onto the team at college but realized just how large the gap between my skill and the talented individuals who had practiced since they were in elementary school. I fell in love with the sport and the team but had to prove that I could be a valuable contributor despite lacking years of experience through putting in the extra hours, weekends of hard work, and reviving team community service initiatives.
- Switching majors and labs - A significant part of my college experience was in research. I joined a lab at the beginning of my freshman year without any prior experience. The graduate student I worked with spent countless hours training me and teaching me sound scientific methodology. Although I valued their mentorship, my interests began to change halfway through college and I even changed my major. I was torn between continuing my work there or pursuing something else I was interested in.
