YKnow what I mean

[I didn't write in response to a specific prompt]  My parents have always wanted me to have a smooth life. They want me to have a direction, to go the safe path–of attending a good university, then advancing to some high-paying career where I would be respected and would earn myself enough financial freedom to enjoy my life. At least that’s what I’m speculating from all the times that they–especially my dad–have preached the importance of my university’s name value and finding a major that will give “stability” in my life. Well, my parents in general aren’t very pushy in terms of academics, but when I bring up the subject of college admissions, discussing how getting into a top college isn’t as important as it used to be, or that I’m interested in applying to a liberal arts college to study sociology and environmental studies, they catch on quick with their own input, basically doing everything they can to stir me clear toward what they think is the safe path.  Honestly, maybe they

What could you live without?  I hate the words “interesting”, “passionate”, and “intrigued”. I’ve used them so much in my college essays that they all feel so outdated, debased, almost fake.  I think I’m going into a curiosity crisis–I don’t feel interested in things. If you define interest as just the small spark of attraction you feel toward something, then I guess I do have some interest. But the magnitude and the duration of my curiosity have weirdly dropped. Though I've retained my enjoyment during classes, it’s been months since I have felt fully immersed in learning or chasing down a series of questions outside of school. However, this is hardly surprising. Since August of 2023, I have been primarily working on my college essays outside of school and classes. I put off personal projects or self-studying because I almost felt “guilty” divesting time away from working toward a college admission decision that could significantly impact the next four years of my life. Even whe