Varsity Tutors Scholarship by Kiara

Varsity Tutors Scholarship by Kiara - August 2025 Scholarship Essay

Nothing is scarier than starting your first year of college. In a way, it's like starting to go back to square one. You’re in a new place, you have yet to get a lay of the land and for the first time in many years, you’re on your own. When I made the decision to attend my local community college, the biggest factor in that decision was the price tag that came with it. I applied to many other schools and even debated between two universities that I seriously considered going to. Unfortunately, actually attending those colleges for just one year was going to cost me over 25,000 dollars. In order to pay to attend these universities, I would have to take out an absurd amount of loans and would probably have ended up in serious debt before I even turned 21. Though I’m satisfied with my decision, I will admit that i can help but compare myself to my peers who will be going to four year universities and the experience they'll get,

I don't want my freshman year of college to be full of comparison or measuring my success to others, so in an effort to the most of my first year in community college, my biggest aspiration for my freshman year is to step outside of my comfort zone and get more involved. I’m usually not the kind of person to step outside the box of what's known to me and because of that, I limit myself from all kinds of opportunities, but that's something I’m aiming to change. To put myself out there in college, I plan on engaging in a few clubs in order to meet new people and get new perspectives. Not only do I want to make important connections with my fellow peers, but with my professors as well. By working on these connections, I will have strong relationships that could benefit me in the future, whether that could be helping me score good recommendations or a place in a school organization.

My biggest motivation to achieve this are my long term goals. I plan to major and get my bachelor's degree in Accounting, and after earning my Bachelor of Science in Accounting, I hope to take the CPA exam and become a CPA certified accountant, with the overall goal of going into wealth management. My degree will lead me into a routine-heavy, specific job, which I greatly admire about the field. Through my job as an accountant, I would like to help others learn and understand about what it means to be financially literate and responsible as they play an incredibly big role in our lives, it determines whether we’ll go to college, buy a house or car, invest in other people or places, so it's very important to be well informed about how to manage your money. By starting early, networking and putting myself out there, I will have a bigger chance of successfully getting into the career field I want to go in. But this can't all happen overnight, which is why my goal for now is just to allow myself to open up more, put myself out there this year and do my best to work with what I have.