A good friend of mine Jeff and I have been working on our PhD dissertation under the same supervisor.  We’re both working towards our doctorate of English.  It is kind of a funny story as I had met him in my first year college and it is kind of funny how we ended up at the same doctorate school.

Back in our undergraduate days, we had written a large number of essays and had worked on them together.  But one of our colleagues named Brett was not the straightest of arrows.  He engaged in a number of shady practices such as going online to buy essays instead of writing them himself.

We caught wind of what he was doing and we were not happy with the amount of marks he received compared to his effort.  As it turns out, someone did turn him in and he was expelled from our college.  I learned a very good lesson that day, and there is not to make the same mistakes that Brett did.

When I was in elementary school I had to write a language arts essay about what the English language meant to me and to what other language I would choose to learn if I could speak any language in the world.  This was the first essay that I have ever written but was sure to not be the last. 

When I was just finished high school over the summer I had to write a management essay in order to get the position that I work at the golf course that summer.  There were seven post secondary students that had applied for the job of greens manager and I wanted a really bad so I wrote a great essay.

Those were the easiest and best essays that I had ever written in that order and I would have to say that the hardest essay ever wrote was my first sociology essay that was worth a big percentage of my final grade.  One thing is for sure, though, and that is that essays will always be a part of my life.

If you give me a moment, let me compare student life to a balancing act.  The key with a balancing act is to maintain balance, much like a student must balance their coursework with their social life.

If any point they fail to maintain the balance, disaster usually strikes.  A good example would be going to a party instead of doing the essay writing for your English class.  If that assignment would not be handed in on time, chances are you would receive a failing grade and may have to redo the course.

Even though some assignments would be easy to do at the last minute, essays typically take too much time to get finished quickly.  Many students find themselves in a position where they need to buy essays online to make up for the lack of balance in their lives.  Eventually though this will catch up with them and by taking this route they risk their entire college career.

So what is the key of success in college?  Maintaining a balanced life.

I wasn’t too surprised to see that the Internet was required for the college classes that I had enrolled in.  The school that I had submitted my application essay to was known for its stance on environmentally friendly policies and that is one of the main reasons that I decided to study there.

I was very happy to see that for the classes I took that required you to submit a research paper, but they had a facility that allowed you to submit online essays simply and effectively.  It was not like other colleges that I had heard of that required their students to write their essay using an online word processor.

I’m really quite interested to see how they handle their final exams.  I wonder if they will be on paper or if we will be writing them from our computer lab.  I guess I will just have to see.

I am happy to say that I just finished my last class and received my last assignment for this term.  Even though that means I still have quite a bit of work to do, at least I know there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

The assignment I received today was to do a philosophy essay and we were allowed to choose from three essay topics supplied by the professor.  It was nice to at least have some variety even though I felt a little angry that we were assigned an essay so close to finals.

I figure that it will take about 10 hours to write the essay and I’m going to work on each day so that I’m not doing it all at the last minute.  This will also give me time to start studying for my finals.  I am just happy that classes are finally over.

Now might seem kind of strange that someone would be afraid of attending college.  When one has the opportunity to look forward to four years at an institution that inspires creativity, increases your intelligence, and opens up a world of social possibilities, you would think that no one would be afraid, right?

Well, unfortunately it isn’t that easy.  For me, the thought of trying to come up with some sort of acceptable admission essay was an experience that I really wasn’t interested in.  I’m not a very good salesperson, nor a good writer and I thought that it would be very difficult for me to write something that would get me into college.

I also was scared of the amount of work that would be required for all the classes that I would have to take.  They knew that I would need to take at least a couple English classes and therefore would be stuck writing book reports - something I hate with a passion.  I hated them in high school, and I’m pretty sure that I would hate them in college to.

So am I afraid of attending college?  You bet. So much so, that I don’t think I will go.

I know that this is going to be one of the hardest years of my life. My wife just had a baby and I am working on my dissertation. It will be hard for me to devote as much time to my family as they deserve and it will be hard for me to spend as much time in my studies as I should.

I always thought that I would be finished with my thesis before we started having children, but sometimes things happen that are beyond your control. I would not trade in my baby son for anything, but I am just saying that the timing could have been better. I wish I could devote more time to him than I have been able to.

On top of all that, I have been spending a small mount of time writing custom term papers, in hopes of earning a little bit of extra income to help with the added expense of adding a child to the family. We have been doing alright and I know that we will get through this, but I feel as though I have no time for me and if I did, I would just spend it sleeping.

Most people grow up taking some sort of music lessons.  Whether it be piano, organ, or some other instrument, most families focus on the artsy side of life.

But when I was growing up, I knew I was different.  You see, my father was an avid golfer, and each summer he would send me away to Golf school so that I could better my game.  There, I would get golf instruction from teachers that would eventually be my mentors.  From them, I learned the ins and outs of the game.

Though I have competed in many tournaments and play at least five times per week, I realize I still have room to grow.  That is why I am going to the Arizona Golf School twice over the next year to polish my already, almost perfect game.

Even though I was different than the other children, I am happy my parents chose golf for me - it is the love of my life.