At one point, I was convinced that people’s opinions of me were all that mattered, and that was all that I was. I was only a person to be judged by not just society, but by all people. Then as I grew up and matured into who I am, I learned that what I thought about myself is what truly mattered. It doesn’t matter what other people say about someone, but it matters if she believes it to be true. If she doesn’t, it can’t bring her down. That’s what life has taught me: to be true to myself.
My friends mean the world to me just as my family does, even more than my family at times because I chose them to be in my life, and in turn, they chose me to be in theirs. Friends can influence a person in both good and bad ways, but overall, they help build a person’s own character and develop who he or she is. What I look for in my closest of friends is not complex or difficult. I want someone who I can trust to always give me his or her honest thoughts, to be there when I need a friend the most, to listen, to understand, and to have fun. I’ve found all of these in few people, but those whom I have discovered them in, I’ve kept closer than anyone in my life.
A few people may look down upon my best friends because they’re not the most intelligent, but who is to judge intelligence? They may not have made the wisest decisions in their lives, but what is truly wise for one person may not be to another. To me, I think that they’re the smartest and wisest people I know. Opinions vary from person to person, and prejudice is to be expected no matter how open-minded one is. I believe in knowing the real person behind the outer shell, behind all of the other views, and get to know him or her for who he or she really is. I consider being able to make one’s own judgments and own mistakes to be just a part of learning and growing, a part of life. Stopping someone from making these mistakes develops an overprotected person, inexperienced to failure.
I have been prejudiced against because of the people I choose to be with and talk to, but that doesn’t matter. What matters are what I think about them and how they feel about themselves. Just like my friends, I have learned to be true to myself and not care what other people have to say about me. It’s my mistakes to make, my successes to earn, my choices to decide, my battles to win, my conflicts to conquer, my character to develop, and my life to live. What matters most in life is whether one believes in himself or herself and lives how he or she believes is right and true. I live this belief everyday. No one can make my choices for me or live my life. No matter what others may say or think about me or what I do, I must be true to myself and not let their opinions affect who I am and what I want to be because in the end, no one’s going to ask himself or herself if he or she lived the way someone else wanted them to; instead, that person will ask, “Did I live my life to the fullest the way I wanted to?” I want my answer to be “yes.”

- My USC application essay. hehe...