<p>Hey guys, this is the first draft of my common app essay, i just wanted to see if i was on the right track and if it was any good. Thanks for the help :)</p>
<p>Conquering the hippie life</p>
<p>Walking into my house after school, I am met with the smell of smoke. Being the curious kid that I am, I follow the scent until I find its source in the family room. In front of me is a sight few kids will ever see in their lifetime, but a sight that I have grown very accustomed. In the middle of the room, there is a large man in tie-dye smoking pot, and this man is my father. I am the child of flower loving, pot smoking hippie parents. Parents, who instead of growing out of their hippie phase, embraced it and rubbed it off on all their children. Out of 3 kids, I stand alone as the one child who has conquered the hippie life. Out of a childhood of flowers, The Grateful Dead, and nature camp, somehow I came out a responsible, right leaning teen, with a strong animosity towards hippies. But by trying to conquer my hippie lifestyle, I was also trying to discover who I truly was. And although I stand alone in my family, I believe overcoming my familys hippie lifestyle, although the hardest thing I did in my life, was the best thing I could do because it helped me find who I truly was.
There was a point in my life were I did not loath hippies, in fact as a child I was a hippie. From a young age, my parents lives began rubbing off on me just by watching their movements. I began copying everything I saw whether it was growing my hair out, or loving animal. Even my education became effected by my change; I went from a responsible kid who always did his homework, to a lazy boy, who would rather plant some seeds then touch school work. My grades began reflecting this lifestyle to the point where in fourth grade, a grade where even the kid in the corner who ate glue could scrape out a B by just sitting there; I had Cs. I knew my life was going the wrong way, but what could I do? All I had ever been taught was how to live the hippie way. I needed to change, step out of the hippie world, and find who I truly was.
After searching for a year, it seemed as if nothing could kill my inner hippie. Having nowhere to turn for guidance, I began looking at kids in school and copying their lifestyles. Although copying other peoples lives did not show me who I was, it did help me see who I was not. I was not preppy, I was not a jock, and I was definitely not a Goth, the skulls and black scared me too much. But even though I submerged myself in these new phases, I knew these were still mask, they did not kill my inner hippie. Back at home I reverted back to my old ways of being lazy, planting seeds, and loving everything. But this life caught up with me yet again and in 5th grade when I was put into a special reading and writing class, for the slow kids. That was it, I needed to change and this was the catalyst that sparked my reaction. I needed to cut all ties to the hippie world and start anew.
Even when I blocked out my past, I still could not find my true self. Almost as a newborn copies his parents, I began copying all my friends. Taking bits and pieces of all of them and mashing them into one persona. Although this did work and subdued my hippie urges, I realized it was not actually me, in reality I was living the hodgepodge life of my friends. Frustrated, I stopped trying and gave up searching. I thought my life was over, and since I was no longer trying, I presumed I would inevitable fall back into the hippie life. Somehow, the moment I stopped searching, my true self began to show threw the hippie.
Let me complete the story I stared early, I walk into my house and find my hippie father smoking pot. We have our initial stare down, but after a second, I continue walking to my room to start studying. This is who I am, a responsible, hard working, intelligent kid just trying to make a good life for himself and get into a good college. Ever since 7th grade when I stopped searching for who I was, my true self began coming threw. I started trying in school, which got me of the slow classes and into all honors classes, and now instead of planting or listening to old, tone death bands, I am either studying, practicing my tuba, or with friends. So who am I? Although I can not put an adjective to it, I can say that I am Phil LaBella: an outgoing, intelligent teen with a large group of friends, and a plan for my life until I turn 55, which includes becoming a lawyer, millionaire, and a senator. I conquered the hippie life and have basically become the opposite, nd threw the battle, I was able to find my true self. I am not a hippie nor am I any other stereotype; I am me.</p>