Growing up, I had no real challenges to overcome. Being a white middle class male, I never experienced discrimination. Having all the advantages in life do a funny thing to a young man; sometimes they are the things that keep you down. I had nothing holding me back but conversely I had nothing pushing me forward. When nothing is cold or hot, a lukewarm life comes easy. And so I simmered. For years after high school I coasted, working for tips as a server so that I could live two towns away from home. Junior College served merely as way to spend five hundred dollars a semester to trick myself into believing I had direction. I never experienced a dramatic turning point (my life has never been about drama), but rather I simply changed by way of affirmation. I examined myself and came the realization that I was afraid to try. Or rather I was afraid of the possibility that I may try and fail. I always assumed that being a perfectionist was a good thing, but I found that it was the way I insulated myself from failure. Attempting something difficult carries the risk of not succeeding, and with it the implication that I’m not as smart as I think. From the spring of 2008 on, I have not let my fear of failure stop me from doing what I need to. The old Thomas would sit paralyzed in front of the computer; unable to so much as write down a thesis for fear that it wouldn’t earn me a stellar grade. Everyone I consult told me the personal statement is THE determining factor in admissions.