599-word version:
Having been either denied acceptance from or waitlisted by every college that I had applied to, I was about to give up on every responsibility of my high school life from academics to activities to athletics this past spring until I was able to find that last bit of incentive left in me to carry on...

 

602-word version:
Having been either denied acceptance from or waitlisted by every college that I had applied to, I was about to give up on every responsibility of my high school life from academics to activities to athletics this past spring until I was able to find that last bit of incentive left in me to carry on. But in retrospect, I believe that incentive was my only means of staying afloat and maintaining whatever dignity I had left...