wcherau25
2 days ago
Undergraduate / Common App Essay about Life Challenges&Backpacking [2]
This is one of the first drafts of my college application essay. I feel pretty good about how it is so far but I would appreciate some very direct feedback. All my friends say its good but I cant bring myself to trust them completely haha. I wrote it about my varied experiences on a wilderness course of Alaska, and tried to make it meaningful while still being pleasant to read. Thank You!
On what was meant to be a short walk over the mountainside, I find myself surrounded by my friends lounging on a cliff, under a sea of stars and over a glimmering alpine stream. Talking about our lives and struggles and appreciating the mountain range, It was in the awe of this moment that I perfectly understood what passion meant to me- preserving and protecting all the aspects of nature that made that precious moment possible, and accepting change, or the lack of it.
In numerous ways, I can relate my life to the act of backpacking and climbing. As someone with ADHD I find many difficulties in learning, which helps me understand the importance of consistent small steps, leading towards a larger goal, or a beautiful vista atop a peak. When I hike, in those moments it feels as if everything in my own world falls into place, no matter the turmoil of the weather or terrain, or the weight on my back, whether it be physical or emotional.
Had it not been for my enrollment in a month-long NOLS Backpacking and Kayaking course during the summer of 2024, I may never have truly understood how I wanted MY life to go. During the year prior, I was tackling situations I couldn't change myself. My mothers homelessness and mental issues being the largest factor, it made me deeply frustrated that I couldn't support or help her, as I didn't know how. Similarly, my ADHD made academics difficult, as it seemed like there was nothing I could to to help it.
During the course, I found myself taking odd comfort in tiny miseries such as soaked through boots or a cold tent, for me, these happenings were untrivial, because for once I finally knew how to tackle them. I was in my element. I would use hot stones to dry my boots and learn to set up stormproof tents, ultimately benefiting my team and myself. The course set the path for how I now take action in my life, relentlessly. No matter the issue i've learned to dedicate myself to fixing it, or accepting what I can't.
Now when I think of that moment on the cliff, I think of how I was right, there isn't a way to cure myself of ADHD, or get rid of my troubles. But the only path to contentment and happiness is by accepting the conditions of your life, and just like a mountain, it is terrifying to look at from the bottom up, but unbelievable to imagine the very real possibility- of making it to the peak. And now when I look up at a mountain, I can now see myself ascending, step after step.
This is one of the first drafts of my college application essay. I feel pretty good about how it is so far but I would appreciate some very direct feedback. All my friends say its good but I cant bring myself to trust them completely haha. I wrote it about my varied experiences on a wilderness course of Alaska, and tried to make it meaningful while still being pleasant to read. Thank You!
On what was meant to be a short walk over the mountainside, I find myself surrounded by my friends lounging on a cliff, under a sea of stars and over a glimmering alpine stream. Talking about our lives and struggles and appreciating the mountain range, It was in the awe of this moment that I perfectly understood what passion meant to me- preserving and protecting all the aspects of nature that made that precious moment possible, and accepting change, or the lack of it.
In numerous ways, I can relate my life to the act of backpacking and climbing. As someone with ADHD I find many difficulties in learning, which helps me understand the importance of consistent small steps, leading towards a larger goal, or a beautiful vista atop a peak. When I hike, in those moments it feels as if everything in my own world falls into place, no matter the turmoil of the weather or terrain, or the weight on my back, whether it be physical or emotional.
Had it not been for my enrollment in a month-long NOLS Backpacking and Kayaking course during the summer of 2024, I may never have truly understood how I wanted MY life to go. During the year prior, I was tackling situations I couldn't change myself. My mothers homelessness and mental issues being the largest factor, it made me deeply frustrated that I couldn't support or help her, as I didn't know how. Similarly, my ADHD made academics difficult, as it seemed like there was nothing I could to to help it.
During the course, I found myself taking odd comfort in tiny miseries such as soaked through boots or a cold tent, for me, these happenings were untrivial, because for once I finally knew how to tackle them. I was in my element. I would use hot stones to dry my boots and learn to set up stormproof tents, ultimately benefiting my team and myself. The course set the path for how I now take action in my life, relentlessly. No matter the issue i've learned to dedicate myself to fixing it, or accepting what I can't.
Now when I think of that moment on the cliff, I think of how I was right, there isn't a way to cure myself of ADHD, or get rid of my troubles. But the only path to contentment and happiness is by accepting the conditions of your life, and just like a mountain, it is terrifying to look at from the bottom up, but unbelievable to imagine the very real possibility- of making it to the peak. And now when I look up at a mountain, I can now see myself ascending, step after step.
