rzj123
Dec 25, 2009
Undergraduate / "Oh... sometimes things happen." Something that didn't go as planned - MIT essay [8]
Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?(*) (200-250 words)
The summer after freshman year I met Susan, her frenched nails, her religious addiction to Starbucks, and that horribly ironic nonchalance in her voice. Three days a week we sat behind the receptionist's desk adjacent to one of Children's Medical Center's recreation areas. It was there that I then met Brian, who carried his red ball on Mondays, his Lego set on Thursdays, and his perplexing optimism always.
The thing about Brian is that I don't think I mattered half as much to him as he did to me. He was one of those storybook children, with the baby blues and dimpled cheeks, and when he lisped his 'fank yew's, you couldn't help but to smile and smile.
It ended one day. A "Where's Brian?" offhandedly to Susan.
"Oh... sometimes things happen."
I blinked.
She sipped her latte.
The world spun on.
---
When I think about my summer at Children's, I think of Brian and a million others who vanish off the face of the earth because 'oh things happen'. I think of life, my life, my goals, my experiences, and I think of Brian and where he could have gone.
I didn't go back the next summer. Not because I lacked courage or will but because I felt as if there was so much more I could be doing to make a tangible difference. In the end, I don't think Brian taught me to live, but he might have just about taught me to live in the moment.
Be harsh, please. If you read mine, link yours, and I will gladly critique as well.
Tell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?(*) (200-250 words)
The summer after freshman year I met Susan, her frenched nails, her religious addiction to Starbucks, and that horribly ironic nonchalance in her voice. Three days a week we sat behind the receptionist's desk adjacent to one of Children's Medical Center's recreation areas. It was there that I then met Brian, who carried his red ball on Mondays, his Lego set on Thursdays, and his perplexing optimism always.
The thing about Brian is that I don't think I mattered half as much to him as he did to me. He was one of those storybook children, with the baby blues and dimpled cheeks, and when he lisped his 'fank yew's, you couldn't help but to smile and smile.
It ended one day. A "Where's Brian?" offhandedly to Susan.
"Oh... sometimes things happen."
I blinked.
She sipped her latte.
The world spun on.
---
When I think about my summer at Children's, I think of Brian and a million others who vanish off the face of the earth because 'oh things happen'. I think of life, my life, my goals, my experiences, and I think of Brian and where he could have gone.
I didn't go back the next summer. Not because I lacked courage or will but because I felt as if there was so much more I could be doing to make a tangible difference. In the end, I don't think Brian taught me to live, but he might have just about taught me to live in the moment.
Be harsh, please. If you read mine, link yours, and I will gladly critique as well.