Undergraduate / UNC essay - the result of my curiosity [4]

Topic: Tell us about a time when your curiosity let you to someplace you weren't expecting to go.

One summer vacation, my mother told me that we were going for a trip to the Himalayas with a few family friends. It was a good 14-hour drive and we left soon after sunrise. By the evening, all the excitement died down and everyone fell off to sleep.

Having slept enough the previous night I started chatting with the driver. Suddenly I saw flames emerging from something that seemed like a cave. I had heard a story that sometimes flames would start emerging from the Himalayas and was supposed to be an indication to God's presence on earth. At that time I had dismissed the story saying that it was apocryphal. But my curiosity took over and I decided that since we were nearly there, a short detour would not take much time. I started directing the driver towards the cave and he did so very hesitatingly.

The road to the cave was not made properly and there were no streetlights. But soon we were there. I could see many flames emerging from the corners of the cave. Soon everyone got up and were really surprised to see this cave. I told the driver to stop so that I could see it from inside. My mother was very angry with me but on seeing this sight she was totally in awe of it.

I had never imagined that a mystical tale would actually turn into reality. Though I had delayed the trip by almost 2 hours, it was completely worth it and it felt like I was living a dream.

Undergraduate / A time when you tried something for which you had no talent. Essay. [4]

Topic:Tell us about a time when you tried something for which you had no talent. How did it go?

"If you cant excel with talent, triumph with effort"

When I was in the 7th grade, my art teacher told us that each one of us had the opportunity to give the Elementary drawing examination. There was going to be a three-month intensive training after which we would be fully prepared for it. A few of my friends and I thought there would be no harm trying for it and it would only help us.

The training for the examination started in a week and all of us were very excited about it. The teachers told us that there were 3 parts to the examination-memory, technical and color. We thought that this would be pretty simple as we were already doing technical as a part of our school syllabus. In the beginning I thought I could manage but then when we started getting to the depth of it, I realised that it was quite difficult. I tried my level best and always found myself in a fix when we had to draw something from memory as I could not always draw what I had in mind. But I still tried. All the other students were always eager and waiting to showcase their talent whereas I always hid my work from the others. Soon I was convinced that I had no talent for drawing.

I decided to speak to my teacher about this. She suggested that I continue with it and give it my best. It was very difficult to not let the fact that all my classmates were much better than me, deter me from putting my heart and soul into it. I used to practice everyday and strived to improve. Eventually it ended up being more motivating than de-motivating for me.

I was very nervous before the examination, but I gave it my best shot. Though the exam went off well, it was not good enough. I got more than I expected and I did very well in my color section.

Later I took up painting as an extra curricular activity. I only concentrated on oil paintings and stained glass as I really enjoyed that. Today, I have made almost made 4 oil paintings and about 8 stained glass paintings. Everybody who has seen these paintings have really appreciated them and can hardly believe that these paintings were made by a person who had no talent for drawing.

I always thought that talent and situation were more paying than hard work, but after my experience I believe that if someone wants something he can always achieve it irrespective of talent or situations.

Undergraduate / UIUC essay - Child Education Work [2]

Choose one extracurricular activity, work experience, or community service project from the list you provided on the application and explain why you initially chose it, why you continued with it, and how you benefited from it.

"It is a greater work to educate a child, in the true and larger sense of the word, than to rule a state."

Choose one extracurricular activity, work experience, or community service project from the list you provided on the application and explain why you initially chose it, why you continued with it, and how you benefited from it.

It is greater work to educate a child, in the true and larger sense of the word, than to rule a state."
My Grandfather had a firm belief in this and also spent his last years teaching poor children of a nearby village. I always looked up to him and wanted to follow his footsteps. Luckily I got this opportunity in my twelfth grade. A street children's school had just started in my locality and needed volunteers. I readily went forward to help them.

Coming from a semi-developed country, I realized that the root cause of poverty is the lack of proper education. In the beginning I thought that it would be difficult for me to get enough time to teach the students, but once I started teaching them, I found immense satisfaction and time. Till now I always thought that it would be me who would have to teach them worldly things, but I was proved wrong.

Everyday has been a different learning experience. Things like one Rupee which had no value for me, has so much value for them. Even a small toffee lights up their face. Some of them don't get to study after daylight due to electricity cuts. So they refrain from wasting time doing other things that are not constructive. Though they are weak and backward in studies, they are very loving, affectionate and ready to learn.

Although they don't pay high fees, they still know how to appreciate the value of education. I have learnt to respect and value time and money from them. They have taught me to be thankful for the various things that both God and my parents have given me, like education, shelter and clothes. I have become less demanding and do take out time everyday to thank God. Earlier I used to take things for granted and thought life was a cakewalk, but now I have realized that whatever I want in life has to be earned for and I should become independent.

I wonder if the children know how much they have taught me; that patience is learned and persistence pays off in the end.

Undergraduate / "I learnt to be positive" - UC prompt [2]

Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are?

On the 26th of July 2005, my mother woke me up early for school. I did so very hesitatingly and went to school. The day went off with the daily routine and soon it was time for us to go home.

Unfortunately I had forgotten my raincoat. It was raining very heavily and the roads were waterlogged. Being used to heavy downfalls in Mumbai, I did not worry. Suddenly a turn of events took place and my not-so-interesting day became one of the most eventful days of my life.

On our way back, it started raining cats and dogs. The bus had barely moved a mile when the bus conductor told us that the bus got spoiled because of excessive water logging. Some of the small kids in the bus started crying, as they were hungry and wanted to go back home. We were helpless as the bus was stuck in the middle of nowhere. One of my friends thought that it would be better to walk home than spend the night in the bus without food and water. Being the senior students we had the responsibility of the younger students. We did not know what to do with the kids as they were very small and would not be able to walk it home. I then remembered that there was a school nearby and I was sure that they would allow at least the kids to spend the night there. We decided to take the main road there as we were sure that the by lanes would be flooded. We formed a human chain and held on to each other tightly. The kids were surprising pretty supportive and understood the gravity of the situation without making a fuss.

On my way there, I experienced another side of my city. In a city where some people do not even know their neighbours, people in the buildings nearby were offering a lot of help. They were giving water, biscuits, tea and other things to the various people walking to their home. Some people also offered shelter. It was a very scary experience and the rain was so heavy that it would even hurt the body. Some people warned us about the open manhole in the road. Soon we reached the school and since there was not much place, we decided to drop the younger kids there and walk it back home.

The 8 miles back home was very difficult and took us a lot of time. The water I some places was about four to five feet deep and the sight was very disturbing. We could see many floating bodies of not only street animals but also of some humans, mostly kids. It was mentally upsetting and traumatising for weeks after the incident. Many people lost their lives and families were broken.

This incident has shaped me as a person. Luckily, my family was home as they had heard about the catastrophe in the news and headed home immediately. I have become a stronger individual. I can face situations without panicking. I used to always be a negative person and always thought pessimistically. But that day I learnt to be positive and see the glass half full and not half empty.

Besides your views on this, can you please tell me if it is relevant to the topic and if its good enough ?

Undergraduate / SOP help - what am I supposed to write? [2]

Hi ,
Could you please tell me what i am supposed to write for a statement of purpose?
thanks !