Undergraduate / 'a never ending line of risks I refused to take' What matters to you and why? [10]

What matters to you, and why?

My greatest fear is looking back on my life and seeing a never ending line of risks I refused to take. A never ending line of regrets. Risks I did not take because I was afraid of getting hurt or even failing. I feel like there are too many people like this. Too many people are content to sit back in their comfortable, unassuming lives, not willing to risk a little to gain the world. They fail to realize that when you take a risk, you only gain, even if it is just knowledge. But then, knowledge is more valuable than anything else I could ever have. I used to be one of those people. But then I was thrust into a situation where I had to make a choice. I had the option of risking embarrassment or playing it safe. Playing it safe would have meant being mediocre, something that would have been so simple and so easy. I could have let myself focus on graduation, ignoring the chances that being at a new school presented. But as Greg Anderson once said, "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." What would I gain if I spent my senior year as another face in the crowd? The only things I would learn would be what my teachers taught me. So I started to focus on the journey, taking the scenic route to graduation instead of the highway. I joined as many extracurricular activities as I had time for, and then some. And I have learned from each and every one. From choir, I learned how good it feels to play piano again. From Latin, I learned how good it feels to be looked up to. From mock trial, I learned how natural it feels to be in a court room. From my new school, I learned how hard but rewarding it is to put yourself out there despite the risk. Most importantly, I learned that I am strong enough to not need a security blanket to do what I love to do. This and all knowledge is what matters to me the most. And that knowledge is all I need to turn my dreams into my future.

***Please be critical. I appreciate your reading my essay, but it will not help if you just tell me how great it is to spare my feelings by not pointing out rejection-worthy flaws. Thank you!

Undergraduate / 'Divorced parents and the average Joe' - Stanford - Intellectual vitality [3]

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.

When I was little, I was a pirate. And a princess. And a superhero. I was all of the countless characters whose stories I would immerse myself in for hours on end, lost in a flurry of pages and worlds full of possibilities. These stories made me realize that I can do anything.

As a powerless kid with divorced parents who were always fighting, I spent most of my time in books, where the hero always gets a happily ever after. What was fantasy to some became reality to me. Every aspect of my life became a commitment to excellence, a will to succeed, a desire to create my happy ending. I resolved to never again feel powerless and to help those who did. Books inspired me to dream of a future where I can give others a voice that they otherwise would not have.

In a world of big money politics, it is hard for the average American to be heard in government. But in a country that governs by the people, for the people, and with the will and consent of the people, someone needs to be the hero and voice for the Average Joe, who feels more disillusioned each day. I want to be that hero. Protecting the principles of the Constitution as a lawyer or judge is my dream and life's goal. If this were a book, I would fly in, cape flapping in the wind, and defeat the enemy that is the metaphorical injustice in government.

Unfortunately, life is not a comic and I, tragically, cannot fly. I wish I could be a costumed crusader fighting crime in the streets, but I realize that I do not have any special powers except for a mind full of knowledge and a heart full of passion for what the Founders envisioned for their country.

Giving a voice to millions of Americans as a lawyer or judge seems like a tall order, but if a hero can triumph against all odds, then so can I. Fiction, fantastic as it is, cannot even begin to describe what a determined girl is capable of.

I may end up wearing a suit to work instead of leather and latex, but that does not mean I cannot be a superhero.

I really appreciate you looking at my essay and will return the favor. However, I really need help on my "what matters to you, and why" essay and would again really appreciate it if you looked at that one. Thank you!