Undergraduate / Common Application Essay! Irish dance class at the age of four [5]

This is my essay for the common app. The essay topic was "topic of your choice". Please let me know what you think and I will gladly read one of your essays! Any feedback is much appreciated- negative or positive :) Thanks!

At the age of four, I attended my first 30 minute Irish dance class. Today, I attend six hours or more of dance classes each week, every week, year round. I perform in school recitals, at community events, at nursing homes, fundraisers, and parades, but I also dance competitively.

I love competing. I don't always win, but I always try my best. Irish dancers compete at feiseanna or festivals. Feiseanna occur on the weekends year round and are hosted by Irish dancing schools and Irish cultural societies. Typically at a feis, I compete against 20 - 45 girls my age.

As a competitor, I have grown as a dancer and moved up steadily through the different levels. I reached the highest level of competition, open championship, at the beginning of ninth grade. I have competed at five Mid-Atlantic Regional competitions (the Oireachtas) and one North American National competition. When I competed at Nationals, I was extremely nervous. There were more than 300 top competitors in my age bracket from North America. It was very intimidating. After dancing, I felt satisfied that I tried my best, but I knew most of the girls were better than I and the results proved it. While I was disappointed that I did not do as well as I had hoped, I used the experience to push myself to work harder. I did not give up and have improved greatly as a dancer since then.

I am qualified to compete at the Oireachtas again this November as well as Nationals next summer. Most recently, I have been selected by my teacher to participate on a ceili team and compete at the World Irish Dancing Championships. A ceili is a group dance. We practice often, working to perfect the dance. To compete at the Worlds' level is very prestigious and I look forward to representing my school and New York on a world stage. I am very excited for the upcoming events and I believe that if we all continue working hard, we can achieve great rewards!

Irish dance has always had an important place in my life. It has shaped who I am today and I love every bit of it. Dancing is my passion! Irish dance has helped me to overcome my shyness and to gain poise and confidence. It has helped me to form a strong work ethic and made me tenacious. I have learned the importance of prioritizing and time management in order to keep my grades up, play a varsity sport, and compete year-round in Irish dance. Finally, Irish dance has taught me that cliche expressions are founded in truth. Always keep your head up! If you fail, try again! Practice makes perfect! And perhaps, most importantly, you can accomplish anything, if you put your mind to it and work hard!

Undergraduate / Quick Essay about volunteering! 'member of the Villanova community' [NEW]

Prompt: One of the principles of Villanova, as an Augustinian university founded on the teachings of St. Augustine, is that students and faculty learn from each other. As you imagine yourself as a member of the Villanova community, what is one lesson that you have learned in your life that you will want to share with others

Thanks for any help in advance! I will gladly check out your essay if you give me feedback! thanks :)

Community Service and volunteer work played an important role in my life growing up. My parents taught me that it is important to help others and not just yourself. Ever since I was young, I volunteered at my school and my church. I actually enjoyed taking part in the various events, as most of the time my friends and family surrounded me as we worked to make our community a better place.

Irish dance has also allowed me to give back to others. Year round, my dance friends and I would take day trips to different hospitals, nursing homes, and St. Patrick's Day events. Upon arrival we would put together a small show, lasting anywhere from half an hour to two hours. Not only was I helping put smiles on people's faces, I was benefiting as well: dancing in front of crowds and people I didn't know helped instill self-confidence.

As I grew up and entered high school, volunteer work continued to play an important part in my life. I continued to dance for charities; however, I added more community service activities. This time, though, was slightly different. When I was younger my parents were the ones encouraging me to volunteer and give back to my community, but upon entering high school I began to take things into my own hands. Whenever my friends brought up an activity or event needing volunteers I was quick to respond, always taking them up on the offer. In tenth grade I was introduced to the Challenger Baseball Tournament. I enjoyed helping children with special needs throughout the event and it made me very happy to see them so excited to play baseball. I was also introduced to the AHS Buddies program in tenth grade. I am very proud to say that I have volunteered more than 115 hours with this program. Many of the kids I helped, worked with, and became friends with were so sincere and truly appreciated all students who took time to visit them. In tenth grade I went to their lunch and really got to know them, while in eleventh grade I went to their gym class and encouraged them to participate. Although I was doing community service and volunteer work, it never felt like an obligation or work. It was a genuine good time and I loved spending time with the children with disabilities in the Buddies program.

This past summer I became involved in the Vassar Brothers Hospital Summer Volunteer program. I did small things, but in the long run, the projects I took part in were important to the patients and timesaving for the nurses. I plan on participating in Vassar's program again later this year.

I have learned that community service and volunteer work, while they are an obligation, should not be viewed negatively. I have found that I get more out of it then I have to put into it. The benefits far out weigh the time and effort I put in.