Undergraduate / An activist of veganism - College Application Essay / Following The Prompt? [5]

Prompt: We firmly believe that every person is unique and of value. Our University is enriched by embracing individual differences and creating a community that is much more than the sum of its parts. In 650 words or less, share your story with us. Tell us how you came to be the person you are today, and about your passions and future expectations. Describe how you will benefit from our community and how our community will benefit from you.

Essay:

I have never really had a passion. I always invested a lot of time in school and cheerleading, but I would not consider either of those to be my passion. With that being said, I have always wanted a passion. I envied people who fought for a cause or whose face lit up when they spoke about their passion. I have never really had a passion, until three months ago.

While surfing the web on YouTube, I came across a video titled "5 Benefits of Being Vegan After One Year." I thought it looked interesting so I decided to click on it. Little did I know that this five minute and twenty three second video would change my life by giving me something I had always wanted: a passion.

This video inspired me to educate myself on veganism. I stayed up until one in the morning researching and trying to decide if I wanted to go vegan. I came to the conclusion that I would try it for a while, maybe a week or two. I would do it for the health benefits and to see if eating a vegan diet would give me more energy, like my research promised.

The next day I went to the grocery store and bought a cart full of fruits and vegetables. Within three days I noticed that not only did I have more energy, but I was falling asleep more easily, sleeping better, and my skin was clearing up. I went to a hot yoga class, which on normal circumstances I would feel exhausted afterwards, and I wanted to stay for the next class. While I used to stay awake staring at my ceiling for hours, I was now falling asleep within ten minutes of laying down. This was one of the best things that had ever happened to me!

So I decided to continue, for the first two months it was for the health benefits. At the time, I did not concern myself with the torture of animals.. This was merely because when I ate animal products, I would protect myself from watching the videos of what the industry does to animals for our food. I knew I would feel terrible about eating animal products if I watched these videos.

But, once I was vegan for two months and planned to stay vegan for a long time, I decided to expose myself to the truth. Veganism was no longer just a diet to me, it was now a lifestyle. Watching these videos sparked a flame in me and veganism soon became my passion. I wanted to protect those animals because they cannot speak up for themselves.

By sharing my passion with others, I have inspired my sister and one of my friends to go vegan. Prior to looking at the ethical side of veganism, I would not have seen it as a big accomplishment to inspire someone to eat a plant-based diet. But now that I understand that our free market works on supply and demand, and if demand decreases supply will as well, I understand that if just one person stops eating animals products, it can have a slight impact on decreasing the torture, rape, and exploitation of these animals.

With this passion, I believe I can benefit from the Florida State community in so many ways. I can further educate myself by meeting a variety of new people and being exposed to all of their views, even if my beliefs differ from theirs, I am always open to hear new opinions. The Florida State community can benefit from me because I will spread my passion as much as possible. I would be interested in joining or starting a vegan or animal cruelty club on campus and pushing for more vegan options. As an activist of veganism, my hopes are to open people's eyes to the fact the veganism is more healthy and sustainable than the average American diet.

Undergraduate / Non-Academics That I Have Learned Through Academics University of Texas at Austin App Essay [4]

Prompt: Considering your lifetime goals, discuss how your current and future academic and extra-curricular activities might help you achieve your goals.

Non-Academics That I Have Learned Through Academics
I have been in an academic race my entire life. My father set a stern example,
earning several advanced degrees before turning 21. Although today a
successful entrepreneur, my brother was easy to surpass, his attendance was
horrific in high school and he dropped out of college after his first semester.
My sister, on the other hand, kept me on my toes. Her grades in high school
allowed her to get into one of the best colleges in my state. This has given me
very high expectations to live up to.
While this everlasting race is stressful, it has helped me in tremendous ways.
If I did not have this competitiveness I do not think I would have excelled so
much in academics and extracurriculars. This competition has been my motive to
take honors, AP, and college level classes.
I am grateful that I overachieved as this will help me in the future. With
dreams of becoming a psychiatrist, I understand I will have to go through many
more years of education. This competitiveness will allow me to do my best
throughout these years. My motive has helped me excel in a way that will allow
me to get into a wonderful school and begin studying what I am passionate
about.
In the short term, my current academics will allow me to be prepared for
college courses. But in the long term, I will always strive to be my best.
Despite the career, striving for self-efficacy is a quality that will take me
anywhere in life. I have found this fire in me through my academics in high
school and have used this tool in everything I do. Not only in school but in my
extracurriculars as well. In high school cheerleading, I ran for captain to
make my team the best team that we could be. I achieved this through numerous
hours of practice and team bonding. In my competitive cheerleading I strove to
be the best I could when my team won second place in a world wide competition-
The Summit.
Along with this strive for self-efficacy, I have found how to hold myself
accountable. This will help me in any career as well. When my grades suffer, I
know it is because I did not study enough. When my cheerleading team lost a
competition I knew it was because I did not throw my back tuck. When something
goes wrong in my workplace, I will be able to take accountability for it. I
understand that if one does not take accountability than they cannot remedy the
situation.
The principals that I live by will allow me to teach my morals to patients
struggling mentally. I believe these qualities are essential to a clear state
of mind. I have learned these morals through my academic career because I have
always been competitive within my family.

Graduate / Why I Had to Quit the Sport I'd Played All My Life UT Application Essay [2]

Just looking for some proofreading and feedback! Thanks in advance for your help.

Prompt: Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life, and the skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how?

I have been a cheerleader all my life. I started recreational cheerleading when I was just two years old. This sport became my life eventually when I started competitive cheerleading. At this point, I was dedicating 8 hours per week to the sport while taking on honors and AP classes. It was difficult, but I did it because I loved it. As my junior year came to an end, I had to make a very difficult decision. I had to decide whether or not to quit cheerleading in order to make more time for school.

Cheerleading was almost a part of my identity. I had been active in this sport for 15 years. That's almost 90% of my whole life. I loved the connection I had with my coaches and fellow team mates. The fact that I had 22 best friends that all shared the same passion for cheerleading was what made this decision difficult.

Another reason I found it difficult was because of the feeling I got before I walked onto the stage at competitions. This feeling is like nothing else. Each and every time I felt like I was going to cry from being so scared. But once I got on the stage and got set for the routine, I immediately felt determination. I felt empowered like I was on top of the world. When the music started I could feel the adrenaline rush through my body. I knew I would never get this feeling anywhere else.

Towards the end of the season, my teammates began asking me if I was trying out again. Each time the topic came up I started crying. I did not want to quit my favorite sport, but I knew it was the best thing for my education.

I was starting early admissions my senior year, this meant I was going to take 5 college level classes. I didn't know if I could take on this kind of school work while spending 8 hours a week at the cheer gym. I tore myself away from my passion.

Ever since I joined my cheerleading gym, I looked up to the graduating seniors' goodbye videos at the banquet each year. The seniors would make a video about the things they have learned from the coaches and tips for the rest of the gym. I had been planning what I was going to say for 8 years. Since I quit when I was a junior, I will never be able to make this video. As depressing as it is, I still think this was the best decision for me to further my academic career. There aren't many scholarships for cheerleading nor any careers in cheerleading that I am interested in. While I have learned many life lessons from this sport, I have accepted that my cheerleading days have come to an end.