Undergraduate / Reflection on Character - Needing a Conclusion // Constructive Criticism [2]

In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your ideas about student responsibility, academic integrity, campus citizenship or a call to service.

When I was younger my family would travel to Florida to visit my grandmother and grandfather 2-3 times a year, once for Christmas and once or twice in the summer. My grandparents lived in Florida for many years before they moved to Tennessee to be closer to their children. They are remarkable individuals in their early 90s who still live together in an assisted living facility. There is one story of my grandfather in particular to makes me extremely proud to be a part of his family.

My grandfather, Harold Brown Clark, was an individual who would trust anyone with his life; whether it was for a favor or a small loan of money. Sometimes that person would repay the favor, but sometimes they would take advantage of him. There was a special case where a student came to my grandfather needing to tell him that he had to drop out of college because he was honorably discharged from the military without a job to pay the tuition. My grandfather saw the potential in this young man and could not stand to see him drop out. My grandfather paid this students tuition so that he could graduate and earn his degree. Our family learned of this story when the student called 30 years later to speak with my grandfather. This man is now the CEO of a major insurance company on the east coast.

This story is something very important to me because it reflects on the type of person that I wish to become. It is the character of my grandfather that is extremely rare in this world today. My grandfather lived in Gainesville, Florida for 88 years, and for 30 of those years he was a professor of Agricultural Economics and Marketing at the University of Florida.

Undergraduate / "I want to be a lawyer" - Florida Admission Essay [3]

In the space provided, please write a concise narrative in which you describe a meaningful event, experience or accomplishment in your life and how it will affect your college experience or your contribution to the UF campus community. You may want to reflect on your ideas about student responsibility, academic integrity, campus citizenship or a call to service.

The most common question when speaking to new people or a family member is "What are your plans for college?". Until the end of my junior year in high school I really had no idea what to tell them. It was a simple Introduction to Business course which assigned a project that enabled me to discover for myself what would like to do with my life, rather than following a predetermined path set by my parents or siblings.

It was late May and the school year was winding down which meant there were plenty of final projects and exam. My teacher for Introduction to Business took a rather different approach to our final project and told us to create a plan for college and plans for after college. Before then my intentions were to go to college and major in business and then become an accountant or some sort of economist like my two older brothers. The project challenged me to research and determine my own path and set my own goals. It was then that I decided I wanted to go to college and double major in business and law. After, I would like to attend a Law School where I will gain the degree and experience necessary to practice on my own and open a business-law firm.

When I tell people that I want to be a lawyer, they do not seemed surprised, some even say that they always saw me as being a good lawyer; I enjoy debating and I believe I do a good job at supporting my arguments with relevant information. Since I have set high goals for myself, my family and friends are somewhat skeptical of my ability to accomplish them. It is their skepticism, along with my determination that will drive me to succeed in college, and in turn, succeed in life. College and Law School will be a long 7 years but I know that I have the will and determination strong enough to achieve my goals.

Now with my solid answer to the most common question, their response is somewhat belittling, "Are you sure you have the determination to do that?". At first I am not sure what to make of the question but my answer is always the same, "Yes, I know it is what I want to do, and I'm going to do it." (In a respectful tone of course).

Any form of insight/constructive criticism, grammar corrections, and/or spelling corrections are appreciated!