Writing Feedback / An avid collector - UVA Quirks Supplemental Essay [2]

Prompt-

We are a community with quirks, both in language and in traditions.

Describe one of your quirks and why it is part of who you are.

Around 250 words, max of 300.

Essay-

I'm an avid collector. From collecting bottle caps, stickers, F.C. Bayern calendars, birthday cards, books, Magic The Gathering cards, and even cool-looking rocks, I have always had an affinity for collecting. Let me take you through some of my collections.

Each bottle cap I collect has a story. They all have one thing in common; they were all present during special moments in my life. They serve as time traveling machines that bring me back to a particular time and place every time I look at them. Among my favorites include my Tío Leonardo's Toña bottle cap from when I met my Nicaraguan extended family for the first time this past summer and my father's Stella Artois bottle cap from when Germany won the 2014 World Cup.

Thanks to my mother, books have always played a large role in my life, which is why I collect them. My collection spans from rarer books such as a first edition copy of A Journal from our Legation in Belgium by Hugh Gibson to the entirety of my favorite author-Roald Dahl's works.

Unlike my other collections, my collection of F.C. Bayern calendars is something I did not intend; it just happened. Every Christmas my Aunt Monika gifts me an F.C. Bayern calendar. My collection begins with a 2010 calendar and I hope to keep expanding my collection and even continue the tradition with a family of my own.

Building my collections provides an escape to my increasingly hectic life. My collections act as a continuity of self, each object providing a snapshot into my life.

Undergraduate / A plane ticket to Richmond - Umiami Supplemental Prompt [2]

Umiami Supplemental Prompt

Prompt-
The University of Miami's official mascot is the ibis. Folklore maintains that the native marsh bird is the last to take shelter before a hurricane hits and the first to emerge once the storm passes, making it an apt symbol of courage and resilience.

Considering your ability to control your own motivation and behavior, how have past experiences helped build your courage and resilience to persist in the face of academic and life challenges so that, once these storms pass, you can emerge in continued pursuit of your goals?

I would greatly any feedback you guys can give me.

I look down at my plane ticket to Richmond, Virginia. My stomach begins to churn, here we go again, I think to myself. I have moved four times, living in Florida, Brazil, California, New York, and Virginia. Packing everything up, moving, and assimilating to a different place is always a slow and difficult process but I have developed an effective method to make each move easier. I make sure to always decorate my room the same way, keeping memorabilia from each move. From Florida and Brazil, I have my favorite stuffed pig and tiger, which now adorn the top of my dresser. From California, I have my FC Bayern Munich Flag and from New York, I have a framed panoramic picture of Albany, both of which hang above my desk. Each of these objects serves as a reminder that I have adapted before and can do it again. Next, I always make sure to join the local club soccer team. Sports are the easiest and best way for me to meet new people and make new friends. Finally, I always make sure to keep in touch with all of my "old'' friends. By staying in contact it makes the initial months less isolating. Following these steps, I make sure that anywhere I land, I am ready to make the most of the experience.