Undergraduate /
Writing an essay on a diverse experience? [7]
It's for Rutgers and I know I'm late so I want to send it by Friday. Please help!
Here's the prompt:
"Essay: Rutgers University is a vibrant community of people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. How would you benefit from and contribute to such an environment? Consider variables such as your talents, travels, leadership activities, volunteer services, and cultural experiences. Only personal essays submitted via our website will be considered. You may enter a maximum of 3800 characters including spaces."
Here's my essay:
Academy for Environmental Leadership (AEL). A New Visions high school. My high school. My experience there has always been...different. But before the presumption comes to mind that I must have been a loner or an outcast, I must dismiss it. It was the school itself that was different, and attending the school is what in turn makes me different.
I remember my eclipsing middle school days where I could picture the "perfect" high school. Soon, I'd be bombarded with the load of ten different extracurricular activities and classes far beyond the usual English and math. My imagination roared with images of high schools like the ones I'd seen in movies and on TV, and I couldn't wait to get there. The challenge that high school proposed was enticing, and everyday I became more anxious. Then I entered AEL.
The high school I'd pictured was nowhere to be found. This school had no extracurriculars, no AP courses, and -in true teenage manner- my disappointment hit a new low with the knowledge that there were no lockers! This school was brand new -still in its plastic seal- when I arrived, and I am actually part of its first ever graduating class. When I told my friends -who attended different high schools- about the barrenness of this one, all they could muster up was: "You're lucky. High school will be a breeze." Oh, how wrong they were.
The fact that this school lacked so much of what I wished for is what made it so incredibly challenging. The truth is, I couldn't just accept that I would have no clubs or activities; it was in no way an option. So along with a few other students and teachers, clubs such as the school's Gay Straight Alliance and Music Group came to exist. I also searched outside of my school for the opportunity to join extracurriculars based on community research. I worked diligently without the expectation that there would ever be any of these classes or clubs for me to be a part of, but later on, I became a part of AP and honors classes in other academies on my campus.
I am well aware that my application will differ greatly when compared to those of other students. A vast majority of applicants will most likely have applications enriched with all the extracurriculars and college level courses which I never had in my grasp, and that is what makes my experience different. While I resented my school in the beginning, the experience -the hidden challenge- it did hand me, is what made me a leader, not just in school, but in life.
*Now I know it needs LOADS of work, but I'm kinda stuck. Thanks everyone!