Undergraduate / Common App Essay - McDonald's [5]

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you:

"But Asians don't work at McDonalds." My Hispanic friend interrupted disbelievingly in the middle of my recount of the job fair that was held the past weekend. I found the assertion offensive; I didn't see anything wrong with working at McDonald's. In fact, I was proud to be an employee at the world's most famous fast food restaurant that even my grandmother in Korea knows of. I wanted to boast how the line for the interview at McDonald's was so long, and that I was one of the few who were hired on the spot, but instead of the congratulatory response for being the first to get a job, many wondered why I would want to work at McDonald's. Even my parents seemed embarrassed to tell everyone in the Korean community that their daughter would be working at McDonald's over the summer while other kids were planning to attend leadership camps and visit prestigious colleges. No one, including myself, foresaw that McDonald's would be the ultimate place to cultivate my maturity and development as an individual.

The place that harbored joys and delights in my childhood and also held my exposure to harshness and reality. During my first shift as cashier, the managers snapped at me when I timidly asked them if they could open the cash register because I gave the wrong amount of change, the customers let out exasperated sighs when I couldn't locate the appropriate buttons to compute their order on the menu screen and my senior coworkers rolled their eyes when I pleaded for someone to make an ice cream cone for me after my unsuccessful attempts at shaping the cone. By lunch hour when floods of customers rolled in, the manager told me to take a broom and sweep the bathroom instead.

There was no cutting slack in this new world. Just because I was new didn't mean that everyone would be considerate towards my mistakes. For the first time, I experienced the harsh rebuke and criticism of others in front of my face. I had been an obedient, if not also quiet student in school, but these qualities were useless in the workplace. Having a loud voice and an infallible cheerfulness were the trademarks of being a McDonald's cashier. I received no praise or gratitude for doing my job right because I was simply expected to do so. I had always been under the guidance of parents and teachers but at McDonald's I was on my own while working as a team player at the same time. Failing to carry out my duties properly was disrupting the flow of the system; I had to work fast and with efficiency.

Slowly, I discovered the simple joys of working at McDonald' as I adapted to the routine. Letting a child pick their favorite happy meal toy, seeing the excited faces of the famished soccer players when I called out their orders, and even watching the simple scene of a family enjoying their lunch became pleasures and perks. I found kindred souls in my coworkers after reconciling any differences in age or cultures. Later, I realized that my coworkers were so serious about their work because McDonald's wasn't just a summer part-time job for them, but a major source of income.

By the end of the summer, I concluded that I thrived in this type of realistic environment. I enjoyed working under pressure and received self-satisfaction when performing my responsibilities that are required for a business to function. No longer did I become disheartened with the glares and complaints from customers; throughout the dealings, I built an internal shield that protected my newfound strength and confidence. I finally broke free from my past sheltered existence.

Total words: 618

I had some trouble expressing everything I wanted to say and to make it flow better. What do you guys think about the topic and overall structure?