Undergraduate / "A successful student" FSU essay [3]

please be brutallly honest

prompt : The Latin words, "Vires, Artes, Mores" have been the guiding philosophy behind Florida State University. Vires signifies strength of all kinds - moral, physical, and intellectual; Artes alludes to the beauty of intellectual pursuits as exemplified in skill, craft, or art; and Mores refers to character, custom, or tradition. Describe how one or more of the values embodied in these concepts are reflected in your life.

No longer than 500 words:

A successful student is not just one who can memorize the first 100 digits of pi, or one who can recite the Preamble of the Constitution from memory, as most people define a successful student as. A successful student is one who benefits the most in school and out, from extracurricular activities to sports. The FSU motto of ''Vires, Artes, Mores" is a complex motto that inspires others to challenge themselves and do the impossible.

An art that grew on me was music. When I moved to Florida, I signed up for chorus in 7th grade. However, I never knew it would take me to where I am today, and I am thankful to have chosen singing in the first place. My previous musical experience only was junior high orchestra, but my love for music grew rapidly as I started singing. It gave me a new way to express joy, sadness, and respect. That year, that was when I knew I wanted to take it on through high school. In high school, we eventually became a second family to each other and felt like we knew each other since we were in diapers. My favorite time of year was when we would go to Disney Candlelight and sing in the Christmas Processional. Singing in a mass choir in Disney world has always been my dream, and to be able to fulfill it has made singing the best experience in the world.

My different strengths have helped my journey through high school. Vires has been taught to me through my family and friends and the support will always continue. They have always taught me to never give up, and that I can do anything. In high school, they convinced me to join the AICE academy there, meaning I would be taking more rigorous, college-level courses. I would not trade the experience I have had for the world and I thank them for pushing me. Instead of just challenging my intellectual skills, I also increased my physical skills. I joined the cross-country team, and running in the Florida weather everyday I believe is my own accomplishment. I developed discipline, dedication and strength through running and will always remember my team. Our coach told us, "If you ever have to stop, slow down and keep running, but never walk.'' That advice has helped me evolve through high school and beyond.

To be selected for Florida State University, I believe you have to have more than just brains. To benefit simply from education is only experiencing half the lesson from high school. I am glorious to hold those characteristics that have shaped me, and I believe the place for them and me to grow is at Florida State University.

Undergraduate / Proud of my ethnicity ("a proud Filipino") - UCF essays [3]

UCF Essay
Choose 2
1. If there has been some obstacle or "bump in the road," in your academic or personal life, please explain the circumstances.
2. How has your family history, culture or environment influenced who you are?
3. Why did you choose to apply to UCF?
4. What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the UCF community?

2.
I am not Chinese. Nor Japanese. I am a proud Filipino, although my parents always limit my pride by saying I am just White. My mother being born in the Philippines, and my father being Irish, I am proud to have such a diverse ancestry. My mother's family and I always spend time together, and have gotten much closer. We always have traditional Filipino food , and I plan on trying to cook some on my own. I always try to learn Tagalog from them as well, and I have learned a couple words, and hope to learn much more. I have learned to be myself around others and to take pride in my ethnicity. On my father's side, he always gives me lessons on our bad Irish luck or stories back in his day, such as how he walked treacherous miles to school in the snow when he was young. Ironically, as I think how little Irish luck we have, I also think of how lucky I am to have a tight-knit family. Through every cross-country meet, chorus concert, and school play they were the first people I would see and always praised me. Through them, I have learned to never give up and that I always have them back to fall on. They have taught me that no one is perfect, and mistakes are made by everyone.

4. Throughout middle school I spent my free time drawing or doing homework while other kids played sports. I never followed the crowd, and loved to express my individuality to everyone. The studying paid off down the road, as I got a Who's Who Among Outstanding Students in America invitation. My creativity also has always been expressed through schoolwork. I wrote a poem for an English class in elementary school, and it won an Editor's Choice Award. At the beginning of high school, I never participated in school sports or interacted with school events. During my sophomore year however, I decided to push myself. I joined the cross-country team, as I felt that sport would challenge me the most. We ran anywhere from 3-7 miles in the bipolar Florida heat everyday. I learned discipline, moral, became part of a second family, and learned from my mistakes. I also joined the track time, while at the same time I auditioned for the school play - and made both. I would run track one day, then go to play practice the next. Also, that year I joined the AICE program. I learned to balance school with sports, expanded my dedication, and became comfortable with multitasking. I have contributed much hard work and perseverance through school, discovered new talents, and I believe I can contribute a fun yet hardworking personality to UCF.

Undergraduate / "My race" - Meaningful event - UF essay [5]

UF Essay
400-500 words
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.

It is 5:30 AM, and the sun has not risen yet. You could feel the humidity in the air and the dew on the grass as we scattered our bags and shoes on the tarp. That was what it felt like on a usual race day. However this day was different. It was 7 AM and the sun was beating. My father and I walked into a room as I tried to find my name, among 30 sheets of paper with nothing but names and numbers on them. I found my name and my number, 15458. I realize I am at the end of the group, noting that there are 15457 runners in front of me. In my mind however, it was me, myself and I running the largest 15K in the USA.

The inclusion of sports in my high school life made it instantly vibrant. Football games seemed to top it all. However, I wanted to join a sport that would challenge me the most. For me, I enjoyed running and wanted to build my endurance. Cross country enabled me to challenge myself, and I automatically fell in love with the sport and the team. The bigger the races, the more I enjoyed them. The sheer sounds of horns and applause helped the pain ease out. That morning of the Gate River Run, I calmed my butterflies with water and stretched. Eventually, the gun sounded and ''Chariots of Fire" started playing. All I could see in front was heads bobbing up and down as they ran and eventually I took off. The first mile seemed like forever, but bands at every mile helped me to keep going. Houses we passed even sprayed water on us as we passed. Wendy's cups were all over the ground and you would see runners in eye-popping costumes: A running banana, a running ape, a running hot dog - however there were runners in proud uniforms: Jaguar players, and most importantly, firemen. They were dressed from head to toe in costume and did not stop. They were the runners I greatly looked up to that day.

From all the runners and supporters that day, to my family and friends my dedication has never grown short. Through my hard AICE classes in school, there have been times where I wanted to stop, but I did the work and it paid off down the road. My race helped me realize how much honor we truly give to the men and women fighting, and at that time, I was volunteering at the local hospital in different departments. I worked in the Radiology department, filing x-rays and helping with medical records; The endoscopy department, observing colonoscopys; and participated in the Pharmacy department, helping to distribute drugs and prescriptions. I believe everyone who enters college starts like a runner at the line with butterflies. Having the privlege of living in the UF community would help me enable my skills of dedication, persistence, support, and to cross the finish line proudly.

Undergraduate / "Always a part of me" - Vires, Artes and Mores- FSU essay [3]

Promtp: The Latin words, "Vires, Artes, Mores" have been the guiding philosophy behind Florida State University. Vires signifies strength of all kinds - moral, physical, and intellectual; Artes alludes to the beauty of intellectual pursuits as exemplified in skill, craft, or art; and Mores refers to character, custom, or tradition. Describe how one or more of the values embodied in these concepts are reflected in your life.

No longer than 500 words

Please be brutally honestt

A perfect circle. When I was younger, and I would write my last name, I would keep erasing the ''O'' until I got it perfect. I would always decorate my name on papers because I simply thought my name was too bland. ''Artes'' means the definition of undiscovered beauty, in my opinion. It can be found in a flower, or how you design your own room.

Throughout elementary school, drawing...

and after edits:

I completley redid the whole essay:

A well-rounded student is not just a person who can memorize the first 100 numbers of pi, or one who can recite the Preamble of the Constitution from memory. A student who benefits the most is one who has different but equal abilities in school and out. The FSU motto of ''Vires, Artes, Mores" is a complex definition that inspires others to challenge themselves and do the impossible.

Artes have defined me ever since I was little. As a child, I would love taking leaves in the fall from the frontyard and pressing them in books. Throughout elementary school and junior high, I grew a love for scrapbooking and collecting stickers. In art class one day, we were told to draw an Egyptian theme on color scratch paper. I decided to draw a shephard and a sheep, turned it in to my art teacher, and she chose to put it in the local art show. To this day I still have over 1000 stickers and plan on scrapbooking the rest of my high school memories. Looking back, I don't remember how mine was chosen, because I randomly drew a disco ball over the shephard's head. Another skill I took on was music. I wanted to learn how to play the piano, and my friend suggested her piano teacher, and I automatically signed up. 7 years later, I love playing piano and entertaining others. I also joined chorus in 7th grade when I moved to Florida. The teacher became an instant favorite, and always told us when we are singing, to ''Squeeze the Val-nut!" I continued chorus into high school, and every year we go to Disney to sing on Christmas, my favorite time of the year.

My greatest achievement has been my strengths. Vires has been taught to me through my family and friends and the support will always continue. They have always taught me to never give up, and that I can do anything. In high school, they convinced me to join the AICE academy there, meaning I would be taking more rigorous, college-level courses. I would not trade the experience I have had for the world and I thank them for pushing me. Instead of just challenging my intellectual skills, I also increased my physical skills. I joined the cross country team, and running in the Florida weather everyday I believe is my own accomplishment. Our coach told us ''If you ever have to stop, slow down and keep running, but never walk.'' That advice carried me on when I ran in the Gate River Run. I saw people in weird costumes- a running hot dog, and a running banana; but I saw many firemen and it made me proud for our country.

To be selected for Florida State University, I believe you have to have more than just brains. I am glorious to hold characteristics that have shaped me, and I believe the place for them and me to grow is at Florida State.