Undergraduate / "You only get one shot in life" - Rutgers Undergrad essay [4]

I have never been good at writing essays so I'm very nervous about writing this please help. Not finished yet but want to know how it is before I make it a done deal. Thanks!

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.

Everyone enrolled in Rutgers always has a story to tell, whether it be about their past experiences, what they are going through right now, or what they think their future holds for them. This is why Rutgers University is one of the most divergent school not only on the east coast, but around the world. With every new person that steps foot on capus Rutgers adds another page to its history because not one person has the same story to tell. Every year students graduating from highschool or wishing to transfer always had Rutgers as a main priority because of the growth that will come from being enrolled at such a creditied institution. Being such a history inthusiast, I know that I can learn so many things from this place even before I step into a classroom or open a fresh book. This is a rare circumstance where Rutgers teaches you about all aspects of life, which is credited to the people and their stories to learn from. What makes it even more special is that I can help someone as well, by telling my story and my history which adds to the Rutgers history book.

Joining the Rutgers family would be a complete honor and a privlidge. Being the only person in the family that has went on to some sort of higher education, I feel that I can benifit greatly from being apart of the University. As an aspiring history teacher, I know that Rutgers would be the place to go to earn my bachelors and masters in the education field. Having the ability to learn from world class professors about world history and classroom techniques will make me one step ahead of everyone attempting to get a job after leaving college. For schools to see the iconic red R on your degree is a resume booster on itself, but also a self confidance booster from acknowledging that you have earned a degree in one of the most competitive schools in the nation. Rutgers will help me advance as a person entering the new stage of adulthood in so many ways , but none more importantly than in life itself. While attending my student observation, my obseriving teacher a Rutgers alumni, told me the instant gratification is enormous.

Growing up, I was always surrounded by people trying to make a living. My mother and father both worked for the General Motors Assembly Plant in Linden not to far from Rutgers. My mom being a assembly line worker and my dad a union representative, they always came across new people from new places, whether it be out of state or out of country. My parents would always take me to the plant to see what real hard work and sacrifice really looked like and it almost felt like a second home. For me this was a life changing exprience everytime I alked in the door of the plant becuase I knew what these people do to suppost themselves as well as their family. All the people would know who I was and would tell me stories about their lives and where they hope life takes them, but no story inspired me more than the one I heard before the plant was closing down in 2005. A woman named Grace who imigrated from Poland when she was 7 told me her complete life story and left out no details. She explained how growing up she had no luxories what so ever and how lucky she was to have the clothes on her back. Until she found a job working at General Motors she worked multiple jobs at a time while being a straight A student in highschool. Unfortunatley school and job conflicted and she dropped out of high school with no diploma, nothing to show for all the hard work she put in to her grades. This showed to me that people in certain situations sacfrice everything so they can be able to support their family, even with how sucessful she was in school. After hearing her story I felt so sorry for Grace, but as a 15 year old kid I never completely learned from her story until sophmore year of college. She called me last year asking how I was since my mother and herself have become very close friends. At that time I was not doing very well in school and she told me, "Ryan, you need to get your act together. You only get one shot in life and please dont let it go to waste."

Its a tad long i may have to cut some out :/