Undergraduate / UCF admissions essays, Why did you apply? what characteristics do you have? [3]

4. What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the UCF community?

As I took a knee on the dew covered grass at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning my coach asked the team and I what it takes to win a championship? All in sync, everyone replied "Motivation, Discipline, Heart!" This team that I was introduced to freshman year became a major part of my life. The football field became my home, my teammates became my family, and my coaches became my mentors.

When I was only 14 years old, I spent my first summer going into high school practicing Monday through Saturday for hours on end. Instead of going to the local day camp with my friends. They went on trips to movies and bowling every day and I went to the field. I conditioned, trained and practiced just to get my chance to play on the Stoneman Douglas football team. We weren't the best team around, in fact more of the opposite, but it wasn't about winning or loosing it was about being a part of something special.

When I tried out for the team I thought all I was going to get out of it was a little bit of playing time here and there and being able to wear my jersey around school. However, it was much more than that. I learned what it meant to be disciplined, motivated and manage my time. There were days I spent doing extra push-ups or sprints because I hadn't learned these traits, but I soon learned from my mistakes and corrected them as fast as I made them.

The definition of discipline is to punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience. My first encounter with discipline was not a good one. The coach sounded two whistles, which meant "quiet and look at me." Unfortunately I didn't know this and I continued to talk. I was singled out by Coach and I had to stay after practice to pay the price. Discipline is knowing when to and when not to and why and why not.

I have also learned what it means to be motivated. Until my junior year the football team was not one of the best in town. In fact we hadn't made it to the playoffs in 6 years. However, with hard work and motivation it paid off. The team came in before and after school to practice, we ate, slept, and thought football. We were motivated. Our season record was 8-2 and we beat the number one team in the county in the first round of the playoffs. We were definitely the smallest team in the county in size , but we were the most motivated. This has carried off the field for me, in places such as the class room when I know that I need to get an A on a test to keep my grade I motivate myself and pull through.

Time management is very important too. Having to wake up at 6 o'clock on a Saturday morning for practice without being a minute late is hard to do being a teen. However, knowing that if I'm not on time I will suffer consequences makes it much easier. Football time management has also carried to my schooling. I would leave for school and 7am, and not home till 7pm. I had to make sure I had time to eat dinner and complete my homework before I went to bed. It wasn't easy at first but I have mastered time management.

When the final buzzer sounds at the end of the football game, and my team walks off the field victorious, I know that I contributed to the win because I am disciplined, motivated and use time management to stay in line. This was why I was voted "Best all-around" for the 2008 football season.

3. Why did you choose to apply to UCF?

Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to go to college, but I didn't know where. In April of my junior year I went to Orlando to visit UCF and that was when I knew it. I knew that I wanted to go to UCF. As I drove by the school and I saw the light poles with UCF flags on them and kids joking around with they're gold and black shirts on, I realized that I wanted to be a golden knight.

Everyone around the campus looked so happy and it seemed as if everyone was a big family, a family that I wanted to be a part of. My brother currently attends UCF and he has told me many times that he wouldn't change schools for the world.

I am applying to four major Florida universities, but as long as I am accepted to UCF none of the other schools matter. UCF is one of the few schools that offer some of the best internships with professional sports teams. There is even a special program that notifies you of certain opportunities with teams such as the Orlando Magic, and that was a major selling point for me. I hope to one day be in the offices for a sports team, and I feel that if I attend UCF that I will get my best shot at fulfilling my dream.

Ever since I was little I've been participating in sports and wanting to be involved in them. During high school I had my shot as I participated in multiple sports teams. Even though I am not up to par for college quality athletics I know that this will not end my career in sports. I think that if I attend UCF I will make it to the big offices one day of a sports team which is my true dream.

Undergraduate / 'A dream come true' - Vires, Artes, Mores - FSU admissions essay [2]

My ESSAY:

Throughout my high school career I have learned more about myself than I can ever remember. I have participated in varsity and junior varsity football which developed my strengths, taught me skills and brought out the very best of my character. I am more confident about myself, especially when meeting new people and when I find myself in new situations. The training, coaching I received and commitments I have made to these teams have also assisted me in developing and organizing my school life. I have definitely become a much better student and the results are evident. Vires, Artes, Mores is much more than what it says. They are characteristics that I posses and are important to me.

The Strength that I have obtained both physically and mentally is Vires. When I joined the football team freshman year, I knew there would be much more to it then just the sport itself. The first thing I did as a member of these teams was exercise and work out. Besides giving me the physical strength necessary to compete, the weight room developed my body both physically and mentally as well. I became strong mentally and developed a confident attitude. . On that last sprint, when I was physically drained I had to overpower my fatigue, I let my mind take control knowing that I could do that last sprint. I knew that if I set my mind to do something, I could! Being a part of these teams has taught me to be strong in so many more ways then I knew how to be before.

In 2007, I was voted best all around athlete, during my junior year football season, for one reason. My attitude. I believed nothing could stop me and whatever I set my mind to is certainly attainable. This is Mores. I have learned characteristics such as respect, honesty, team work, time management and discipline. The motivation that football has taught me, has also carried off the field and into the classroom. There have been numerous times when I needed to perform in the classroom, so I could reach my goal of having immaculate grades. I buckled down, did what was necessary and accomplished my goals. It may seem that football is a big part of my life, well it is. I know that without football in my life, it is possible that I might have been involved with persons or situations bad for me. The coaches became mentors and the camaraderie of my teammates is something I'll remember forever. They've all helped me to develop and mature into the individual that I am. It is one of the reasons that I dream of becoming a Seminole. I know that I posses the same Vires, Artes and Mores, as all Seminoles at Florida State University.

Before applying to FSU I had never heard of Vires, Artes, Mores, but over the course of writing this essay I realized how much this Latin phrase really applies to me. I am a hard working and motivated student, both intellectually and physically. Being accepted to Florida State University and becoming a Seminole would be a dream come true.