Undergraduate / "the school varsity tennis team" - Prompt #2 [7]

Making the school varsity tennis team was one of the goals I had in mind when I started my sophomore year. During the first week of practice, the coach told us that next week, which was Christmas vacation, we would be conditioning. By the sound of it, hearing the rumors from returning players, and from the experience during the first day of practice, I was heading for seven days of hell. Looking at the past years, I did not run several miles without walking or stopping to catch a breath.

The coming week came faster than expected. "We are running the hills today, boys," said the coach. Feeling my heartbeat at its normal pace, I double-knotted my tennis shoes and we began to walk toward the mountain track. Then the pace began to pick up. After a couple of minutes, my muscles began to harden. My ankles began to break, slowly crying out in pain. My heart began to beat faster and louder, thumping against my chest. The sun, out in the open, scorched my perspiring skin. I thought I was about to get a heat stroke.

Running up a hill was the last thing I wanted to do when most of my energy was already spent. The gravity pulled me down as I dragged my concrete body up the road. Ounces of my strength were seeping out of my skin as I went up and down the hill. Looking ahead, my teammates were a distance away. I was alone with no shade and the bright star burning my cells. Liquid salt drenched my clothes. My legs were numb with pain. When I finished half of the run, I was spent and on the verge of collapse.

"Do not give up," I heard a small voice say to me. Soon my hard fibers began to loosen. This effect pervaded throughout my structure. Soon small, cool breezes began to blow on my face as I continued to run. With no water bottle in hand, I had nothing but God to lean on. I felt His being running beside me, encouraging me to finish what I have started. Crossing the bridge and finally able to see the street leading to the campus, I smiled and started down toward my school.

Reaching the tennis courts, I took out my water bottle and drank refreshingly. I was the last one to make it back. My legs were still a bit hard from the running. My chest was heaving for air. Later on, reflecting upon this experience, I did not give up while running the hills. I do not plan to take shortcuts and end the run early. I knew if I had taken the wide road, I would not reap any benefits. If I start giving up now, I would not succeed in life. The trials have only just begun and I am going to finish the tasks given to me. I will not back down so easily."

This quality makes me proud because I always been those people that like to be active in sports. But what Coach Guzman has done is incredible teaching me a lot of things besides life and discipline as well as confidence and determination in order to succeed in life and college. This will help me in college because I have the confidence, determination, and discipline to help me succeed in college and down the road in life.

Undergraduate / Describing a time in which your friends and teachers supported you through a tough time [15]

how does this sound regarding to this question
i was only suppose to write one or two sentence describing a time in which your friends and teachers supported you through a tough time.

but instead i turned it into a paragraph
plz help revising and shortening the paragraph
gladly appreacitated

There was a day in my Geography class where we were doing a section about Africa and Mrs. Jorden told us that we would be learning how to play the type of African drums they used in there music. The next day Mrs. Jorden passed out different types of African drums to every two people in a group as well as handed us notes how to play that music.

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Undergraduate / "Born in Peru" - Need Help On Personal Statement Prompt #1 [9]

Born in Peru, I came to the United States when I was seven. Armed with only two words ("Hello" and "Good-Bye"), I braved the uncertainties of a complex, new environment.

In my life there have been many obstacles and challenges I had to go through. I came to America ten years ago with my parents; it was rough to leave Peru, the place I was born and raised in; but I came to America to get a better life, education, and to live the American Dream.

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