Undergraduate / The Perks of Being a Homeschooler (topic of your choice commonapp!) [6]

what do you get from this essay as far as who I am? what kind of personality do I convey? and how's the writing? thanks!

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When some hear home-schooling, they either envision a pajama-wearing child chained to their kitchen table with parents shouting the Pythagorean Theorem until the child sheds tears, or an incredibly dense student who fabricates their education in pursuit of video games. This is our label. This is how we are portrayed.

My parents did not home-school me to shield me from the world, but to emerge as a prominent member of it. Neither of my parents earned a college degree, so they desired that I could have more opportunities. When I reached enrollment age, they decided I needed greater challenges, therefore, my mom kept me home and taught me herself.

As I grew, school was not only a time to learn, but a time to reflect. I received individual attention and instruction that enabled me to mold my inner voice. I understood more than the subject I studied; I comprehended its impact on me. I determined what I wanted, what I needed, and what I lacked. I may not have been surrounded by twenty children in my classroom, but I did become acquainted with myself. I became slightly introspective and increasingly independent.

That is not to say I am a loner. In fact, I love people. Without students inhabiting the halls of my school, I harnessed my extroverted side to make friends. As I actively sought friendships, I exercised my flexible schedule to pursue a variety of my interests. I immersed myself in various extra curricular activities, collecting a vibrant community of friends. As a result, I have friends of all races, political views, and economic backgrounds who continuously widen my perspective with every interaction. I owe my adaptability, and my social life, to opportunities home-schooling presented me.

Some people, however, do not understand my unconventional education. In their mind, I am stationed on my living room sofa watching recent Spongebob episodes, the sky growing dimmer as my intellect declines. In reality, my living room much resembles a classroom, adorned with educational charts and posters on every centimeter of its walls. I motivated myself to progress my education rather than relying on another for my success. Games my mom arranged such as the Tower--featuring my third grade self connecting leggo blocks for every correct answer, resulting in a skyscraper--led to my passion for learning. School was always exciting, always fun, and I loved it.

Okay, I will admit, sometimes I do school in my pajamas; but I also attend concerts. I observe pop culture. I talk to my friends on the phone. I am no more obscure than the average teenage girl. Rather than allowing the "home-school" label to handicap me, I challenge it, using homeschooling to extensively utilize my abilities. Although a new and very scary chapter of my life approaches, I serve as evidence that homeschooling can create a powerful urge to make an impact. I am evidence that labels can be overturned. I am evidence that people are not always what they are perceived to be.

Undergraduate / I need to hit harder. Move faster. Kick higher. Be greater; Common App [5]

please, be brutal. I need this to be as close to perfection as humanly possible.

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At my petite height of four feet and eleven inches, I know I am not the first person you would expect to train in takedowns and sparring methods, but I do it. Since starting karate, I push myself out of my comfort zone and past my limits. I need to hit harder. Move faster. Kick higher. Be greater. Although martial arts it not a team sport, my karate friends and I treat each other as a family. The dojo is my home.

Yet, when my instructor suggested that I teach children's classes, I shied from the concept. Working as a teenage girl without a black belt, persuading children to perceive me as an authority figure proved to be quite challenging. With every class, however, my confidence increased as I realized that my school's principles validated that I deserve respect. Now, I teach entire classes by myself.

Overall, karate has showed me that I have value. I have no need to play a passive role in my life and simply allow things to happen to me. Instead, I fight back.

Undergraduate / 'School in pyjamas' - personal statement essay about home schooling - topic of choice [3]

I talk a lot about the misconceptions of my education, but is there enough about me? And how's the writing?

When some hear "home schooling," they envision a child chained to their kitchen table with parents shouting the Pythagorean theorem until tears are shed. The student is sheltered, naĂŻve, and unprepared for life. This is our label. This is what we are defined as.

"If you're home schooled, how do you socialize?" The questioner gazes with wide eyes, preparing for my sob story of a sheltered life. Truthfully, I love people. My flexible schedule allows me to explore the world while others sit at desks. I attend concerts, text excessively, and visit my friends. I am just as social as the next teenage girl. Sadly, this lengthy explanation would hold no substance with the perplexed inquirer. I contain a sigh and reply to this question for the thousandth time. "Well, isn't that what we're doing?"

The questions do not stop there. They test some more, prepared to whisk me away to child services for neglect. In their mind, I am stationed on my living room couch, watching the latest SpongeBob episode, the sky growing dimmer as my intellect declines. I must defend my education. This is simple, because school was always a positive experience. Home schooling gave me freedom to learn at my own pace, become an independent worker, and be responsible for my education. Not only am I secure in the adequacy of my education, but I have developed a true love for learning. Perhaps this love sprouted when my mother arranged activities such as the Train Game; a trail of index cards with addition facts along my kitchen floor. Maybe it was The Tower, featuring my third grade self connecting leggo blocks for every question answered correctly, resulting in a skyscraper, that motivated me to study harder. School was always exciting, always fun, and I love it.

Unlike those who attend school, my wide group of friends could not derive from a single place. I was forced to reach out from my small world and explore a variety of groups. As a result, I have friends of all races, personalities, ages, political views, sexual orientations, economic class, and religions. I cannot imagine having friends who were all raised in the same town, knew the same people, and thought the same way. How boring! I love hearing one friend's stance on a subject and then turning to another for an opposing opinion. My friends continue to widen my perspective with every interaction. I owe my curiosity, my open mind, and my flexibility to home schooling.

Okay, yes, I do school in pajamas sometimes. And yes, maybe I am nerdier than your average teenager. But I refuse to allow my stereotype to handicap me. Rather, I use it as motivation to shock people who underestimate my abilities. Through knowledge and experiences I have gained, I am confident that my home education will aid me in making an impact. I am proof that people are not always what they are perceived to be.