Undergraduate / What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? - Personal Statement College Essay [6]

Personal Statement

Starting at a young age, we are always asked the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

When I first heard this question, it caught me off guard. I truly didn't know the answer to this integral statement that would shape my future. As a five year old, there was instant curiosity, and a sense of excitement and wonder at the possibilities of the future instilled within me a passion to experiment with everything!

Since I was a small child, the only safe place where I could get information on "everything" was the library.

The smell of the library as I walked in for the first time would stay with me forever, and the crinkling of the pages as I would turn them would create an instant sense of gratification, as I knew without a doubt that I would have this aura of information at my fingertips. What else could possibly be better than this array of knowledge? That was the question I kept asking myself, as I would walk the narrow aisles of the children's book sections, learning about dinosaurs and outer space.

I would always check out a ton of books at a time, and my Mom would let me take as many as I wanted, because she recognized this passion for learning that I had. I would finish the children's books I checked out quickly, and would constantly berate my Mom to take me back. She unfailingly relented, and I am grateful for that to this day.

Eventually, I started school, and found a place where I could learn everything I could possibly want! I found other children who shared my interest for learning, yet, when they were asked the question of what they wanted to be when they grew up, they all had a definite answer. Someone would say, "Astronaut," and another person would say, "Scientist," whereas, when it got to me, I faltered, and couldn't really come up with an answer. I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up. That moment shocked me, as from the time I was first asked this question to that point, I assimilated a mass amount of information for a child my age. Even with this knowledge, I still didn't know the answer.

This was the challenge I faced. My adversary was no tangible antagonist. Instead, my opponent was my future. People talk about one specific challenge that adheres to their struggles and triumphs, but this was unfamiliar territory. Something that I couldn't, and still can't predict. Why was such a simple question so difficult for me to answer?

Then, it finally hit me.

The small trips to the library, the countless number of books, and the endless amount of overdue fees were all part of who I was: someone who loved to learn. No specific occupation would appeal to me, as a certain job is contrived to a certain amount of information, and that would close the door to my learning.

I don't pile myself on tons of activities like dance or community service just because that's what all the wiki-how articles say; just so it'll make me "look good." I engage myself in activities that genuinely interest me; activities that define who I am. I realized that everything I needed was right in front of me up in the clouds, and all I needed were the wings to fly up and grab it.

I'm not the most intelligent, and I'm not the most kind. I'm not going to be the person who will "cure cancer" and I'm probably not going to change the world. I will be one of countless of human beings in the past, and of countless numbers in the future. Yet, even with all of these unrelenting odds...

Who's there to stop me from trying?
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Thanks guys! I just wrote this for fun as the idea popped into my head. Tell me what you think! :D

Undergraduate / My Brother and I along the Poolside - How that has Shaped Me [5]

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

My twin brother and I were running alongside the pool, trying to race each other to see who would make it to the entrance of the water first. As we were running, I could feel the wind brushing across my face, like the way wind brushes a hot air balloon along, and I knew that I would win. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, everything went into slow motion, and I saw through my peripheral vision my brother falling. He had tripped over my foot, and his elbow hit the concrete. Hard.

Instantly, time sped back up again, and there was blood everywhere. He was crying, and I was shocked at what just happened. In the back of my head, a little voice kept repeating over and over, "This is your fault," and I knew that it was true. We were carelessly running, and he had tripped over my foot.

I rushed over to him, and so did the lifeguard on duty. We had made a huge scene, but I didn't care. I just wanted to make sure that he was alright. The lifeguard picked him up, and carried him inside, where he was quickly treated.

As I was following the lifeguard, I pondered what had happened. We were running, and then all of a sudden, BAM, he had tripped and skinned his elbow. The guilt I was experiencing was enormous, and I wasn't sure how to handle it at first. It was the first time I had ever hurt my own brother, and albeit it was unintentional, I couldn't help but feel remorse.

After what felt like hours, my brother finally came back out with a bandaged elbow. I ran up to him, and constantly berated him with, "I'm sorry." My brother stopped me, looked me in the eye, and said, "It's ok."

A rush of relief came over me, and then I asked, "Why? I hurt you, and you don't even seem to care."

He proclaimed, "It doesn't matter that you hurt me; all that matters is that you cared."

These words still resonate throughout my mind to this day. Without my twin brother, I would never be the person I am in the present. He taught me what family truly meant, what compassion truly meant, and what the concept of forgiveness truly was. In all of the years I have known him, he has delineated all the aspects of human nature for me, and I have readily adopted them as a result.

My application would be incomplete without him.

After he uttered those words, I stared at him in utter disbelief. My mind couldn't wrap around the fact that he forgave me. All of a sudden, he pulled the bandage down, exposing his wounded elbow. I could tell a scar was already starting to form. He said, "You see this scar? It's a reminder. A reminder of all the times where we fell, figuratively and literally, and of all the times we helped each other right back up."

I stared at him, and I smiled, and I realized that for the rest of our lives we will be learning from each other. Each other's mistakes, faults, and unwise words. However, it will be these mistakes, faults, and unwise words that will shape us to be who we will become, and for that reason alone, is why my application would be incomplete without him.

Suddenly, he yells, "Race you to the end of the pool!" and he jumps up, sprinting to the other side of the pool. I laugh, and follow ensuite, realizing that no matter what happens, we will always be there for each other.

Undergraduate / Writing and Reading - How They Have Shaped Who I Am [6]

Prompt: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Note: I know this doesn't exactly follow the prompt (my essay doesn't say directly what the actual thing that shaped my life is). I'm posting this more for feedback on the anecdotal story itself and the ending, and later on I will shape it to fit the prompt better. The idea for this popped into my head, and so I started to type away! Thanks for reading!

In the year 2012, a little boy sifts through his binder of tiny, written stories. He comes across one he wrote in second grade, where he and his twin brother go on an adventure on a pirate ship to find all the jewels in the world. The little boy smiles, reminiscing on the imagination he had in the past.

He sifts through some more stories, and finds one where he turns into a lollipop! He laughs at the plot and at his horrible grammar, and he sets the story aside. He sees all of these old stories around him, yet he doesn't understand why he stopped writing them. Was it maturity? Was it laziness? Was it the incessant amounts of homework that seemingly prevented him from doing what he knew he loved to do?

The little boy sighs, and the realization occurs to him that his writings were based on the books he had just read. The magic in the pirate ship story was based off of the Harry Potter series, and the silliness of the lollipop story was based off of the hilarity of the Junie B. Jones series.

Everything that shaped this little boy's writing, and ultimately perspective on life, was a result of the novels he read. The life lessons in Scooby Doo, the mysteries in the Nancy Drew series, and the riveting heartbreak of Charlotte's Web all defined who he was.

He didn't seem get enough of these stories that transcended time; stories that portrayed life in varying perspectives. The little boy gets his hands on every piece of writing that he can; writings that cause him to think about his own life, and the state of the world that he lives in.

Later on, this little boy will go to read some of the most influential stories in history: War and Peace, the Count of Monte Cristo, Game of Thrones, Julius Caesar, and more. Stories that will force him to question what he knows about writing, and what he knows about the true values of life.

In an era that prioritizes digital education and the future, this little boy has searched through the past in the form of novels, in order to find the values and beliefs that he holds dear; in order to find the perspective that will shine the light to his future and allow him to change the world.

Finally, after reading many of his old stories, the little boy places them gently on the floor, and gets up after hearing someone calling.

"Hey, Jeffrey, I'm home! Want to go to the library?"

The little boy smiles, understanding now who he truly is.

He knows he is not the most intelligent, and that he is not the most kind. He's not going to be the person who will "cure cancer" and he's probably not going to change the world. He will be one of countless of human beings in the past, and of countless numbers in the future. Yet, even with all of these unrelenting odds...

Who's there to stop him from trying?
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PS I know this essay isn't that good, so please go easy :)