Prompt:
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. Only personal essays submitted via our website will be considered. You may enter a maximum of 3800 characters including spaces.
Essay:
"We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give" are the words of Winston Churchill and I have heard them since the age of ten. My parents loved quoting famous people, and made sure I was aware of the value of volunteering in my community. At the age of ten I did not feel it was necessary to spend my time for others, but as I matured I became aware of the importance of giving back to one's society. When I was twelve years old my parents forced me to volunteer at a camp for seven hours a day and five days a week. I volunteered for the whole summer and at first, dreaded the idea of spending my own time to enhance the summer of others. After working for the first week, I loved it. I was a counselor for nine and ten-year-old boys and I was in charge of them; this was a big responsibility. We went on field trips, played games, made art, and even went swimming. By the end of the summer I had matured in all aspects of my life; not only was I smarter, happier, and more established, but I also respected my parents because I realized that caring for others is a difficult task. This experience did not only benefit others, but it also helped me; I was a different person. After my first year working at this camp, I became cognizant of the importance of volunteering and I went back for two more years.
My community service has taught me things that many people do not know and ignore. I am now aware of my leadership abilities, in that I am able to care for and be in charge of others. As well, the sense of accomplishment I felt after volunteering has made it all the worthwhile.
If accepted into Rutgers University I would make sure to take advantage of my leadership skills and involve myself as I have in my own town. With its Student Volunteer Council, Rutgers would allow me keep volunteering and even entice others to do so. It is vital for people to realize the importance of giving back to their community in order to make a difference. With the vibrant, diverse, and large student body at Rutgers I can reach out to all different types of students from various backgrounds. I would feel accomplished if I was able to get others to do community service and Rutgers diverse environment can help me succeed at that. Overall, my epiphany at the age of twelve has altered my views on community service and if accepted into Rutgers University I would be able to continue volunteering and also make others aware of its importance.
