Heres my essay (most of it, havent finished it), its like in an outline format. I would love to hear yours guys input, if you think its a strong essay, what I should get rid of or include, and/or if the narrative sounds ok. This follows the UW topic of describe an experience that has changed you as a person
"Somewhere along the line of development we discover what we really are, and then we make our real decision for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else's life."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Development is a process in everyone's lives. It's represented in the person you are today, the actions your conduct, and the course you will take in life. As I scroll through these essay applications, they all present some sort of essay topic relating to an experience that has changed your life. Well in my point of view, I find that to be a flawed premise. There is no such thing as "one" experience that changes who you are, but the large amounts of experiences you face that make you who you are. Throughout the circle of life, there are two settings that play key roles in developing your character: the home establishment you've grown up in, and the schools you've attended. Your household acts somewhat like your field for learning the basic rules of life. School represents the "playing field", taking the basic rules you've learned, and using them as playing cards in the real world.
7th grade to me is what I considered the "in crowd" phase. My only priority was one thing and one thing only, to fit into the crowd no matter what. Whether I had to change how I acted, how I dressed, whatever I needed to do, I just had to be grouped in with the "cool" people. I set myself to buy brand name clothing, and hung out with certain people that I felt would help with my status.
With my transformation, I gained 3 strong traits within my life; I became independent, grasped family values and my own culture, and became ambiguously open to different cultures
INDEPENDANCE
I slowly developed into my own person. I decided to make my own definition. I got rid of all of my expensive name brand clothing, and instead transitioned into 2nd hand store bought clothing, and finally mid income store bought clothing like Macy's. I broke off from my previous friends, I knew they weren't my 'real' friends; I felt like a showcase to them. So I completely abandoned them, and started on a blank slate. Rather than secluding myself, I chose to take classes of my own interest, and not the interest of others or how rigorous the course was.
FAMILY VALUE
I grasped a stronger relationship to my family, and their cultural background.
CULTURE
In high school, I developed a multi-cultural variety of friends; I didn't limit myself to one race. I took Chinese as my foreign language of choice. I grew into listening to Japanese music, and watching Japanese TV shows. I started to slowly learn and mimic some of the words that I have heard. While I haven't learned the language as a whole, I just slowly wanted to learn some piece of it. I read online articles about technology, most notably "Akihabara News", which dealt with cell phones and technological advances that were taking place in Japan and all throughout Asia.
Conclusion
As I look at this past experience, I have grown and matured from my mistakes. It's taught me that you shouldn't live your life as someone you're not. Don't be a "fake", become who you are. Don't let the judgment of others transform you, if you're meant to fit in then you will. Portraying yourself as someone you're not, not only leads you into a world of lies, but it affects the ones around you. I find that I must lead a life of my taste, style, and abilities. I should live a life that I'm proud of, and be who I want to be to the full extent. Development has certainly played a role in my life; it has affected my judgment, personality, and my vast knowledge of how society runs. And up to now, that's a significant form of development in my life.
"Somewhere along the line of development we discover what we really are, and then we make our real decision for which we are responsible. Make that decision primarily for yourself because you can never really live anyone else's life."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Development is a process in everyone's lives. It's represented in the person you are today, the actions your conduct, and the course you will take in life. As I scroll through these essay applications, they all present some sort of essay topic relating to an experience that has changed your life. Well in my point of view, I find that to be a flawed premise. There is no such thing as "one" experience that changes who you are, but the large amounts of experiences you face that make you who you are. Throughout the circle of life, there are two settings that play key roles in developing your character: the home establishment you've grown up in, and the schools you've attended. Your household acts somewhat like your field for learning the basic rules of life. School represents the "playing field", taking the basic rules you've learned, and using them as playing cards in the real world.
7th grade to me is what I considered the "in crowd" phase. My only priority was one thing and one thing only, to fit into the crowd no matter what. Whether I had to change how I acted, how I dressed, whatever I needed to do, I just had to be grouped in with the "cool" people. I set myself to buy brand name clothing, and hung out with certain people that I felt would help with my status.
With my transformation, I gained 3 strong traits within my life; I became independent, grasped family values and my own culture, and became ambiguously open to different cultures
INDEPENDANCE
I slowly developed into my own person. I decided to make my own definition. I got rid of all of my expensive name brand clothing, and instead transitioned into 2nd hand store bought clothing, and finally mid income store bought clothing like Macy's. I broke off from my previous friends, I knew they weren't my 'real' friends; I felt like a showcase to them. So I completely abandoned them, and started on a blank slate. Rather than secluding myself, I chose to take classes of my own interest, and not the interest of others or how rigorous the course was.
FAMILY VALUE
I grasped a stronger relationship to my family, and their cultural background.
CULTURE
In high school, I developed a multi-cultural variety of friends; I didn't limit myself to one race. I took Chinese as my foreign language of choice. I grew into listening to Japanese music, and watching Japanese TV shows. I started to slowly learn and mimic some of the words that I have heard. While I haven't learned the language as a whole, I just slowly wanted to learn some piece of it. I read online articles about technology, most notably "Akihabara News", which dealt with cell phones and technological advances that were taking place in Japan and all throughout Asia.
Conclusion
As I look at this past experience, I have grown and matured from my mistakes. It's taught me that you shouldn't live your life as someone you're not. Don't be a "fake", become who you are. Don't let the judgment of others transform you, if you're meant to fit in then you will. Portraying yourself as someone you're not, not only leads you into a world of lies, but it affects the ones around you. I find that I must lead a life of my taste, style, and abilities. I should live a life that I'm proud of, and be who I want to be to the full extent. Development has certainly played a role in my life; it has affected my judgment, personality, and my vast knowledge of how society runs. And up to now, that's a significant form of development in my life.
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