Topic A: REQUIRED
Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.
Eric Thomas, "The Hip-Hop Preacher," dropped out of high school his during his
senior year. However, later in his life he realized that he had the potential
to achieve success with meaning. Thomas' YouTube video taught me to view myself
in new and different ways.
I now realize that success is more than just the accomplishment of an aim or a
goal. It is about how much heart I put into my beliefs and transform these
values into concrete outcomes. Over the course of my life, I had always vaguely
sensed the importance of confronting and overcoming obstacles, but Thomas was
able to help me to internalize this cliched message and implement it on a
practical level. He was able to instill in me the view that whatever the
hardship, I possess the fortitude to make real progress in my life and that
doing so is my choice and mine alone.
At one point in the video, Thomas quotes former Dallas Cowboys running back
Emmitt Smith, who said, "All men are created equal; some work harder in
preseason." Good preparation is the key to good results. For example, if a
student fails to study for a midterm final exam, he probably won't do as well
as somebody who studied very hard and slept a lot less. The Hip Hop Preacher
frequently refers to sleep as a metaphor for missed opportunity. One time, I
failed to prepare for a test and ended up getting a 54. I mistakenly assumed
that the test was just going to be really simple, but my teacher asked
questions that I was simply unable to answer. Despite the opportunity to earn a
higher grade in that class, I chose to neglect my priorities and therefore only
hurt myself. I learned that preparation is the very foundation upon which to
build the kinds of things that really matter. I learned to prepare for the
unexpected. Rather than "sleeping," I should have been studying.
Also during the video, Thomas says, "The only thing you care about when you're
trying to breathe is to get some fresh air. And when you get to the point to
where all you want to do is be successful as bad as you want to breathe, then
you will be successful." This quote from The Hip Hop Preacher is very true.
When you are trying to get fresh air you are focused on one thing, getting
fresh air. I need to focus on my goals and do everything I have in my power to
try to achieve them. I want to be able to tell myself I got it done. Even
though I may have been through a struggle or been hurting because I didn't want
to do something like give up sleep, the feeling at the end knowing that you've
accomplished something that you have always wanted to do is very close to the
best feeling in the world.
Today, Eric Thomas has a Ph.D. and motivates people to keep pushing themselves
and not make the same mistake he did. Is success easy? Eric Thomas helped me to
understand the answer to that question: Absolutely not. Luckily, though, he
taught me that if I want to be successful, I'm going to have to give it each
ounce of heart that I have and I am going to have to make sacrifices. There are
obstacles along the path to success for you to overcome, and for each obstacle
you need to put in the effort for each one whether it is a minor obstacle or a
major one. You may even fail a few times on your path, but the satisfaction at
the end is near the best feeling in the world.
Write an essay in which you tell us about someone who has made an impact on your life and explain how and why this person is important to you.
Eric Thomas, "The Hip-Hop Preacher," dropped out of high school his during his
senior year. However, later in his life he realized that he had the potential
to achieve success with meaning. Thomas' YouTube video taught me to view myself
in new and different ways.
I now realize that success is more than just the accomplishment of an aim or a
goal. It is about how much heart I put into my beliefs and transform these
values into concrete outcomes. Over the course of my life, I had always vaguely
sensed the importance of confronting and overcoming obstacles, but Thomas was
able to help me to internalize this cliched message and implement it on a
practical level. He was able to instill in me the view that whatever the
hardship, I possess the fortitude to make real progress in my life and that
doing so is my choice and mine alone.
At one point in the video, Thomas quotes former Dallas Cowboys running back
Emmitt Smith, who said, "All men are created equal; some work harder in
preseason." Good preparation is the key to good results. For example, if a
student fails to study for a midterm final exam, he probably won't do as well
as somebody who studied very hard and slept a lot less. The Hip Hop Preacher
frequently refers to sleep as a metaphor for missed opportunity. One time, I
failed to prepare for a test and ended up getting a 54. I mistakenly assumed
that the test was just going to be really simple, but my teacher asked
questions that I was simply unable to answer. Despite the opportunity to earn a
higher grade in that class, I chose to neglect my priorities and therefore only
hurt myself. I learned that preparation is the very foundation upon which to
build the kinds of things that really matter. I learned to prepare for the
unexpected. Rather than "sleeping," I should have been studying.
Also during the video, Thomas says, "The only thing you care about when you're
trying to breathe is to get some fresh air. And when you get to the point to
where all you want to do is be successful as bad as you want to breathe, then
you will be successful." This quote from The Hip Hop Preacher is very true.
When you are trying to get fresh air you are focused on one thing, getting
fresh air. I need to focus on my goals and do everything I have in my power to
try to achieve them. I want to be able to tell myself I got it done. Even
though I may have been through a struggle or been hurting because I didn't want
to do something like give up sleep, the feeling at the end knowing that you've
accomplished something that you have always wanted to do is very close to the
best feeling in the world.
Today, Eric Thomas has a Ph.D. and motivates people to keep pushing themselves
and not make the same mistake he did. Is success easy? Eric Thomas helped me to
understand the answer to that question: Absolutely not. Luckily, though, he
taught me that if I want to be successful, I'm going to have to give it each
ounce of heart that I have and I am going to have to make sacrifices. There are
obstacles along the path to success for you to overcome, and for each obstacle
you need to put in the effort for each one whether it is a minor obstacle or a
major one. You may even fail a few times on your path, but the satisfaction at
the end is near the best feeling in the world.
