"The Latin words "Vires, Artes, Mores" have been the guiding philosophy behind Florida State University. Vires signifies strength of all kinds - moral, physical, and intellectual; Artes alludes to the beauty of intellectual pursuits as exemplified in skill, craft, or art; and Mores refers to character, custom, or tradition. Describe how one or more of the values embodied in these concepts are reflected in your life." The essay should be one page in length and no more than 500 words.
Aldous Huxley once said "Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you." What it means is that you may experience something dramatic but may have no effect on your life unless you do something with it. Those are the words I live by while I go through life's experiences wondering, why is this happening to me? I was always one of those girls who did not care much about other people and would not go out of my way just to help somebody.
An experience that taught me something new about myself was volunteering at the City of Pembroke Pines Towngate Summer Camp for three years which was a life-changing moment. I realize that even though I was not being paid does not mean my help/work was any less important. This showed my character because it was out of character for me to volunteer, help others and dedicate myself to an organization. Little did I know then that I would fall in love with the children.
As crazy as it sounds, I enjoyed waking up early and clocking in at 7 a.m. almost every day of summer because I was greeted by the most wonderful group of kids. This shows my strength because of my willingness to wake up every morning to volunteer. It warms the heart to be able to make the little kids happy simply by remembering their names, and it is an added bonus when they remember yours. We did all the busy work that the counselors did not want to do, and it was a relief for the counselors to have volunteers because it was less stressful for them when volunteers helped keep an eye on the kids. There was a situation where these sisters were about to go swimming and the older one was hesitating to change into her bathing suit in the bathroom. The problem was that she felt fat and wanted to be skinny compared to her seven year old sister. This girl was only ten and I was horrified that she said that. I told her that worrying about her weight is silly and that you should be having fun and not be stressing about these things. This situation exemplified my Vires because the moral of it was that she shouldn't be worried and reflected on me that I shouldn't be worried about my weight either.
This experience helped me develop a sense of selflessness because this was not about me or my hours, it was about helping others. There is no doubt in my mind about how I have become the person I am because of what my experiences have taught me. It became part of my personality to just want to help, even in school when someone asks me how to do something, I will drop everything and help them.
Above all, I can contribute my volunteering skills to anything the school is sponsoring whether it be building houses in New Orleans, helping out in animal shelters, or help at a daycare. I am going to bring the experience from volunteering at the City of Pembroke Pines Towngate Summer Camp by donating my time to the Florida State University for whichever causes they support.
In the end, maybe I can help people around campus who get so wrapped up on grades, parties, or boys to realize that it is not all about that and that other experiences help change yourself within. I would love to open up a club or join one that just donates part of their day or time to help the community out on homeless shelters, or raise money. Selflessness is not a quality you are born with but acquired through your lifetime.
Andrea Tham
The basic structure of your essay is great, but your wording is a little off. You have to make it sound a little more sophisticated because it IS for a college and they want to see higher level writing. You also went COMPLETELY off of the prompt, so I have tried my best to edit your version in the hope that you get in. I hope this helps! :)
