Flagler Admissions Essay, The topic is to write about a single event or theme that describes

The topic is to write about a single event or theme that describes your character or aspirations.

I couldn't have been older than twelve years old when I was sitting in front of the television and I saw one of those ASPCA commercials about abused animals. You know, the ones where pictures of sad dogs go across the screen while the song "In the Arms of an Angel," by Sarah McLachlan plays in the background and brings everyone within hearing distance to tears. I remember watching that commercial for the very first time and just sitting on the scratchy rug of my ten-year old home in complete shock. I remember running to my mother in tears asking her how someone could do that to an animal. From that moment until I was old enough to do something, I kept that commercial running through my mind. I encouraged my mother to adopt multiple dogs of different breeds and eventually volunteered at an animal shelter. That commercial is what brought me to the realization that life is not great for everyone and to be someone who helps people realize that would be something I'd love to do. Although I may not have saved every dog within a 200 mile radius of my home, I changed the lives of a small few. It would be a great privilege if Flagler College could help me achieve my goal of being someone who brings awareness to the people of the world about things they may not be very informed about, whether that be people of third world countries or animals facing euthanasia in shelters that need to make more room.

Thank you for your help.

Kimberly, I applaud you for your statement. This is a topic that I believe will touch the heartstrings of the reviewer since animal rights and causes are close to the hearts of everyone in the country. The mere topic of saving animals, albeit a dog in this case, shows that you are a person with a kind heart who does not take kindly to the maltreatment of the helpless. As a student, this shows that you will be an asset to their university because of your kind heart and close affiliation to a cause.

Now, when you discuss the part about changing the lives of a small few, I suggest that you continue the discussion by mentioning either the activities that you participated in at the shelter, or the programs that you helped them start. Don't bother with discussing how you hope the university can help you further your cause. That is not something required in the prompt. Your concentration should be on recreating your character on paper, as the prompt requires. So expand on the discussion about saving animals and how you participated in it. The reviewer will be able to put two and two together as to how that will translate into the kind of student that you will be at their university.