I tried to be unique in this, tell me if it's too quirky and weird or doesn't make sense. It's also a bit over the 500 word max, so help cutting it down would be appreciated! Any other suggestions are more than welcome too, be brutally honest, thanks!
I've never dotted my lowercase I's. Of course, in kindergarten, when we were tested on our handwriting, I did what needed to be done and I included the superfluous dots to please my teachers. But the moment I was set free from the restrictions of kindergarten writing, the dots on my I's were no more. This wasn't some sort of conscious silent rebellion or a jab at society from my shy six year old persona. I simply didn't want to dot my I's.
It wasn't until high school that I explored my reasoning behind my disappearing I-dots. My first thought was naturally to ask the all-knowing internet for its opinion. I explored a multitude of handwriting analysis blogs and articles and came across hundreds of ideas as to what personality one has depending on your dot style. Whether you dotted your I's with a circle, a heart, a dot, whether it was high above the stem, close to it, to the left or to the right...etc., you fell into a category and were labeled with a personality description much like a horoscope. In my search, however, I found no information on individuals who ignore the dot completely.
There was something appealing to me about the fact that there were no studies done on my style. I fell into no category, there were no guidelines to tell me my personality type. I developed a sense of pride in my extreme individuality.
My handwriting is mine, and I'm proud that it has my own quirky, recognizable twist. My desire to sprinkle my influence on things is noticeable everywhere. I draw on my gym shoes, I put stickers on my guitars, I even decorate the baton my relay team uses in races. Being myself, and expressing it proudly became a hobby.
I've always been faced with the challenge of forging my own path. Having brothers just one and two years ahead of me made it hard for me to do my own thing. It seemed that between the two of them, every sport had been played, ever class had been taken, every activity and club had been participated in. It didn't take long for me to figure out that I may never be the first to do something, but I'd be the only one to do something my way. Everyone who writes in the English language forms the same letters to write the same words. I just do it without the dots.
"Cross your t's and dot your I's" we are told when creating any piece of work. We are taught to make it look pretty, to get as close to perfection as possible. I, however, do not tend to share this goal. Instead, I focus on getting the job done the way I know how. I've been a hurdler for my school for four years and my hurdling form is far from perfection. Many coaches have even commented on my untraditional style going over the obstacles. It's never concerned me because one way or another, I was going to end up on the other side of the hurdle; and I'd finish the race my way. Similarly, my words are going to be understood, dots or no dots.
Subtly, I'm sure to always stand out. I don't consider myself a rebel. My hair isn't green, I don't listen to angry music, with the exception of my ears my body is not pierced. I simply don't dot my lowercase I's.
Intriguing essay. You used an unconventional topic to make yourself stand out. In my opinion, you've earned brownie points for being such a creative writer!
But I'm concerned about how readers may perceive your attitude in the final paragraphs. You may have inadvertently contradicted yourself; that is, you demonstrated not only a lack of impartiality (i.e., open-mindedness) when it comes to accepting others' advice but also the inability to collaborate with people. Basically, one way a reader may perceive this well-written essay is that you prefer to work alone, according to your own standards for success.
We, in fact, live in an interdependent global society. The welfare, success, and happiness of others will inevitably contribute to our own. To do this we must work together, and an effective way of broadening our perceptions of the world and the people in it would be through education, in this case a college education. Admissions committees want to know whether or not a candidate's talents and personality will fit the image of their school.
That's the general understanding of how the admission process works anyway.
