In a 300-500 word essay, please describe the most significant experience, accomplishment, risk you have taken, moral dilemma, or personal triumph you have faced and its impact on you.
The Gift of a Complete Family
In America, having a complete family was the ideal family. My idea of a perfect family consists of a mom, a dad, a son, a daughter and a pet dog. My parents were married on May 5th, Cinco de Mayo; they were together for 18 years. It was difficult not having a father figure around for almost a year but I somehow dealt with it. Back in March of 2010, there was some tension I could feel between my parents, but I never took it into account. First I noticed that they stopped sleeping in the same bed. Some nights my dad didn't even come home, but I just assumed that he was working late and spent the night at his boss' house. I noticed what was going on but I was indifferent about their problems. My mom sat me, my sister, and my brother down on my living room couch. At the time, I felt like a little kid who had eaten cookies from the cookie jar and got caught. I wasn't in trouble but the feeling I felt was worse than being in trouble. That was when my mom told us that my dad had been having an affair with someone from his job.
A couple months had past, school was over and I decided to visit my aunt, dad's sister, in California for a month. I always thought of my dad's side as the more exciting family than my mom's side. I was told I was going to be picked up by my dad when I arrived in New York. I waited outside the airport for almost an hour, anxiously waiting for him. He still hadn't arrived after an hour. I then received a call from my mom telling me that she would be picking me up from the airport in 30 minutes. I started to tear up, wondering why he never called or even bothered to apologize. At that moment, I realized he was giving up on me. I figured he'd be home but he wasn't. I kept it a secret that my parents were getting a divorce from my friends for a couple of months. After California, I hadn't seen my dad for months. My uncle on my dad's side invited me to his potluck dinner which all my cousins, aunts, and uncles were going to. I lied to my mom I was hanging out with my friends. A week or so after, I was with my friends when my mom called me. I felt my heart drop almost as if I was on the big dip on a never ending roller coaster because I knew she found out. My mom told me she knew I was at my uncle's house that night, and she wasn't happy about it. I went back to my friends and tried to act like nothing had happened. I was quiet and trying hard to hold back my tears. They noticed something was wrong and I burst into tears telling them that my parents were getting divorced. I never really liked crying just because I thought it made me look ugly. All my friends were shocked to see me cry because I'm always bubbly and happy. They kept telling me that I was a strong person for being able to keep that big secret to myself for such a long time. I realized then how strong I really was to hide secrets from my close friends. Everyday I force a smile on my face to keep the negative emotions not only from others but also from myself.
A couple months had passed , school was over and I decided to visit my aunt, dad's sister, in California for a month.
I always thought of my dad's side as the more exciting part of the family than my mom's side.
I lied to my mom, telling her I was hanging out with my friends.
I felt my heart drop almost as if I was on the big dip on a never ending roller coaster because I knew she had found out.
I never really liked crying just because I thought it made me look ugly.---You're the only person I have ever heard felt this way besides myself. :(
Well, your essay certainly ends on a sad note! Good luck in school and in all you do!
:)
I don't think you really answer the essay prompt. Keeping to yourself and forcing a smile everyday is not a skill that many would see as helpful in college. Talk more about how you have learned to cope with the sadness, and how this has made you a stronger person.
(I definitely understand what you're trying to express though, so I understand the difficulty of expressing it while still seeming 'strong')
