#prompt 1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
It began with an accident, as stories usually do. An accident of chance that happened one day ten years ago, an accident that bearing the name of "a brave adventure on the bookshelf", set me into a unique cultural circumstance.
It was the shiny bronze title that amazed me at first sight, otherwise my eyes would not have settled on this one particular foreign literature. I opened that book, and started to read. I sat on the couch, alone, devouring pages from early afternoon to dinnertime, without even moving an inch.
This is how I met Harry Potter.
When I was in primary school, reading Harry Potter was like perceiving a magical world with a group of foreign friends of my age: whims keep wandering in my dreams. As I grew older, Harry Potter armed me with perseverance and sense of justice; now, through reviewing this series, I was taught to appreciate the beauty of love, friendship and family affections.
I love listening to all kinds of stories, therefore I read loads of fiction and am enthralled by the elegance and beauty of animated films.
Film, to me, is of paramount significance. There was a time when I was so obsessed with watching movies that I would isolate myself in an empty seat in the cinema for hours, just so I could concentrate on the world that the film producers tried hard to make.
For years, I have always carried a notebook and a pen with me; I would like to write down everything that I have ever thought of, even if it was a fleeting idea. Every time I watched a movie, either on my own or with company, I always took the tickets home, and kept them in a safe with my secret diary. Except for the date and the name of the movie, I would also write some notes about how I feel or how did my experience get attached to the plot. I have kept writing these "comments" as a habit ever since I was a little kid. Now I have three volumes of diaries and I treasured them as markers of my life. Picking up these collections, it feels like I am meeting an old friend----memories burst out. I love substantiating ideas into words, and I think the most important aspect of documenting is to record every single pieces of our daily life. Some people choose to write, some people choose to take photos, and others choose to film.
Movies are such charming things, and so is this industry. And it is during these days that I realized that telling a good story is actually much harder than revealing a secret----movies represent more than just documentary arts to me----it is my first step on a path that I hope to direct me towards fulfilment. It has allowed me to explore the creative aspect of my life. I was, and still am, able to appreciate the amount of creative talent I possess. Movies have become an intense passion in my life and I value this as a great deal. This process illustrated the creative potential that I possess within myself, and I know that I can apply this promise in any aspect of my life.
Hailie,
Your essay has a bit of a disconnect to me. At first, it's an essay based off of Harry Potter's significance in your life; however, towards the middle it does a switch and talks instead about animated films. I would focus on either one or the other throughout the essay.
Hailie, when you talk about a background story, it always has to be a character building story or something that represents the person whom you are or who you wish to be in the future. Considering the requirements for that type of prompt, it is safe to say that this essay does not deliver. However, as an "interest" related essay, then the two topics that you chose to present fit the bill. There is just as slight problem with your essay at this point.
You need to create a transition paragraph after the presentation of Harry Potter but before you present your interest in animated films. Discuss something along the lines of HP being a book that awakened your imagination, so you definitely went to see the film version, where the animated book characters were given life and in the process, made you interested in another form of literature. That literature would be the art of telling a novel in film form using a combination of animation and CGI effects. Discussed that way, you will be able to properly transition and connect the previous essay content with the next part.
