*note* I have 4,217 characters with spaces and 3,441 without , I need to shorten it through corrections and edits , however this is not my strong suit.
-applying for school of engineering
(Thank you for ANY help you can give me)
*prompt*
Rutgers University is a vibrant community of people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. How would you benefit from and contribute to such an environment? Consider variables such as your talents, travels, leadership activities, volunteer services, and cultural experiences.
3800 characters (includes spaces).
In the Rutgers community I would not just benefit from the vibrant community I would thrive, just as I would not just contribute I would help create. In the Rutgers community, I would be working toward a goal that I have had since I was a child, to be an engineer, I would benefit from the diversity of people due to their difference of opinions, and with every difference, a compromise exists that can be used to create the perfect idea, plan, and final realization.
When I volunteered and worked as a camp sailing counselor I was able to see and experience firsthand what having many different and unique people working together could plan, create, and realize for the benefit of the many kids in the camp. These kids ranging from the ages five to fifteen all had come to choose an activity, these activates were planned by my coworkers and myself. Every day we would write down our ideas, so that Friday we could set up the next week's activity, and finalize with our camp director.
During one of our camp field trips during which the campers would have to bike three miles to reach their destination a private property where we played a modified game of capture the flag, this game consist of six tomahawks made out of bamboo and cardboard , each team receiving three. The objective is to have all three on your team's side before the other team. To prevent the teams from taking flags you had to pull a bandana from a belt loop, this made the opposite player unable to move. To get unfrozen a teammate had to give you a flag.
The way my campers arrived at this event was two days early via canoe. The trip was six miles, accomplished after 4 hours of canoeing stopping only for lunch. We then had to set up camp, tents, fire, latrine, and a lunch area. Each camper and consoler was assigned a job in the area, one of us would watch the fire, another the food and whoever was left kept the campers occupied with activities such as making art out of nature, going swimming, playing games and working on projects for the event that Friday called "powwow".
When the rest of the camp arrived at the site, on Friday, we would pack up, pickup, and fold all our tents. Moving everything to the driveway where the camp director would bring everything back to the camp in a truck, switching gear for bikes on which the group that canoed would use to leave with the other campers. Once packed the campers would participate in the event this was a camper friendly version of an Indian meeting where each of the two teams were "tribes" the canoeing group would be split and merged with the others, to maintain the balance of the teams. Campers would show dances, tell Indian themed stories, and display the natural art they had created over that week. Each team would go to opposite sides of the property. Being careful to stay in the cordoned off the area in which the game would take place, each camper from the young to the old would be ready to play, even counselors becoming competitive.
Once the whistle blew, and the game started, counselors and campers alike would run across pulling peoples flags, yelling, and dodging the hands of the many other people trying to stop the mad adrenaline filled charge across the field in the quest to win. The prize, nothing but pride, and boasting rights, the glory of bolting back across your half field line to win the game the only incentive to get a tomahawk.
Once the game ended, the counselors would start giving out snack. Others would take down the latrine used throughout the day. This, always the most disliked job, but one of the most important would be done carefully as to not spill the contents of the bucket, however with enough haste so the camp could start the bike ride back to the camp center where we would then send campers home and begin to clean the center for the next week.
The way I benefited from this camp experience would help me benefit Rutgers, I would be able to use the skills, and experience with many diverse people and apply them to my groups, and activities within the school, participating successfully in projects, sharing ideas, and helping to make Rutgers better place for myself, and the next generation of students.
