The Rubik's Cube ; Common App Essay/ Significant experience/ achievement

Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.

I was at a bookstore with my friends not too long ago; they bet me that I couldn't solve a
Rubik's cube in less than 2 minutes. Despite having never tried my hand at one, I was willing to
give it a shot. I bought it, only to stow it away and forget all about it. Nearly 5 months later, I
was going wandering our new home in Riyadh. My books had yet to be unpacked, the internet
had not yet been installed and my room had barely any furniture in it. My boredom led me right
to my old Rubik's cube.

I stayed up until 3AM that night trying to come up with patterns to help me solve the
cube faster. I was obsessed. I carried it with me everywhere. After about a week, I was able to
beat the challenge.

I was ecstatic about beating the challenge, but I was even happier with how I beat it. I
learned how to search for, get a hold of, and use the necessary resources to make achieving my
goal possible. With time and effort, I did it.

Since then, the Rubik's cube has changed how I view people. It has influenced my
interpretation of human interactions and how the world works. It made me value the importance
of unity and teamwork. No matter what color or location the blocks are, they're all connected to
the core. There will be moments where everything is a mess and out of place, but when working
together it's only a matter of time and patience before everything clicks into place.

The more time spent solving the cube, the more I started noticing its similarities to the
world; the core never changes. The elements surrounding it move around until they reach the
place that makes it perfect. In this analogy, I was the middle piece, and the problems within my
life were the different, colorful sides that surrounded it. I came to understand that there are
several ways a person can approach a situation. Just as there are different methods that can be
used before an illness is cured, there are multiple combinations in which the blocks of a Rubik's
cube can be placed before it is solved. There's always a solution, you just have to keep turning
those blocks-trying different methods-until all the blocks eventually line up and the problem
is solved. The key is to keep trying.

The most valuable lesson I learned throughout this experience is that achievements could
start from anywhere. No matter how impossible a feat seems, it can be accomplished if you take
the right steps and move in the right direction. This side of me influenced my decision on
choosing to pursue an education in engineering. I see engineering as a way to solve problems
with creativity. Upon solving the Rubik's cube, I realized that my strategic and organized
approach to life will help me become a successful engineer.

Please please please PLEASE proof read and criticize. With the deadline being tonight and still having a few more essays to write, I need all the help all can get with this one.

Thanks!

It's a great insight from such a commonplace object. Rather than "Nearly 5 months later, I was going wandering in our new home in Riyadh." I would suggest, "It was five months later,(always spell out numbers, it's more "classy" if you will)in my new home in Riyadh, when I stumbled upon it again."

Good luck!

Despite never having tried my hand at one, I was willing to give it a shot.
I became obsessed
I was ecstatic about beating the task .
No matter which color or in which location the blocks are
There will be moments when everything
The more time I spent solving the cube, the more I started noticing its similarities with the world: the core never changes.
I came to understand that there are several ways a person can approach a situation, just as there are multiple combinations in which the blocks of a Rubik's cube can be placed before it is solved.

There's always a solution, one just has to keep turning...
The most valuable lesson I learned throughout this experience is that achievements can start from anywhere.
it can be accomplished if one takes the right steps and moves in the right direction.

These are just tips, some things may be better the way they are. Hope this helped nonetheless!!
Good luck, and please help with mine if you have time :)

paragraph 3 maybe vary the word choice from "beat" to something else. found a soln. solved the puzzle. it was just a bit too repetitive for me.

eliminate all contractions- they are seen as informal writing
i would take out "the most valuable lesson" let the admissions people decide which is the most valuable, dont tell them. this will prompt more of their own thoughts about your essay, which works to your advantage

i wrote about a rubiks cube in a completely different way, so this was quite interesting to read. you really did an excellent job in the topic. i like how you did not focus on your personal solutions, but stayed with the lessons learned more.

best of luck to you