here is my common app essay, please critique it as harshly as possible, i am applying everywhere in a few days and haven't had much assistance on this haha.
Middle school was, for me, a rather awkward stage of my life, as I'm sure it was for many other people. However, I'm fairly certain that my experiences during middle school were very different than those of most other suburban kids. It was the time when my younger brother and sisters' professional acting careers really started taking off, and while they were off shooting commercials in Germany or TV episodes in Los Angeles, I was often left to stay home with grandparents or friends. My life took a backseat to the hectic filming schedules that consumed most of my family's life. It was also the time when my parents' relationship spiraled out of control and eventually led to a divorce, something that was not easy for me to witness at such a young age. Despite all this, I will forever remember my middle school years for one reason only: it was when I developed my passion for music.
Amidst the chaos of movies, marital problems, and school, my mother signed me up for the School of Rock in South Hackensack, perhaps just as a way to keep me occupied. The School of Rock was a place where students took private lessons on their instrument of choice and played a variety of music with other students in "ensemble" practices. I had always enjoyed listening to music, but never had a genuine interest in it. I can still vividly recall the first time I went; it was a run-down, ugly old brick building in the industrial district. I remember walking in, seeing the tattered posters and the numerous holes in the walls, thinking, "this is it?" But as I sat down behind the drum set for the first time, bashing away as the other students wailed on their guitars, basses, and keyboards, the appearance of the School of Rock became irrelevant. Everything else in my life became irrelevant. I had found my home.
From then on, all I could think about was music. I practiced the drums for hours upon hours every day, eager to go to Thursday night rehearsal. It was where, once a week, I could release all my pent-up frustration without hurting anyone, save for the occasional broken drumstick flying across the room. For those three hours, my siblings' overwhelming careers and my parents' constant fighting was pushed into the background; all I cared about were my drums.
Although the School of Rock closed down during my freshman year, I will never forget my experiences there and what it taught me. Although it was just a dingy building with a couple of guitar amps and drum sets, it was the most important part of my childhood. The School of Rock was where I discovered my passion for music and where I could share that passion with others, all while forming lasting relationships along the way. Playing music is still very much an important part of my existence, and I owe it entirely to the School of Rock.
Middle school was, for me, a rather awkward stage of my life, as I'm sure it was for many other people. However, I'm fairly certain that my experiences during middle school were very different than those of most other suburban kids. It was the time when my younger brother and sisters' professional acting careers really started taking off, and while they were off shooting commercials in Germany or TV episodes in Los Angeles, I was often left to stay home with grandparents or friends. My life took a backseat to the hectic filming schedules that consumed most of my family's life. It was also the time when my parents' relationship spiraled out of control and eventually led to a divorce, something that was not easy for me to witness at such a young age. Despite all this, I will forever remember my middle school years for one reason only: it was when I developed my passion for music.
Amidst the chaos of movies, marital problems, and school, my mother signed me up for the School of Rock in South Hackensack, perhaps just as a way to keep me occupied. The School of Rock was a place where students took private lessons on their instrument of choice and played a variety of music with other students in "ensemble" practices. I had always enjoyed listening to music, but never had a genuine interest in it. I can still vividly recall the first time I went; it was a run-down, ugly old brick building in the industrial district. I remember walking in, seeing the tattered posters and the numerous holes in the walls, thinking, "this is it?" But as I sat down behind the drum set for the first time, bashing away as the other students wailed on their guitars, basses, and keyboards, the appearance of the School of Rock became irrelevant. Everything else in my life became irrelevant. I had found my home.
From then on, all I could think about was music. I practiced the drums for hours upon hours every day, eager to go to Thursday night rehearsal. It was where, once a week, I could release all my pent-up frustration without hurting anyone, save for the occasional broken drumstick flying across the room. For those three hours, my siblings' overwhelming careers and my parents' constant fighting was pushed into the background; all I cared about were my drums.
Although the School of Rock closed down during my freshman year, I will never forget my experiences there and what it taught me. Although it was just a dingy building with a couple of guitar amps and drum sets, it was the most important part of my childhood. The School of Rock was where I discovered my passion for music and where I could share that passion with others, all while forming lasting relationships along the way. Playing music is still very much an important part of my existence, and I owe it entirely to the School of Rock.
