Essay topic: Please use the space below to tell us how you believe a Rutgers education will help you achieve your personal enrichment or career goals.
I feel like I really needed to explain why i sort of screw up in college at first and why i wanted to attend rutgers now.
Heres my essay:
Instead of feeling gracious and ambitious after graduating from [school], a world- renowned boarding school, I felt lost and uninspired. I remember looking at my peers during graduation and feeling a sense of dissatisfaction and despair; I felt alone. Everyone looked like they had a cause to sprint towards and here I was, walking during the last mile of the marathon. Instead of choosing any one of the numerous schools on the east coast near home, I chose a tiny school in the Midwest because I needed to get away. My parents' imminent divorce loomed nearby like the many tornadoes that just missed my school in Indiana that year. My dedication for my studies and passions that I had so willingly pursued in high school subsided as my dread of my surroundings increased. My college was a fantastic school but I knew everyone within a week and there was a substantial lack of room for growth. I felt smothered by the lack of diversity and the lack of understanding from my classmates about my background. Transitioning from the vibrant community of my high school to the dreary, windowless hallways was a feat that I did not want to accomplish. Over the summer, I dread the days that passed because it lead me closer to when I would return to Indiana but yet I did not want to stay at home and cause any more discontent in my family because of the already brewing disaster. Finally, almost a year later, a tremendously depressing time for me, an email from my parents confirmed the worst; the tension had risen to the highest point and the announcement of their separation crushed me. At this point, I found that there was no reason for me to stay in this smothering environment where I felt like I could not reach my full potential.
After coming home, I had to make a decision about which college I wanted to go to around here. I remember driving down Easton Ave early March to go to a part time job interview; I had just hit the traffic that comes around to downtown New Brunswick every afternoon. More importantly, I got a chance to see the colorful students, each wearing their own sort of backpack, each heading their own separate directions, either alone or together, each an individual. At that moment, I felt a glowing sense of relief; I realized what was missing in my college and high school experience: it was the opportunity to discover oneself. At college, we were pressured to conform; everyone had the same backpack, the same laptop, and we were encouraged to go down the same career path. Although that path is a sought- after and lucrative achievement, there was a lack of room for me to explore what I really wanted to do. In high school, they pushed us to succeed but again, it was a one track road, with little room for bending or straying.
What I have realized that Rutgers can give me, is the room to grow and the right environment to achieve. I am extremely interested in the current science field with our new technology and new information. The opportunity to study alongside researchers from such a huge university would be a life-changing experience. Furthermore, the chance to contribute to the energy, vibrancy, and diversity of Rutgers, both with my own experiences and my passions, is something I haven't been able to experience at such small schools. Rutgers gives me the platform to achieve something greater due to such a large alumni network; this is revealed in the tremendous amount of pride and school spirit the both the students and alumni share. I can see the pride in my mother's voice when she talks about the experience she had attending Rutgers. Attending this university would be a second chance for me, something I could not possibly be more grateful for, to be in an environment with such a broad range of opinions, places, and opportunities where I could immerse myself comfortably and achieve my dreams.
I feel like I really needed to explain why i sort of screw up in college at first and why i wanted to attend rutgers now.
Heres my essay:
Instead of feeling gracious and ambitious after graduating from [school], a world- renowned boarding school, I felt lost and uninspired. I remember looking at my peers during graduation and feeling a sense of dissatisfaction and despair; I felt alone. Everyone looked like they had a cause to sprint towards and here I was, walking during the last mile of the marathon. Instead of choosing any one of the numerous schools on the east coast near home, I chose a tiny school in the Midwest because I needed to get away. My parents' imminent divorce loomed nearby like the many tornadoes that just missed my school in Indiana that year. My dedication for my studies and passions that I had so willingly pursued in high school subsided as my dread of my surroundings increased. My college was a fantastic school but I knew everyone within a week and there was a substantial lack of room for growth. I felt smothered by the lack of diversity and the lack of understanding from my classmates about my background. Transitioning from the vibrant community of my high school to the dreary, windowless hallways was a feat that I did not want to accomplish. Over the summer, I dread the days that passed because it lead me closer to when I would return to Indiana but yet I did not want to stay at home and cause any more discontent in my family because of the already brewing disaster. Finally, almost a year later, a tremendously depressing time for me, an email from my parents confirmed the worst; the tension had risen to the highest point and the announcement of their separation crushed me. At this point, I found that there was no reason for me to stay in this smothering environment where I felt like I could not reach my full potential.
After coming home, I had to make a decision about which college I wanted to go to around here. I remember driving down Easton Ave early March to go to a part time job interview; I had just hit the traffic that comes around to downtown New Brunswick every afternoon. More importantly, I got a chance to see the colorful students, each wearing their own sort of backpack, each heading their own separate directions, either alone or together, each an individual. At that moment, I felt a glowing sense of relief; I realized what was missing in my college and high school experience: it was the opportunity to discover oneself. At college, we were pressured to conform; everyone had the same backpack, the same laptop, and we were encouraged to go down the same career path. Although that path is a sought- after and lucrative achievement, there was a lack of room for me to explore what I really wanted to do. In high school, they pushed us to succeed but again, it was a one track road, with little room for bending or straying.
What I have realized that Rutgers can give me, is the room to grow and the right environment to achieve. I am extremely interested in the current science field with our new technology and new information. The opportunity to study alongside researchers from such a huge university would be a life-changing experience. Furthermore, the chance to contribute to the energy, vibrancy, and diversity of Rutgers, both with my own experiences and my passions, is something I haven't been able to experience at such small schools. Rutgers gives me the platform to achieve something greater due to such a large alumni network; this is revealed in the tremendous amount of pride and school spirit the both the students and alumni share. I can see the pride in my mother's voice when she talks about the experience she had attending Rutgers. Attending this university would be a second chance for me, something I could not possibly be more grateful for, to be in an environment with such a broad range of opinions, places, and opportunities where I could immerse myself comfortably and achieve my dreams.