Need help with how to end the essay, how can I say I want to help Notre Dames comunity without sounding arrogant and hypocritacal. Also any gramar mistakes, sentence structure, and word choices.
Essay Question: 1. The Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., President of the University of Notre Dame, said in his Inaugural Address that, "If we are afraid to be different from the world, how can we make a difference in the world?" In what way do you feel you are different from your peers, and how will this shape your contribution to the Notre Dame community?
In society today being different isn't as unique as it used to be. Everyone is thinking differently, acting differently; being different. There are no two people who are the same. But what is different? How do our characteristics set us apart from one another? Webster's defines different as, "Unlike in form, quality, amount, or nature." When breaking this definition down form is found to be the difference in appearance; quality: the difference in degree of worth; amount: the different sum, total, or measure of something; and human nature are a shared psychological attributes of humankind that is assumed to be shared by all human beings. If you are dissimilar by nature, you do not share the same way of thinking as another person.
In society today everyone tries to be the same. How can one person strive to be different when they are degraded and mocked for their individuality and uniqueness? In a small community such as mine there is an even thinner line to being diverse. As soon as you put that toe across there is an attack so quick the Air Force would be proud. And it's not a modest encounter either. They come at you from all sides: left, right, above and below. You can't escape it. It is inevitable. So with this intimidation enclosing every little space in you that individuality is trying to occupy, it's just plain hard to be different.
When I was a young girl my mother would put me and my twin sister in matching outfits. Everyday we would go out in the same dress, the same shoes, the same ponytail or braids going down our backs. And I hated every minute of it. So as soon as I was allowed to dress myself I would put on the most revolting cloths. A bright pink and orange dress with flowers and my Lion King Velcro-sneakers was my outfit of choice. If my sister decided she was going to wear a dress that day too, I'd put on another. So in my two dresses and sneakers, I would leave the house feeling accomplished because I was different; my own person. But this phase was soon extinguished once I started grade school, and it was "so un-cool" to be different.
The generation I am apart of is often criticized for many things. We are said to be disrespectful, ungrateful, selfish, lethargic, and having increasingly less moral values. I am not a representative of these stereotypes. I try very hard and take pride in everything that I do. I stick by my morals and don't let peer pressure get to me. I even feel that it is a necessity to help those around you. "What you give is what you get" has been a very motivational quote in my life.
Even through the years of degradation and manipulation I managed to embrace some of my uniqueness. I compel myself in being observant; sociology is a guilty pleasure of mine. I find that you can learn everything about a person by their actions, how they carry themselves, and even in the style of their body language. When starting an assignment I strategize more than Alexander the Great. Everything needs a place and should be kept there. I believe that knowledge is power and with it comes great responsibility. You need to use what you learn wisely and use it to help others and to better the world we live in. I feel that nothing is impossible if someone has the courage and the strength to endeavor. I am determined and always expect more. I am never satisfied with mediocre. As Paul Brandt once sang, "Don't tell me the sky is the limit, there's footprints on the moon."
At Notre Dame I hope to be able to use my leadership skills and over achieving attitude to assist the disadvantaged and improve the attitudes of the society. I feel that I can provide a different kind of outlook to problem solving and decision making.I would use my "embrace your differences" scrutiny to better the views of the community.
I think your essay isn't as unique as Notre Dame would like. Your reasons for being different aren't really all that individual-most applicants can boast of being morally righteous, strategizing, and donating their time to others.
I really like the idea of your twin sister though...maybe continue with a creative twist down that road?
