This is my common app essay
"Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story."
I know it is long, but since my field in high school was different from the program I am applying for, I feel if I don't say these things, the admission officers can not judge me fairly. Also, on account of being a new learner English, I am not sure about the words; whether they convey my real goal? Please comment on my essay and tell me its mistakes; in terms of grammar, structure, and vocabulary.
I AM STARING AT INFINITY in the darkness of night. Autumn is here, and the nights have become a little colder, but not much still. I wear something in the evening like every night, and like every night answer the repetitive question of my parents about where I am going to, "I am going for a walk." But the truth is that I want to go out for looking at stars. Every night I walk for a while to a place where is away from the hubbub of the city, and when the sky get completely dark and the stars appear clearly, I stop and stay right there for the next fifteen minutes. For months, this is my habit, and the people think I am crazy due to doing this; staring at stars, the most eye-catching beauties of night, is irritating to them. Not important. Staring at stars gives me the sense of staring at infinity at the darkness of the night.
NOVEMBER 19, 1995 - RAZIEH FIROOZ HOSPITAL - KERMAN
Father: ...Thanks god... he is perfect...
Mother (smiling): ...A cute doctor...
Father (smiling): No...a handsome engineer...
My parents are good people. My mother wakes up every day at five o'clock and prepares us breakfast; she is a real housewife. She has dedicated her life to the family. I really see that anything she wants, actually wants for us. My father is the same. For 27 years, he goes out of the door early morning every day, and comes back about eleven o'clock.
He is really hard-working; he has a family, home, car, and a grocery store. He is hard-working because he has all of these without help of anyone; even his parents, and after years. Accordingly, it is natural that they, my father and mother, want their child be just as their thoughts.
OCTOBER, 2009 - IN THE WAY OF 9th CLASS
I am going to the school. In a street, I see a charity box. By the way, I have some coins in my pocket. Let's put them in the box. My mum always says that every day at the way of school, do not forget to put some money in charity box. The charity box is near a bus stop. An old man is sitting there and is waiting. I go there and put the coins in the box, and then follow my way to home. But for a moment I look back, I do not know why; that old man is putting money in the box. What is this? What feeling I have now?! How pleasant it is. Being influential! But he was much older than me... Wow! I love that feeling. I do want to experience it again.
JUNE, 2010 - THE LAST DAY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Mr. Molazadeh, your son has a great talent for painting.
Father: Thank you. It's kind of you.
Art Teacher: I want to suggest you a nice painting school. This boy really can be a good painter. I have talked with the board of the school.
Father: Oh, You know... okay... thanks. I will talk with Ali about that. Anyway, have a good day sir.
A few minutes later:
FATHER'S CAR - CONTINUE
Me: Dad...
Father: Yes?
Me: Don't you think it's better if I go to that school and study painting instead of mathematics?!
Father: Ali... look, being a painter or artist in this area has no future. You should cover your family in the future and need money for that. And to do that, you need to have a real work.
Me: Well... I can go somewhere else!
Father: Ali... you have to be pragmatic. Life is cruel. I want you do this for your own good...
Me: Mm...
Father: Hey, don't you want to go to a football club this summer? It's cool, huh?
Well, I did not have any special outlook on life in those years. I liked to be an artist, but I did not love. I do not know I am guilty or not? I was 14 years old.
I spent four years of high school in the field of Mathematics. It truly was not that hard to pass those meaningless lessons.
DECEMBER, 2010 - 10th CLASS - IMUM KHOMEINI HIGH SCHOOL
Babak: Hey Ali. Did you see Avatar? How was it?
Me: Awesome. Thanks buddy. It was supper.
Babak: I've seen it four times so far.
Me: It's worth it... really... I wonder how they can make such movies! What kind of people they are... What they eat?! What they drink?!
Babak (laughing): say what they take... I don't know buddy. Anything that is, god blesses them...
Me: Yeah, absolutely...
Life was passing, and I thought it always will be that way. But the more it passed, the more I understood I was wrong. The life and humans were not still serious with me.
At the end of fourth year of high school, the results of universities in the field of mathematics were delivered in the middle of the summer 2015. I was not admitted to the national universities, nor was I any engineering field, and I had to go to a private university, which cost my family a lot. I disappointed my parents that day. The home got cold after that day. It was the biggest fault of my life which caused the reborn of me later.
That was about a year and two months ago, but it seems like 10 years ago. From that day, everything changed; the world became a horrible place to live. People, even my family, seemed other ones. The world showed me its real face; it was time to change.
In fact, I am not far enough away from the events happened in the previous months to write about them. However, there is one definite thing about this period; it was the renaissance of my life. As the world and humans became serious, I became serious too. When I did, the universe showed me my way. Some months later, at the day of my birthday, one of my friends told me about a film-making course was going to giving an entrance test. I thought for one day and at the last day I registered for the test; a test plus an interview. Amazingly, without any previous preparation, I passed an art aptitude test, and I was one of the twenty chosen ones in my province. After only seven months of basic film-making instruction, I experienced nomination for international film festivals. I truly found my way.
Now, this is my outlook on world and life at this point of my life: The more you are stubborn about your goals and stand against the world, the more it gives you things which are even beyond your expectation.
FIRST DAYS OF AUTUMN 2015 - UNDER THE NIGHT SKY
I am still staring at stars. It is a little bit cold, but it's worth it. It is dark, and there is no one around me, but I really feel comfortable and safe. And while I am staring at infinity, I ask myself, "Where will I be at the first days of autumn 2020?"
"Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story."
I know it is long, but since my field in high school was different from the program I am applying for, I feel if I don't say these things, the admission officers can not judge me fairly. Also, on account of being a new learner English, I am not sure about the words; whether they convey my real goal? Please comment on my essay and tell me its mistakes; in terms of grammar, structure, and vocabulary.
I AM STARING AT INFINITY in the darkness of night. Autumn is here, and the nights have become a little colder, but not much still. I wear something in the evening like every night, and like every night answer the repetitive question of my parents about where I am going to, "I am going for a walk." But the truth is that I want to go out for looking at stars. Every night I walk for a while to a place where is away from the hubbub of the city, and when the sky get completely dark and the stars appear clearly, I stop and stay right there for the next fifteen minutes. For months, this is my habit, and the people think I am crazy due to doing this; staring at stars, the most eye-catching beauties of night, is irritating to them. Not important. Staring at stars gives me the sense of staring at infinity at the darkness of the night.
NOVEMBER 19, 1995 - RAZIEH FIROOZ HOSPITAL - KERMAN
Father: ...Thanks god... he is perfect...
Mother (smiling): ...A cute doctor...
Father (smiling): No...a handsome engineer...
My parents are good people. My mother wakes up every day at five o'clock and prepares us breakfast; she is a real housewife. She has dedicated her life to the family. I really see that anything she wants, actually wants for us. My father is the same. For 27 years, he goes out of the door early morning every day, and comes back about eleven o'clock.
He is really hard-working; he has a family, home, car, and a grocery store. He is hard-working because he has all of these without help of anyone; even his parents, and after years. Accordingly, it is natural that they, my father and mother, want their child be just as their thoughts.
OCTOBER, 2009 - IN THE WAY OF 9th CLASS
I am going to the school. In a street, I see a charity box. By the way, I have some coins in my pocket. Let's put them in the box. My mum always says that every day at the way of school, do not forget to put some money in charity box. The charity box is near a bus stop. An old man is sitting there and is waiting. I go there and put the coins in the box, and then follow my way to home. But for a moment I look back, I do not know why; that old man is putting money in the box. What is this? What feeling I have now?! How pleasant it is. Being influential! But he was much older than me... Wow! I love that feeling. I do want to experience it again.
JUNE, 2010 - THE LAST DAY OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
Art Teacher: Mr. Molazadeh, your son has a great talent for painting.
Father: Thank you. It's kind of you.
Art Teacher: I want to suggest you a nice painting school. This boy really can be a good painter. I have talked with the board of the school.
Father: Oh, You know... okay... thanks. I will talk with Ali about that. Anyway, have a good day sir.
A few minutes later:
FATHER'S CAR - CONTINUE
Me: Dad...
Father: Yes?
Me: Don't you think it's better if I go to that school and study painting instead of mathematics?!
Father: Ali... look, being a painter or artist in this area has no future. You should cover your family in the future and need money for that. And to do that, you need to have a real work.
Me: Well... I can go somewhere else!
Father: Ali... you have to be pragmatic. Life is cruel. I want you do this for your own good...
Me: Mm...
Father: Hey, don't you want to go to a football club this summer? It's cool, huh?
Well, I did not have any special outlook on life in those years. I liked to be an artist, but I did not love. I do not know I am guilty or not? I was 14 years old.
I spent four years of high school in the field of Mathematics. It truly was not that hard to pass those meaningless lessons.
DECEMBER, 2010 - 10th CLASS - IMUM KHOMEINI HIGH SCHOOL
Babak: Hey Ali. Did you see Avatar? How was it?
Me: Awesome. Thanks buddy. It was supper.
Babak: I've seen it four times so far.
Me: It's worth it... really... I wonder how they can make such movies! What kind of people they are... What they eat?! What they drink?!
Babak (laughing): say what they take... I don't know buddy. Anything that is, god blesses them...
Me: Yeah, absolutely...
Life was passing, and I thought it always will be that way. But the more it passed, the more I understood I was wrong. The life and humans were not still serious with me.
At the end of fourth year of high school, the results of universities in the field of mathematics were delivered in the middle of the summer 2015. I was not admitted to the national universities, nor was I any engineering field, and I had to go to a private university, which cost my family a lot. I disappointed my parents that day. The home got cold after that day. It was the biggest fault of my life which caused the reborn of me later.
That was about a year and two months ago, but it seems like 10 years ago. From that day, everything changed; the world became a horrible place to live. People, even my family, seemed other ones. The world showed me its real face; it was time to change.
In fact, I am not far enough away from the events happened in the previous months to write about them. However, there is one definite thing about this period; it was the renaissance of my life. As the world and humans became serious, I became serious too. When I did, the universe showed me my way. Some months later, at the day of my birthday, one of my friends told me about a film-making course was going to giving an entrance test. I thought for one day and at the last day I registered for the test; a test plus an interview. Amazingly, without any previous preparation, I passed an art aptitude test, and I was one of the twenty chosen ones in my province. After only seven months of basic film-making instruction, I experienced nomination for international film festivals. I truly found my way.
Now, this is my outlook on world and life at this point of my life: The more you are stubborn about your goals and stand against the world, the more it gives you things which are even beyond your expectation.
FIRST DAYS OF AUTUMN 2015 - UNDER THE NIGHT SKY
I am still staring at stars. It is a little bit cold, but it's worth it. It is dark, and there is no one around me, but I really feel comfortable and safe. And while I am staring at infinity, I ask myself, "Where will I be at the first days of autumn 2020?"