In technical theater there is never a dull moment; COMMON APP : Environment

Option #4: Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?

My hair and clothes are covered in sawdust. I reach for a rough 2x4 from the rack and slide my tape measure along it's length. Pulling a beaten up pencil out from behind my ear, I mark the place that needs to be cut. With my right hand on the safety and my left holding the wood, I pull the trigger. The chop saw roars to life and slices down through the wood. I pick up my freshly cut piece and quickly nail it into the 50's style pay phone prop for the show. My ears constantly ringing from the buzz of the other saws and nail guns firing around me. I pick up the finished product and run down the hall to stage left. Taking a quick glance at the phone, I place it onto the set just as the curtain begins to rise for the next scene.

In technical theater there is never a dull moment. I absolutely love building in tech precisely because of this rush. With such short deadlines, I'm forced to quickly think of a design. I must build the prop efficiently but I am expected to present a finished product with professional qualities. There is always a problem to be solved. The constant challenge of dealing with multiple projects at once keeps my mind alert. When I am given plans or blueprints to build a set piece, my brain immediately goes to work thinking about the structure and materials I will need.

Occasionally, my teacher hands me a printed image off of Google and simply says, "Build this", entrusting the project to my practiced skills. My calloused hands, rough from years of working in the shop, instinctively pick up a pencil and begin sketching. My thoughts for a design are projected onto paper, waiting to be built.

Even in the hustle and bustle of technical theater production I easily lose myself in a project. I have missed my stop sitting on the train ride home while trying to think of the most effective way to have a lever release the trap door for a gallows. Time escapes me as I sit soldering wires for new speakers or carving out a statue for the show. My teachers have had to remind me to go home on nights when I can't put down the drill. When I enter the shop I am engrossed by the boundless possibilities of inventions and designs I can make. The unending shelves of machines and tools allow my thoughts to break free of the stresses of school and run free in thoughts of new things I can create.

Among all of the tools and safety hazards I find that I have also taken on a huge responsibility. Even during the busiest days I must be careful with my tools and teach others to work safely. I especially enjoy leading other students and being able to teach them the skills I have learned. Working in tech has given me problem solving skills that allow me to come up with solutions quickly. During the most hectic days in tech I have been able to focus and create some of my best work. I thrive in an environment where my mind is constantly challenged. I want to design innovative and efficient designs in order to improve technology and inventions of the future. I hope to use my problem solving skills combined with my desire for improvement as an engineer in the future.

Please comment on how this could be improved. Thanks!

I think it's pretty good! In the second paragraph, you might want to make it sound a little more fluent and "pretty" (sorry for the weird word choice, haha) . I personally feel, when reading it, that the paragraph seems a bit too choppy.

Happy editing :)

I like the uniqueness of the essay. Not everyone writes about their trips to the gym. You might want to emphasize the effect the trips to the gym had on who you are as a person. Other than that i saw nothing wrong with the essay. Good Job

hello! I really like this essay. The only thing I would say is to put in somewhere, exactly why this is a place you are content. I've read numerous articles on how colleges want to see how well you can break down the question in the prompt as well as having a creative response. You did a good job of explaining what you do and experience there, but make sure to answer what they want.


You did a good job of explaining what you do and experience there, but make sure to fully answer what they want to see.( contentment)

good luck with everything!