Next essay topic - initial offhand response
“Many students expand their view of the world during their time in college. Such growth often results from encounters between students who have lived different cultural, economic, or academic experiences. With your future growth in mind, describe a potential classmate that you believe you could learn from either within or outside a formal classroom environment. ”
The primary reason I want to be a (Longhorn/Aggie/Wildcat) is to rediscover the youth I never had. The friends I hope to make at the University of (Texas/California/Arizona) will be optimisitc about the world and their place in it, ambitious about experiencing everything life has to offer, and have the wisdom to savor the tapestry of existence from moment to moment.
Such a student and friend would have both the academic wherewithal and the common sense to describe the world in terms I relate to, yet offer a perspective distinctly different from my own. Just as I would hope to convey the struggles of growing up in an environment where gun violence is commonplace, I want to vicariously absorb the nuances of coming of age in middle class America. I desire to learn how a high school student decides to run for student body president, what goes into that decision, and where it leads them. What is it like to play high school sports? How does one approach life differently when they have lots of parental support? How does where one grows up, both geographically and socioeconomically, effect the big decisions one makes regarding career, life purpose, and even, perhaps just as poignantly, less stressful issues, such as style of dress, colloquialisms, and musical preferences?
It seems to me, however unfortunate, from my experience as a hiring manager, that a four year college degree is very much a differentiator between the haves and the have-nots. (Whether or not this is based on merit, socioeconomics, emotional well-being, or simply the college environment itself is obviously beyond the scope of both this essay and my experience. Perhaps I’ll learn this as a Longhorn/Aggie/Wildcat.) While I have successfully assimilated into the professional world where everyone has (or assumes I have) the seemingly required credentials, I very much lack an understanding of what it is like to grow up in that world.
However ironic it may sound, I hope to meet, see the world through the eyes of, and be both inspired and accepted by the proverbial boy or girl next door. Because of my own colored background, I believe this will help me grow and progress in ways I cannot even comprehend at this point in my life’s journey.
Testing the comment function…
Dude, this is awesome writing, I’d keep the beginning until “Just as I would….” in the 2nd paragraph all the way down to the last sentence. My impression of the tone and content is that you are a “have-not” are frustrated by it. Because I perceive frustration I percieve an unbalanced individual. I wouldn’t admit anyone that sounds like they might go postal during the 3rd week of Art History 101. I’d mention more about your unique circumstance by saying what you’ve learned. If you frame it like it was this great and wonderful lesson then that will exude balance and still show the reader your unique “colored background”.
The first part is really good precisely because it answers the question at hand (umm btw, “…the wisdom to savor the tapestry of existence from moment to moment.” nice job Faulkner!) with a curious tone. When the subject turns to you I think you should hit more on how you can teach others to become self-made people by encouraging them with your story or just your words of encouragement that empower a classmate to do more than they thought possible, because you’ve been through it and you know it’s possible. Let them know you want to be infected with a youthful curiousity and be-friend people that are just as curious as you. You’re looking for classmates that like thinking-outside the box, can challenge you, and are open and willing to both listen to and share their knowledge/experiences/thoughts/feelings/whatever.
Hope this helps some, bro.
I read some of the posts and I think it is a great place! I like to showcase my complex ego I have a good fresh joke for you! What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite.
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