College Prompt
college_promt__1_.docx | |
File Size: | 112 kb |
File Type: | docx |
College Prompt
Colorado State University (Reach)
Requirements:
The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so. (The application will accept essay with 250-650 words)
Prompt:
Colorado State University (Reach)
Requirements:
The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don't feel obligated to do so. (The application will accept essay with 250-650 words)
Prompt:
- The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
College Essay - Colorado State University (CSU)
college_essay.docx | |
File Size: | 6 kb |
File Type: | docx |
The balance of delight and devastation have been the only differences keeping our lives together. In life, there are moments that are so cruel and harsh we feel as if we cannot face the world around us. But through this darkness emerges moments in life that help us see the true beauty in us and inspires us to grow and make a positive change. In order to fully appreciate these experiences, we must face the struggles of life.
When my life started, my mind was so full of curiosity and wonder that sometimes it was hard to focus on the present. This continued as I got older but it wasn't always a pleasant trait. I would get myself into trouble for exploring places I shouldn't be. This only made my urge to discover even harder to resist. I didn't think about the consequences or the potential pain I could cause. I was just focused on what I wanted to find. As high school came around, so did reality. My curiosity wasn't the drive to my priorities anymore, it was responsibility. This adjustment was different at first because it felt as if you became an adult over night and growing up was an essential. I became very stressed and felt as if I hit a brick wall. The truth about the world and about life was finally becoming clear. I grew up always assuming life would always be filled with adventures and failures were rare. It was an unrealistic expectation but I still felt I needed an escape. This was when introduced to marijuana and instantly fell in love. It gave me the feeling of hope I always had when I was a kid, but lost as I got older. I chased that feeling for so long believing that it was giving the motivation I never had, but it was really just bringing me down more. I didn't realize it at the time which made my use even more frequent. I worked hard but there were times where it seemed as if I lost all ambition. I would turn to my past impulse. This became a problem because it was near impossible to balance this habit with school, but I still tried. It wasn't a problem for me, up until I was faced with such struggles and consequence, that I almost lost everything I worked so hard for. I felt broken, but I knew there were only two options for me. I could either sit their and feel sorry for myself or pick up my pieces and walk forward as I repair what I had damaged. It isn't easy and I am to this today picking up those pieces, but these circumstances helped me understand how destructive my curiosity can be for myself and others around me. I believed escaping reality was the best way to live life, I thought that as long as I was happy in the present moment I would be happy for the rest of my life. These unrealistic assumptions are what helped learn that I must create my own happiness rather than relying on substances. I am thankful that I can learn from my mistakes when I am young rather than facing the truth much later. My current drive is to find purpose for myself as I experience this crazy thing we all call life, but also maintain my curiosity.
Refinements
As I was reading different prompts and looking through different colleges admissions, I was having a hard time thinking about what I could write about. I initially thought that I was going to write one of my great accomplishments but I soon realized that I learn much more and grow much from my failures, so I decided to take that route. I began writing specific times in which I faced great failure but over all grew from it. I was worried about adding too much detail so I tiptoed around the topic I was writing about. It was until I had a writing conference with Lori and she pointed that out to me. I told her why I was avoiding and she said it could actually make my piece stronger if I included some detail. So I went back to my computer and started writing about the actual events that took place. I felt very free with my writing and I could actually express how I felt and how I grew rather than avoiding it completely. It didn't take me long to add these important details because I felt so comfortable writing about after I got the reassurance from Lori.