College Admissions Essay: Finding Passion In Writing

My passion towards working with students every day has led me to the decision of pursuing a doctoral degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Miami University. I have chosen this program to prepare myself for a future role as a professor or a senior level college administrator. This program will allow me to become more proficient within the students’ educational experience and therefore better engage students in active learning.

I dreamt of walking on Commonwealth Ave. I envisioned myself entering the Morse Auditorium, books in hand, eager to learn. Ever since I had visited the eclectic city of Boston in 2006, I knew it was the right fit for me. I knew that the city itself, along with the remarkable academic resources that Boston University offers would allow me to grow socially and mentally. Until this day I ask questions on end from my comrades at the BU, impatient to learn more and more about their lives on and off campus. From all the feedback I have received I have come to one conclusion: BU is the place where I will get a rich, broad background in all my studies. BU will give me the foundation and preparation I will need to enter any field of study.

The ACT and SAT were created to accurately measure the knowledge of our children and make sure they are prepared for college, yet often times it seems to have the opposite effect. Due to the tests, some students are deciding not to go to college just to avoid paying so much money when they do not think they can do well in college courses. Even if students do decide to go to college, they may avoid taking classes with large tests due to test phobia developed from the ACT or SAT (Paul 42). Seeing such low scores in certain subjects can lower a student’s confidence and willingness to take those classes in college. By not taking certain classes, a student is limiting what major they can complete which will lowering their career options (Paul 42). We can’t let this happen to our students! We can’t let one stupid test destroy the careers and futures of hundreds of teenagers. The long term effects of the trauma created by the ACT and SAT are detrimental to today’s students.

I was so ecstatic that I called everyone in my family to tell them that I actually got a D1 college looking at my records and that they stated that they are actually interested in me. Approximately two weeks had passed and it was time for me to take my first ACT, I was so nervous on the day of the ACT because I hadn’t taken it before and I knew that one of the requirements for MSU were that I had a minimum score of 18. I had no clue what I was going to score but the only thing I could do was pray the night before and have faith in myself. The big day was finally here and as I sat in the room waiting for the proctor to say begin my stomach had butterflies and a very jittery feeling. With only three minutes and twelve seconds left to spare on the last section of the test I chose to do what my English III teacher, Mrs. Triggs, at the time told me to do and that was to reexamine my test. Later that day I went home because I was so mentally exhausted I immediately went to sleep, I woke from my nap and I started crying because if I didn’t make an eighteen or higher I don’t think I would’ve retaken the

To make a long story short, I didn't try hard enough on the ACT. For instance, I didn't study for it outside of a few online practice review sessions. I was too cocky. Regrettably, I knew I was a smart kid, but I didn't put in the time or effort to really succeed in taking the biggest standardized test of my life.

Most importantly, the practice test administered at the end of the class allowed me to experience a realistic ACT environment, and to ready myself for the three and a half hours of critical thinking and rapid circle marking. I was more than a little anxious before the practice exam; I may have understood the concepts, but application of those concepts was its own beast to conquer. As I proceeded through the practice exam, however, I realized that the ACT was not the nightmare that I had expected. It was just a test, and I was armed with the resources to conquer

My career goal is to be a successful fiction author and to publish over two full series. I’ve chosen this career because I’ve already started writing and I love it. I think that I’d be good at writing because I’m really creative and I love to read, then scribble down whatever pops into my head. I’m always in the middle of writing something and my finger hitting the computer keys is not an uncommon sound. This makes me assume that I’d be good at writing as a career.

I would not let my dream be snatched away from me so easily. Balancing work, academics, and extracurricular activities, I had little time for actual AP and SAT preparation. I often sacrificed sleep just to get a few extra hours of studying in. Two weeks before the SAT, I dedicated hours to practicing, and I read more in order to build my vocabulary. The result was a massive increase in my overall score. It was a bittersweet moment; as I rejoiced in my improvement, I acknowledged the fact that I was still below my target score. In silent determination, I registered for the next available test. As AP exams approached, my free time diminished, and I reluctantly admitted to myself I would not be able to prepare for the coming SAT test if I wanted to focus on improving my AP scores. I put all of my time into AP review; when I wasn't working, I was studying. Not long after completing my AP tests, my SAT test came around the

Walk into the building 15 minute early: you have your number 2 pencils, a big eraser, and a calculator. The lady at the door checks your ticket, then your license, and checks you off the list. “Go to the bathroom before you enter the room and leave all items like food, water, and electronics out of the testing room, otherwise you will be kicked out and your test will not be scored” bluntly said the ACT test official. You enter the test room and sit and talk with the people around you before the test begins. The test official rattles all the instructions off like a robot. You and 1.92 million people took the ACT exam this year. Unlike the 1.7 million people who took the SAT.

Reading and writing are subjects that when you look back on, you look back to when you were first taught. Whether it was in Kindergarten gathered around the teacher on the story time rug or in first grade when you were taught to write on that special lined paper. We have all mastered reading and writing in one way or another. You even learn to love one or the other, maybe both. For me, I absolutely love to read but I have a hatred for writing! Especially, when I must write stories, poems, school papers or anything of the kind, which is kind of ironic.

I am proud to be a bisexual African American female with a passion for technology. Yet my journey has not been easy. For my mother, my sexuality was difficult to understand. Due to my strict Jamaican background, she not only misunderstood, but she fought with me. Uncovering my bisexuality was read as a war cry. This led her to try everything in her power to stop or revert this from happening. At one point, not even girls were allowed to sleep over. Her behavior felt dehumanizing and these feelings still resonate with me. I have learned that my mother's acceptance is something I will never have, whole-heartedly, due to her unchanged beliefs.

I've wanted to be a writer since I learned how to read at the age of five. The fact that these words on a page could create a whole other world in my head fascinated me to no end. I immersed myself in these books, much to the chagrin of my younger sister who just wanted to play. Books became an escape from acknowledging the fact that I was horribly shy and had no true friends. The characters who lived among those pages and let me peek into their lives became truer friends than I had ever had. At least fictional characters never abandon you for other people, never move away, never drift away from you until you are simply an ignored distant memory in the corner of their mind. I wanted nothing more than to give those companions to other people, and the sheer joy of creating those lives and worlds would be award enough.

I grew up most of my life being told what I could and couldn’t do—my dad would always tell me to get used to working in agriculture because that’s all I would ever do. I came to WSU without any help from my dad, and I put so much effort into pursuing my BA in English, but throughout this experience I found my passion in teaching English composition. There is no way I can describe my passion for English composition—I love everything from grammar to the rhetorical processes—and I enjoy teaching others what I know. It’s that passion that drives me to want to pursue an MA in English.

Passion or Security I have loved art from the moment I could sit up and hold a crayon. I have been a fully self-taught artist all my life. Creating art has always been my favorite hobby. As a child I pursued developing my skills more and more each day.

Although you already know this, My SAT score is far from exceptional. What you don’t know is I’ve been preparing myself for this test since before high school. Originally, my school took the ACT, so in middle school, students took the ACT practice exams. Though many students didn’t believe they were significant, I always tried my best, no matter what. In ninth grade, my school changed to the SAT, I then started preparing myself for that instead. Since elementary school, college has been my dream, resulting from my parents never finishing their education. I want to explain the work and dedication I put into these activities. I live twenty minutes from Swartz Creek, I commute there every day, multiple times due to extracurricular activities.