College Admissions Essay: My Way Of Studying History

Throughout our lives, we make choices and decisions that change our lives and others in positive and/or negative ways. It is these decisions that determine how we will be remembered, our legacy. When I graduate high school, I want to be remembered by the qualities that define me as a person and the good I’ve done for others. Throughout the years, I’ve been often been described by my family and friends as bold, confident, outgoing, and hardworking. Not only are these characteristics important to me, but they are important to my family, as they want to leave a legacy in the name of our family. The qualities I have exhibited are the same qualities past family members have shown and are remembered for. Through always putting out my best effort when it comes to work and school, I have shown my dedication and discipline. Through doing what I can to help others, I have displayed my commitment to world peace, the betterment of the world as a whole, and the yearning to make a difference in someone’s life other than my

Everyone has a legacy. A legacy is like a message in a bottle, something you leave behind to be discovered again. It’s a story that people are remembered by, whether it’s a work of art or a famous quote. It’s an impact you leave for a place or a person. A legacy is like a treasure chest; all you have to do is unlock it. I want to make my own legacy so I’ll be remembered for something. It doesn’t matter what it is, I just want to leave a positive mark on this school.

I have been passionate about history since a young age. I remember being a small child riding the school bus and questioning what my town looked like in the past, who were the people that lived there prior to my friends and family. I cannot pinpoint when my curiosity of the past began but I can thank my parents for nurturing that curiosity and supporting it has grown. My passion of history has guide me to pursing a doctoral program and a career in academia where I can continue allow my curiosity to grow.

History engages me like no other subject. History is unrivaled in complexity and depth compared to other areas of study, but many do not realize this because we choose to gloss over the vast majority, reducing entire sagas into little more than a footnote on a single page. The American revolution, while celebrated in the US, is little more than a paragraph in European history, overlooked because of the more relevant Napoleonic era. My passion for learning encourages me to read into these footnotes and discover the lessons and ideas that are ignored by the common curriculum.

Growing up, my family attended countless historical sites and museums, which taught me to appreciate history at a young age. This appreciation and passion for history was enhanced by one of my high school history teachers, Stephanie Hornstein. She is an exuberant, intelligent and dedicated teacher whose excitement for history is contagious. In her AP United States History class, I was able to develop my critical thinking skills and my passion for being able to study history in greater depth and share that with others. I hope that studying history will provide me with a greater perspective on world and United States events and their impact today on society.

I never gave U.S. history much thought – a first generation American Ukrainian, my grandparents and their offspring made a point of emphasizing the Soviet Union’s and Russia’s side of history. My adolescent life was dominated by first-hand accounts of memories of communism/socialism, the Great Depression, WW1 and WW2 terrors and the aftermaths’ deprivations ranging from remembered facts, their schooling, and a litany of desired truths, fabrications, and nationalistic tales. America’s stories paled in any comparison, said the countless immigrants who had sacrificed everything to live here.

Curiosity, the search for knowledge, is an essential dimension of human nature. Embracing this as fact is the beginning of ones journey into the realms of the erudite. The path this journey follows has been wearied by the feet of many great travelers, yet it is the one I have chosen to follow.

Compare how poets present ideas to do with identity in Checking out me History and The Charge of the Light Brigade The structure of Checking out me History belittles the British history by using nursery rhymes and fairy tales as examples of it, a way of the poet turning the tables on the authorities that taught his British history rather than about historical black figures. The simple language suggests that British historical figures are childish or of less importance in the speaker’s eyes, which is the opposite of what he was brought up to believe. This is heightened by the impressive descriptions of the black historical figures, using metaphors like “fire woman” and “a yellow sunrise” to make them appear of much more value that the “dish who ran away with the spoon” and “ole King Cole” who was a “merry old soul”, where the childish sing-song rhymes make them seem ridiculous rather than of real significance. In Charge of the Light Brigade, however, the British troops are made to look brave and noble

History is integral to our understanding of ourselves and society. Without history who would we be but a completely blank canvas with nothing to guide or drive us? Despite it being so universal in nature for its students it can also be intensely personal. It is history and the collective memories that it entails that give birth to a nation and its culture, linking the past to the present it creates a strong sense of belonging and union in a community. Martin Luther King Jr’s Words “We are not makers of history. We are made by history” echo this sentiment more succinctly because it is the history of our nation and our families’ our personal history that influence our morals and what and how we think. Historian Margaret Macmillan in her book ‘The Uses and Abuses of History’ expressed the view that “even when people think they are sticking out in new directions their models often come from the past” striking examples such as Stalin and Putin with their Tsarist forbears showing how this concept is active in society today. I love the narrative that history offers and it was through my love of reading literature that first awakened my thirst for history. However unlike literature it is a narrative with many different levels of perception and understanding, with the story itself developing through the torchlight of new discoveries and insights more importantly it is a story I can have an active part in. I

One day, I hope to be a history teacher, high school, upper high school to be specific (I don’t handle tweens well… and I don’t know how to talk to kids, I know it’s shocking). But high school history doesn’t really tend to emphasize your opinions, your history, your anything. My AP history classes were dark classrooms with seats in perfect rows. I walked in everyday, sat in my assigned seat, took out my notebook, and wrote as my teachers lectured for 45 minutes everyday. Now I love history, I really do, and AP World history was potentially one of my all time favorite classes, but I wasn’t your average high school student, and your average high school student isn’t necessarily a fan of school, let alone ancient civilizations and dates, but

My past, present, and future. This is the journey of my life. Where I’ve been, where I’m at, and where I’m going. My journey began on July 28, 2000, at St. Margret’s South Hospital in Dyer, Indiana. Lance Collins who is a paramedic, and Christine Collins who is a registered nurse, became the proud parents of the 6lb. 9oz. 21 inch long baby boy, who they named Liam Hunter Collins. On November 30, 2002, I became a big brother when my sister Taylor Collins was born. I have been a lifelong resident of Northwest Indiana and I’ve had some pretty amazing adventures and accomplishments so far. I became a proud pet owner when my bichon frise Max, came to live with us on April 5th, 2006. On June 30, 2006 my dad took me to my very first Taekwondo lesson. I quickly fell in love with martial arts, I worked really hard, dedicated myself, and I received the rank of 1st degree black belt when I was only eight years old. I have been playing

My mom called me crying about a week ago, after she dropped me off at the University of Akron and helped me move in my things. In an attempt to console her I repeated that I wasn’t very far from my hometown, Brecksville, and it wouldn’t be difficult to see me. Between sobs, she asked me what I’ve learned from her; if I felt she had taught me everything she should’ve. I’ve never been so sure of an answer in my life. My mom has inspired me more than anyone and has taught me to be hardworking, independent, accepting of others and myself, and to never sell myself short. It has been my dream since fourth grade to be lawyer, so while it is difficult to be away from people at home who I love, I know that I am in the right place and doing the right

My professional life has been predominantly focused on the practice of medicine. During the course of my studies and carrier I have always had an interest in world history. While working on my undergraduate degree I found myself taking history classes for electives, participating in the history clubs and spent a significant amount of free time investigating historical origins of ideas and inventions. During medical school with the armed forces I was formally exposed too Military and American History and studied

Being raised in strongly liberal environment, I’ve grown particularly fond of a slogan in a Polish magazine. “Choose your way. But first, try everything.” This simple statement to a large extent morphed my approach to life over the most recent years. As opposed to many of my peers, whose plans were rigidly laid out, I rejected the idea of limiting myself to areas I know and feel safe around. Instead, I’m tirelessly searching and exploring the world, afraid to death that I won’t manage to see it all.

Did you know that during the American Revolution when the American colonists were at war with the British the chance of the colonists of winning were like modern-day America going up against an American tribe? This is why I love History. With History, I am able to find out how the colonists beat such tremendous odds. I have been around colleges all my life. I love the atmosphere of colleges. Ever since I was little, I wanted to be a Professor. At the time, I didn’t know in what subject, but I did still set my mind to be a college professor. Now that I am older, I have shortened my list to History. With History, there is always something new to learn. If it’s from 1600 Europe or the Revolutionary War, there is always something new that I can learn from the subjects. The most major contest I have won for history was when I was in the 8th grade (Which was only a year ago). I got a letter in the mail stating that I was a one of the select few that got the opportunity to show my knowledge in History. I was chosen because my AP History teacher sent in one of my essays. The test was a 100 question test of the major events from the American Revolution to the Civil War. It asked questions like: Who founded the first colony in Georgia? (James Oglethorpe in 1733), or who was the editor of the abolitionists paper, The Liberator? (William Lloyd Garrison). We also had to take a Map, Charts and Graphing skills test, which would later average up with my