College Admissions Essay: Past, Present, And Future

Going through adversity is one of the toughest things anyone can do. But, feeling like you are going through it alone is a completely different animal. I’m sitting in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Chicago, and studying advertising at one of the top institutions in the country, DePaul University. Yet, despite all the effort, and years of hard work it took me to get to this moment, all I can think about is one cliché line I heard in a song awhile back, “home is where the heart is.” Years from now I know that I will be able to look back at this moment and say that I got through this tough time, and I became a better version of myself. But for now, all I can do is stay patient and keep lacing up my walking shoes.

I was given one month to pack thirteen years of my life in a suitcase. Moving to the United States from Brazil has been a major landmark in my life. It was a phase defined by its drastic transition between to widely differing cultures. I was faced with the challenge of making different friends, and growing accustomed to a new educational system. This all became increasingly difficult when you take in to consideration my inability to communicate. Overcoming this obstacle was my biggest objective in ironing my complicated transition.

Discovering and choosing a college that best suits my needs was a rigorous yet thrilling task. The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising clearly came forth as the best choice for me to further my education in design. Being unable to visit the college campus, as I live in New York, I've done lots and lots of research about FIDM, and I realize the institute offers what I hope to gain from my college experience.

In December 2014, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education published “Rethinking the Admission Process.” This article was written by Frank DiMaria, who takes a look at the research of the former president of the University of Wyoming, Robert Sternberg. DiMaria explains Sternberg’s stance against the current admissions process. Sternberg has research that depicts, “GPA, standardized tests, and essays do not successfully measure the true talent of a college applicant.” He believes that the policies need to change. Sternberg offers an alternative to the current process. Sternberg has been a part of a new admissions policy testing students not just on their memorization and analytical skills, but on their creative, practical, and wisdom-based skills as well. Sternberg’s ideas stem from his experience with disadvantaged youth and their ability to adapt and overcome obstacles. Sternberg claims that students who grow up in the upper middle class tend to have an environment which better values the analytical skills that the current tests measure. He argues that, because of this, colleges may not be getting the most creative and adaptable students. He shows that some of these less privileged students are capable of handling a college workload even though they may not have been able to score as high on the SAT or other tests. DiMaria believes that through Sternberg’s Kaleidoscope policy may be a solution. The Kaleidoscope way of admissions administers tests which ask open ended

Ever since I can remember I have had an intense curiosity about the world and the people in it. This is probably due mostly to my parents who read to me nonstop but it has fuelled most of my learning experiences and given me a love of the world and of people, and the understanding of both of those. This love was further developed when I began four years of learning Attic Greek and Latin through a classical education. Then, after yearning to go overseas since I was eight years old and saving for it most of the time since then, I made it to England for six weeks this summer. Here my appetite for understanding is being indulged not just with words and pictures but with real world experiences which I can touch, see, and hear. Now, as I near the end of my stay, I am looking ahead to the rest of high school and I have decided I want to make the most of my junior and

In the words of civil rights great Mahatma Gandhi, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Receiving an education, in my opinion, is the foremost responsibility of every individual who walks this Earth. Education, however, has different meanings for different people. In some cultures, an education may include learning agrarian or farming techniques. In many other cultures, an education consists of attending primary school, secondary school and later attending college. No matter how the concept of education is prescribed in a given society, this fact remains true: everyone desires to have learned more when they leave this world than they did when they came in. Personally, I desire to receive a college education because I believe that by receiving such an

of reference, I realized I needed fraternity. I realized I needed camaraderie. I realized I needed to be a Whiffenpoof.

Driving to Starbucks in Arvada and the weather was calm, cool and collective. It became the most interesting, graceful and intense summer that year. It was summer of 2012 and I sat across my bible study leader surrounded by coffee at Starbucks as she told me to grip the coffee cup. She used it as an analogy as accepting Christ in my life. As I took the coffee cup and accepted Christ as my savior, my life has forever changed and the blessings have been flowing into my life that only GOD can give. I have chosen Colorado Christian University as my choice of college to finish out my bachelor’s degree because I have a strong ambition to chase after a relationship with Jesus. I want to use my spiritual gifts I have been given to spread the love of Jesus

Maya Angelou once said “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”. I believe that some people are complacent with mediocrity and therefore do not try to excel to their highest potential. As for me, furthering my future by attending college will help rise above the horizon of being average. I want to put my willing, intellectual, open mindedness, and so much more to good use.

From the very first day of freshmen year in high school, determining what college you will attend is an idea constantly engraved into students’ heads. Teachers apply a constant gentle pressure to motivate students to get good grades, become involved in extracurricular activities, and find an area of interest to assist in selecting a college major down the road. Students endure the four years of high school, some working part-time jobs, to afford weekend entertainment, miscellaneous expenses—such as Whataburger after a Friday night football game, or gasoline for their car. However, the requirement to decide between a career and education is only beginning to become a reality for many. Some students decided to take time off after their high school

It is not for the first time that I stand on the crossroads of making a much calculated decision. A judgment call, not a product of mere intuition but of much introspection, soul-searching and self-examination. When ever I find myself apt to embark on a new journey I look back to evaluate my-self; trace the sequence of events that ultimately lead me to a follow a particular path. In retrospect I find myself fortunate to have been groomed in an all-rounded education system. A system that transformed a child who was reluctant and shy to even engage in a conversation to someone who made it a passion to step-up on stage to educate others.

I have not always been myself; the person I am today is very different than who I used to be. I have seen myself sprout and bloom into a confident, young woman in a matter of three years. I remember arriving at my high school during freshman year a nervous wreck; I had very few friends despite being in the same school system my entire educational career. The previous year had left a stale taste in my mouth, and I longed for a fresh start. I remember walking through the wide hallways with countless bodies bustling around me. Seeing all those different people made me think. Who was I exactly?

If someone asked me where I am going to be in ten years, this would be my answer. I will have a great, high-paying job, and beautiful wife and family, and a nice sports car parked in front of my lovely house. When I look into the future, I see myself being successful and happy. Even though I always pictured myself this way, I never worried too much about how I would get there. I feel the Suffolk University can lay the groundwork for making these dreams into reality.

Being the product of immigrant parents, I’ve never taken education for granted. When my father was younger, he grew up in the countryside of Fuzhou. It was separate from the rest of China in that laws, such as those limiting the number of children a family could have, and an a proper education system didn’t apply. Where he was from, they grew what they ate and ate what they grew, living day to day. When he came to America, he didn’t speak a lick of English and struggled to receive the education needed for many careers. So, he started as a restaurant worker, and saved up the money to be a co-owner, and then a manager. My parents worked tireless nights for over twenty years, from 10 am to 11 pm, never taking a day off. They sent me to school

As I open my eyes to the beginning of a new day, all the memories and regrets hit me like a crashing wave. My shattered life, the reminding of my sin, and the unknown plans ahead make me realize of how unbalanced and the lack of control my life has.I've grown weary of lacking control and letting stress take me over. I've grown weary of living my life far from my God and making decisions without him. College is another art of my life I don't want to take for granted, but to look forward to.