College Admissions Essay: The Equalizer

Each individual is created to live their life uniquely. Each person has their own beliefs and opinions. They shape how one perceives others and how one affects others whether it be personally,locally, or globally.

I like to think of myself as a person who can appreciate and understand everyone's opinions. Although I might not agree with them, I feel as if everyone's beliefs and thoughts deserve to have equal initial respect. This leads me to where I was first introduced to discrimination and racism, the exact opposite concepts I now try to surround myself with. I have lived in Cross Roads, Pennsylvania for the entirety of my young life and if there is anything obvious about my community, it is that we are not very advanced in the diversity department. My hometown is predominantly white, which brings on a whole new set of problems concerning discrimination and racism, especially when a family of a different race moves to our community. Now don't get me wrong, my family, my friends, my neighbors, are not bad people. Most of them are great people but a few have just been brought up with idealisms that I myself find racist in nature. As an example, someone I spend a lot of time with because of family relations is in many ways ignorant to people different than them. They, like me, grew up in a

Everyone has to make choices in their life. Some are everyday choices, like what to eat or drink. Others are more critical, like choosing a job. Important decisions take time to comprehend. Like with me, the decision to go to college was the most critical choice in my life and for my future, and I will never regret it. Going to college is important because it helps me find a job, it expands my knowledge, and it is a wonderful 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

Being admitted into college is a difficult process, one that requires students to be diligent in their studies, engage in a number of extracurricular activities, and overcome the everyday pressures and challenges that high-schoolers face across the country. Admittedly, not everyone in the United States is born with the same opportunities as socioeconomic factors as well as historic injustices have contributed to a society in which some people are far more likely to achieve upward mobility – of which, obtaining a college degree is a necessary part – than others. While there is need to rectify this reality,

To me college is like the next step of life to adulthood; it is where you get a taste of the authentic world and learn how to adjust and manage on your own. In addition, it can be a place of magnification and polished skills within a community that strives for a prosperous life with an effulgent vocation. Thus, attending college was compulsory for me in order to reach future goals, and North Carolina A&T State University (NCAT) transpired to be just right for me. The distance was within range and they have an outstanding mechanical engineering program that I could solemnly benefit from. Overall, attending this university has opened many doors of opportunities that arrange with my personal and professional goals through their culture and community. Furthermore, I endeavor to put myself first and review my precedent accomplishments to strive for better while exposing myself to incipient challenges and obstacles.

Since I started community college I’ve heard several dozen cases of people changing their major, changing their transfer college, or just changing their mind. I’m not likely to do any of that, I choose to use my time in high school deciding what I wanted to do and so far I am sticking to it without a doubt in my mind. I chose to go to community college, earn my Associate's in Business Administration, and transfer to James Madison University in the fall of 2018, graduate in 2020 with my Bachelor’s. I intend to get my Master’s either right after my Bachelor’s or within a few years of my career. I hope to have a job leaving JMU, my first accounting job of my career. I decided to major in accounting for a plethora of reasons, but not what most people expect.

I’ve always been interested in the field of medicine. When I was being born, I almost died, being saved only by the ingenuity of a Nurse Day for whom my middle name is dedicated to. Above all else, I want to have an impact on the quality of life for others, and I think the University of Pennsylvania is one of, if not the, best ways to do that. Its bioengineering department is consistently ranked to be the most rigorous in the field, and I can handle rigor.

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

A critical moment during my undergraduate career is when I came to the realization that it is alright for me not to know what to do with my future. I realized that I was doing the right thing by furthering my education so that once I finally did know what career I wanted to pursue I would then have a degree to help me stand out. Once more, Dr. Reed convincing me to pursue a degree in Communication is one of the best pieces of advice I acquired during my undergraduate career, if not ever. I most likely would not have the confidence I currently have in obtaining a degree that I have no idea what I am going to with once I graduate.

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

Four years ago, as a freshman in highschool, attending a liberal arts school was not important to me or my aspirations. I just knew I wanted to go to a “good” college. I did not learn what liberal arts really was until I was a senior in high school, and even then, it did not play as much of role in my college decision process as it should have. To me, it just meant do I want to learn about more subjects, or just my area of study. I had this form or thinking just one year ago, but now, as a member of a liberal arts institution, I am finding a new appreciation for the importance of a liberal arts education in my life because of the society that we live in today.

My fondest childhood memories are hauling livestock behind the craters of the moon national park in central Idaho. Clouds of moon dust covered the winding dirt roads littered with rattle snakes and horned toads. Riding in a weathered red and white Kenworth tractor, I was 11 and on top of the world siting in the passenger seat next to my grandfather. My grandfather told me there are two achievements that matter most in life, earning a degree and having children. He was right about one of the achievements, nothing in life comes close to having children, but I don’t know how the other one feels. I aspire to be a mentor for my children by having a college degree. I want my children to have the father, freedom and financial stability that

For everything stolen, place the blame onto another. The tragedy that continues will surely cease, the moment light is found. Social justice is admittedly one of my greatest passions. As one of my primary interests, I have a strong passion for denouncing evil and allowing justice to conquer. I hope that through the actions I make now, and will continue to make, what I do will be able to change the world we have. Regardless, of whether it is a minor or major change, I truly hope my decisions will be able to provide a sense of relief, for even one person. I want to be known as a person who served others; as someone who loved the idea of peace so much, they lent their hand out to anyone who required assistance. The people I am given the opportunity

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.