College Admissions Essay: The Fall Before The Rise

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

America’s gift to our generation is the hope for a better future is because we have the power to change our fate, change their life and turn their turn it around.

I trudge through the hallway in disbelief that it’s only the second week of my junior year. The tumultuous sea of students push passed my slender body; I keep my head down watching the shuffling of feet as I make my mindless progression. Obfuscated, my mind struggles to recall life before this weekend but such an egregious event is not easily forgotten. How was I going to explain myself? Somehow I made it to my English classroom where my affable teacher sat diligently bent over papers. Even though he appears undeniably nonthreatening my hands still shake amid my trek to his desk. Not knowing how to commence telling my story I simply blurt out “I’m sorry if I start crying in class...my dad tried to kill me this weekend.”

I started working for Dollywood Splash Country my sophomore year of high school as a lifeguard. It requires many early mornings, long days, late nights and constant focus out in the hot summer weather. Even though this isn’t always the most glamorous job I have taken pride in working hard and being ready to serve in whatever capacity I can to help out other employees and managerial staff. I arrive early and will work late if needed, because I really enjoy working hard and the satisfaction I receive. No matter how I’m feeling that day I come into work every day and fully dedicate myself to the job trying to feel like I did everything I could to improve the workplace when I leave that day.

The future. A place filled with unknowns and unexpected twists and turns. As I near the end of my high school career, the idea of college and all that follows it is becoming a reality in my mind. I do not know what God has in store for me, but I do know that He has a plan. As a freshman, I thought that I would have everything figured out by senior year; however, now that it is senior year, the future looks more mysterious than ever. While this is the case, I have still postulated some of my future goals and ambitions.

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.

Born in a country where education is poor, life is hard, and opportunities are very rare, I was fortunate to come with my family to the U.S in search for a better future. I was only eight years of age when my family had to go through much hardship in order to bring my brother and I to this country. My good fortune was accompanied by many challenges such as learning English, getting to know a wide variety of diverse people and adapting to my new environment. It was a hard beginning for me, making it difficult to find the road I was looking for. The people that really support me in every struggle I have experienced ever since I was born are my parents who were and continue to be my biggest influence. I am blessed to have such a supportive and

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.

Have you ever wanted something so badly, but never knew how to start or even get there? Ha-ha...who am I kidding, we all have. Well that how my story all starts.

The pure pleasure that comes from frivolously smashing small pots with a wooden spoon was every child’s dream. But for me I wondered, How does the sound work? When I was young, the garage door seemed like magic and I was always wondering; How does that work? That question filled me with curiosity, and to this day I want to know how everything works. I remember my dad giving me the book: The Way Things work And I was astounded because it was full of colorful, fun illustrations that explained everything from simple machines to aeronautical masterpieces. I spent hours upon hours (a long time for a kid) just looking upon the pages filled with mechanical drawings amazed like I had found Da Vinci's notebook. But even today many, many years later with most of

The city of New York is where I reside, mostly when I'm not flying around the world in my elegant, exclusive, exorbitant jet; I'd always mention with a wink. I'm living the dream. Waking up to the warmth of the sun as my alarm, the view of the alluring country from my apartment and Mr. Awares, my butler the man who dresses me... haha okay, I’m not that lazy. Where do I see myself 10 years from where I stand now? A question I could never answer until 10:03pm or was it 10:05pm? Well, who knows, I fell asleep.

I have learned a great deal both through formal and informal education up to this point and am thrilled to embark on my next stage of development. I really see the college search a lot like music. There are a plethora of options out there, but it is a very personal choice which one is right for you. Some like rock, others like pop, but no matter what genre speaks to you most, the favorite choice speaks to people deeply and inspires them tremendously. When I looked at the campus of New Jersey City University I knew my heart was singing for me to go there. Researching the area, the facilities, the programs, and the demographic was like a perfect symphony all coming together at once.

I grew up in a house located in a city named Hallandale, a not so quite poverty-stricken African-American dominated neighborhood of South Florida. Everyday news reports of someone either dying, getting shot, or arrested from the neighborhood appeared on my front screen. I lived in a one story house with only three bedrooms and ten of my family members. I always considered my home as the most beautiful house on the block — a heavenly oasis in a cesspool of dilapidation. You knew my house because my grandmother had a lion on the outside of it that stood through every storm Florida threw its way. To me that lion represented the courage and strength of people in my neighborhood held despite the hard ships surrounding it. Every Sunday my grandma cooked for those in need.

Deeds, character, and action are all very observable and can be assessed by anyone. But in life, it matters not what others think off you but it matters more how you view yourself because if you establish a good mental image of yourself, you can project that image outwards. For a long time, I hadn’t realized this but once I reached high school this became very clear to me so I envisioned what the ideal me looked like and made that my new reality. Scholarship is a great place to start in terms of self-actualizing because it helps you learn many new ways of thinking. Most people also think of scholarship in terms of academics and schooling but it can be any higher learning. I acted on behalf of scholarship through two major ways: giving maximum

When I was applying for college, I thought searching for a school and getting accepted would be one of the most difficult moments of my life. I was unsure of my future for a time, and I thought that getting accepted to Purdue would be the last obstacle blocking the door to the rest of my life. I may only be in my second semester, but looking back I couldn’t have been more wrong. There are many things I have left to do in order to graduate, but I don’t want my college experience to be just doing what I am required to do; I want become more than just a college student going through the motions. My new-student Boiler Gold Rush experience helped me realize this, and really made me think about how I want to define myself throughout college. In addition to learning, I believe college is about the people you meet, the relationships you make and how you use the environment to your best advantage. Over the next four years, I want to become more involved within Purdue and surrounding community, to gain internship and leadership experience and to step out of my comfort zone so that I may be even more exposed to the diversity this campus is filled with.