College Admissions Essay: The Journey That Changed My Life

Usually people come to New York because they see it as a great opportunity to be able to achieve what they want to achieve and follow their dreams. The lines “Everybody here wanted somethin ' more/ Searchin ' for a sound we hadn 't heard before” (Swift) show that New York City is a destination for those who

In my early years, I hadn't given much thought to the depth of this city, only knowing bits and pieces of the puzzle that I was trying to put together in my head. However, as the years went by, I grew accustomed to the city, its people, and its ways. This city influenced and shaped my persona into the individual I am today. This city taught me a great deal of what

While explaining his new daily routine, he expressed his views on the city, “I began to like New York, the racy, adventurous feel of it at night, and the satisfaction that the contrast flicker of men and women and machines give to the restless eye” (56). When he says this, his tone is a tinge of sadness but mostly acceptance. It doesn’t seem to affect or bother him that he feels solitary in a big city. He admits that he feels lonely, but he also believes other people in New York feel lonely as well. Showing that even though a big city can be exciting and filled with opportunities, it’s not always as grand as people make it

Every day, every one, in the world goes through a challenge, big or small. They affect and impact us significantly. They change the way we think, love, act, and approach or do things. Challenges either frighten or motivate us, but they are what make us the person we are today.

Although I have very few experiences of New York, what captivates me the most to the Empire State is the memory of my parents challenges in the city. As young newly wedded immigrants without a degree, it was tough settling in the big apple. Nonetheless, my parents worked hard to achieve the American dream. However, their American dream ended in the U.S. after they received their education. They decided to work overseas, and it was a decision that affected my life greatly. I grew up in many urban areas like New York with plenty of diversity to offer, but living as a foreigner enhanced the experience.

Growing up in the small suburban city of Lewisville, I have always fantasized about living in a big city with tall skyscrapers, extremely diverse cultures, beautiful sights, and to be frank, heavy traffic accompanied with blaring horns and shouting from drivers with road rage. New York is where I want to live and attend school, not only for its great adventures in the city but, because it is a cradle for the arts in America. At the age of three, I was exposed to the arts

New York City is the centerpoint of thousands of films and pieces of literature, a city whose charm can be felt through words or pictures. Lights, brighter than life itself, blend with a cacophony of car horns and shouts to create an addictive mix of chaos. The glamour and sparkle of New York City is dramaticized to be an all encompassing feeling of wonder that one keeps with them for the rest of their lives. In the spring of this past year, the band program I participated in was given the once in a lifetime chance to perform in New York. Being obsessed with the city since I was a child, I gladly leapt at the opportunity. However, actually navigating the fabled concrete jungle makes one realize that New York City is not the shining beacon of wonder and amazement that it is thought to be.

When life gives you the opportunity to be successful, you take it. So, out of every let down or every time you ever ask yourself, “was it worth it?”…, you say “definitely”, persevere, and continue seeking greatness. When I got that opportunity, I hit the ground running. I was hungry to become successful, hungry to graduate from college, hungry to even hear my dad say, “I’m proud of you”. Maybe I could have taken a different route but hey, growing up in a small town like Mullins SC with a high unemployment rate, don’t get you too far. I couldn’t find myself falling into that statistic. Working temp jobs, wondering how I would pay for college…, it was rough, definitely some humble beginnings. This by no means is a message for sympathy.

Throughout my life I have battled against mayor struggles. Struggles which to some may seem like it was nothing and to others it may look like it`s a horrible situation. My entire childhood I lived in my home country of Puerto Rico, and honestly had never thought about the outside world. As time passed, the more crime progressed to levels that could never be seen in America. Crime had become unbearable and unescapable, so much that stepping on someone’s shoe on accident would lead to that person shooting you or threatening to do so. I as a child could see what was happening, and I could see how my countries problems had affected me greatly. Shootings right behind my house almost every day, 9-year-old`s bringing guns and pocket knives to school, people breaking in to my school to kill students selling drugs. The biggest problem that affected me was that my father, being a kind-hearted man, risked his life to save two students who were

The sounds of the city penetrated the walls of the cab as we drove through the streets of Manhattan. I could hardly wait to partake in the action that was happening outside. The buildings themselves were an amazing site to behold. The buildings took on personalities of their own. Each building was bigger and more graceful than the next. When lights were added to the mix it was a dazzling combination. The city itself felt like a great big hug, and I felt overwhelmed by its power. The city allowed me to become part of it just like many others many years ago who immigrated to this awesome city. As I was looking out of the cab I finally got to see in person the sight of all sights; Times Square. The main juncture of

world’s greatest cities and on a campus where I can not only explore my future career paths, but also cultivate my interests outside the classroom.

New York City is the place that I want to visit, revisit, and visit again. Out there on the streets, I feel free. When coming from Atlanta to New York City thirty thousand feet in the air, which is grimy but comfortable, it is an experience unlike I have ever felt before. Crossing over the Hudson River and coming into the packed full station is reminiscent of having some kind of travel machine bringing you from earth to space in a flash. When I visited, I felt I could do anything and everything in the cities' grips. Living in America is a fantastic privilege; living in New York City is something even better. As you stagger up those stairs to the city streets and you capture that first breath of city air, you declare to yourself, this is Freedom!

This city is full of stereotypes, but it encourages you to stand out; this city is can be unfair, but it assesses your morality; this city is demanding, but the challenges make it beautiful; learn to shop efficiently by accumulating your coupons and don’t forget to go to the shop with better deals, even if it means an extra twenty minutes of walking; choose the nicest summer clothes by stretching the soft fabric to examine the quality of the small stitches; choose the warmest winter coats by pressing your hand on the jacket’s rigid surface to check the amount of duck down underneath; it doesn’t matter if your closet is full--you can never own enough clothes; smart New Yorkers adopt a zigzagging route as you walk so you don’t have to wait for

From the time one sets foot in New York City everything feels different, the atmosphere, the people, and the scenery. New York is a whole other world set apart from the real world. It is seen as the place to be in order to conquer dreams. It is the epitome of the American dream and what America stands for as a country. It is the place where one goes to “make it big.” It is a symbol of freedom, history, and entertainment. While I was in New York I gained an insight into just how free and beautiful our country really is. It truly changes a person and their appreciation for society.

Waves of water collapse onto the wetlands encompassing a metropolis of giant skyscrapers. The city of New York is a wonder filled with lucky chances, people to meet and it is the place where I gained the most significant advice. Growing up in a cultural and media epicenter, I was often exposed to ethnic diversity and influential press found almost nowhere else in America. These factors hold an intrinsic component of who I am today and who I want to become.