College Application Essay
Prompts from Western Washington University and Common App:
- Share a meaningful experience and how this has helped shape you in your preparation for college. This could be related to your passions, commitments, leadership experience, family or cultural background.
- Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
College List:
Portland State University, First Choice
Western Washington University, Second Choice
Seattle University, Third Choice
Evergreen State University, Fourth Choice
Portland State University, First Choice
Western Washington University, Second Choice
Seattle University, Third Choice
Evergreen State University, Fourth Choice
When in Rome, do as the Romans did and walk their streets, visit their markets, their churches, their rivers, their homes. It’s ancient history, long but not gone. There’s no feeling quite like standing on a brick road, knowing that you’re standing in the same place where millions of people have stood before. It’s like having a shared experience with humans across the ages, all with different stories and histories and yet being linked by time. What were they thinking about, when they were here before me? Were their thoughts similar to mine, or were they completely different?
This was the only thing that I could think about when three years ago I briefly visited Florence, Italy, a place I’ve come to think of as a second home. Something about it resonated so strongly, enough that I could clearly picture what my life there sometime in the future could be like. There was an outdoor art gallery, where statues lined the walls of the square and artists set up canvases and created art from the inspiration all around them. Apartments built centuries before now lined the Arno river, hanging over the water with balconies and flower boxes. There was an open air market nearby, where food, clothing, and anything else you might need was sold next to a fountain with statues of Roman gods watching the city. A statue of the Greek hero Perseus stands guard over the square triumphantly holding the head of Medusa, having been sculpted by human hands centuries ago to come to this point. This area had been similar to this, if not almost exactly the same, for hundreds of years. It didn’t matter which century I lived there, my life there would be constant. It was like a portal to the past, a look into the lives of people long dead.
It’s the same kind of feeling I got visiting sites like Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, built in 1886, or the Astronomical Clock of Prague, built in 1410 and yet still operating, or Mesa Verde in Colorado which dates back to at least the year 650. It’s a passion for the human race, of all the stories it holds. People can see themselves in figures of the past, which is so important to so many people. Sometimes it’s hard to see yourself in the present, and it’s even harder to see yourself in the past. Being a part of a minority myself, I was taught that I didn’t exist until the 20th century. Part of my passion for history comes from wanting to disprove that, because that can’t possibly be true. As it turns out, I was right, and now I can get even clearer pictures of what my life could have been throughout the centuries. This is something that matters a lot to me, and it’s incredibly reassuring that people haven’t changed as radically as we might think.
The mere fact that we can still relate to history speaks to this. We still read and enjoy plays from Ancient Greece, because the scenarios and characters are still relatable to this day, showcasing how little people have changed over the years. And yet, someone from ancient times wouldn’t recognize the world now, as someone from the present wouldn’t recognize ancient times. As the world grows, the fundamental, intrinsic pieces of humanity remain static. People continue to uphold values from the dawn of time such as group loyalty, family, compassion, freedom, and happiness. So the question becomes, have people themselves changed, or just the setting? That’s the great mystery of being alive, and wondering if other people felt the same.
This was the only thing that I could think about when three years ago I briefly visited Florence, Italy, a place I’ve come to think of as a second home. Something about it resonated so strongly, enough that I could clearly picture what my life there sometime in the future could be like. There was an outdoor art gallery, where statues lined the walls of the square and artists set up canvases and created art from the inspiration all around them. Apartments built centuries before now lined the Arno river, hanging over the water with balconies and flower boxes. There was an open air market nearby, where food, clothing, and anything else you might need was sold next to a fountain with statues of Roman gods watching the city. A statue of the Greek hero Perseus stands guard over the square triumphantly holding the head of Medusa, having been sculpted by human hands centuries ago to come to this point. This area had been similar to this, if not almost exactly the same, for hundreds of years. It didn’t matter which century I lived there, my life there would be constant. It was like a portal to the past, a look into the lives of people long dead.
It’s the same kind of feeling I got visiting sites like Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, built in 1886, or the Astronomical Clock of Prague, built in 1410 and yet still operating, or Mesa Verde in Colorado which dates back to at least the year 650. It’s a passion for the human race, of all the stories it holds. People can see themselves in figures of the past, which is so important to so many people. Sometimes it’s hard to see yourself in the present, and it’s even harder to see yourself in the past. Being a part of a minority myself, I was taught that I didn’t exist until the 20th century. Part of my passion for history comes from wanting to disprove that, because that can’t possibly be true. As it turns out, I was right, and now I can get even clearer pictures of what my life could have been throughout the centuries. This is something that matters a lot to me, and it’s incredibly reassuring that people haven’t changed as radically as we might think.
The mere fact that we can still relate to history speaks to this. We still read and enjoy plays from Ancient Greece, because the scenarios and characters are still relatable to this day, showcasing how little people have changed over the years. And yet, someone from ancient times wouldn’t recognize the world now, as someone from the present wouldn’t recognize ancient times. As the world grows, the fundamental, intrinsic pieces of humanity remain static. People continue to uphold values from the dawn of time such as group loyalty, family, compassion, freedom, and happiness. So the question becomes, have people themselves changed, or just the setting? That’s the great mystery of being alive, and wondering if other people felt the same.
Reflection:
The process of writing a college essay helped with improving my organizational skills, and in knowing what’s needed and what’s not. Some ideas need to be expanded upon, some ideas aren’t relevant and need to be cut. These can also depend on how it is framed, such as one thing being important to the opening being completely out of place anywhere else. So, when things are moving around, particular sentences that you might be attached to might no longer serve any purpose and should be cut out. Before I made the revisions to my the first draft of my essay, it was more concise and simple, just stating things without expanding on those ideas. In the revision process, I turned this sentence: “People can see themselves in figures of the past, showcasing how little people have changed over the years.” into a whole new paragraph exploring that idea. The most important feedback that I was given in the first round of critiques was that the ideas brought up in my essay were very interesting concepts, and had lots of cool questions but not any answers. This prompted me to attempt answering some of the questions I posed, keeping them in the realm of theory as they were mostly philosophical. I also rearranged most of the essay, splitting and switching around paragraphs to expand on my ideas and to also choose a different beginning. Instead of starting with talking about my trip to Italy first, and painting a picture in the minds of the readers, I started with puns that raised questions, and then began the more existential parts sooner, giving the original opening paragraph more context and purpose.
The process of writing a college essay helped with improving my organizational skills, and in knowing what’s needed and what’s not. Some ideas need to be expanded upon, some ideas aren’t relevant and need to be cut. These can also depend on how it is framed, such as one thing being important to the opening being completely out of place anywhere else. So, when things are moving around, particular sentences that you might be attached to might no longer serve any purpose and should be cut out. Before I made the revisions to my the first draft of my essay, it was more concise and simple, just stating things without expanding on those ideas. In the revision process, I turned this sentence: “People can see themselves in figures of the past, showcasing how little people have changed over the years.” into a whole new paragraph exploring that idea. The most important feedback that I was given in the first round of critiques was that the ideas brought up in my essay were very interesting concepts, and had lots of cool questions but not any answers. This prompted me to attempt answering some of the questions I posed, keeping them in the realm of theory as they were mostly philosophical. I also rearranged most of the essay, splitting and switching around paragraphs to expand on my ideas and to also choose a different beginning. Instead of starting with talking about my trip to Italy first, and painting a picture in the minds of the readers, I started with puns that raised questions, and then began the more existential parts sooner, giving the original opening paragraph more context and purpose.