- College List -
- Boston University
- Northeastern University
- University of San Francisco
- University of Washington
- Suffolk University
- Prompt -
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
The sun rose just like any other morning, but in that moment my sense of time was lost somewhere between the clouds and the horizon. My breath mirrored the stillness of the water yet still carried through the breeze. Shades of pink and orange were delicately painted across the sky and illuminated atop the sand like the work of Van Gogh. I watched as the waves rose and fell, washing away everything in their path. There was still slight remnants of salt water I tasted on my lips as I bared a long-forgotten smile. For a brief second, time ceased to exist and the broken pieces of my life molded back together.
To this day, I am not exactly sure what was so phenomenal about that sunrise, but from then on my outlook on life completely shifted. My concept of time quickly became irrelevant and I soon started to recognize the seemingly insignificant beauties that exist within the present moment. Mankind often uses time to quantify human existence yet fails to recognize its constraint on the human experience. Previously, I had a very practical and literal definition of time, to the point where I would schedule the events in my day minute by minute. My life was so dependant on future plans that I had completely forgotten about the beauty of the now. It was a gradual process as I began to realize the limitations of time, but eventually I started to live my life as if tomorrow didn’t exist. For me, that didn’t necessarily mean checking off every item on my bucket list in one day; it was as simple as an awareness of the overlooked beauty that constantly surrounds us. I often used to ignore the poetic symphony of a songbird, the gentle patter of a rain shower, or even the joyous laughter of a child; all because I was too focused on where I was going rather than where I was. Once I became more self-aware of my surroundings, I gained a deeper understanding of my place in the natural world and my overall happiness drastically improved.
I am assuming that as you are reading this, you are probably sitting at a very uncomfortable desk, your window is most likely closed, and you keep glancing up at the clock counting the hours until you can go home. Am I right? Are you really enjoying everything this present moment has to offer? The answer is most likely no, which is nothing against you, that is just how the majority of society functions. You work from 9-5, rush home, count the days left to the weekend, sleep; then get up and do it all over again. However, I challenge you to take the time to really ask yourself, is this the best life I could be living? I’m not saying that you need to quit your job and go live on an island; I am merely suggesting that you take time out of your day to enjoy the little things. When was the last time you sat on the grass and watched the stars? When was the last time you cooked your favorite meal? When was the last time you got up at watched the sunrise? All these seemingly irrelevant things really do help spark an appreciation for life that a majority of us have forgotten. So, the next time you find yourself saying “Oh, I don’t have time for that,” just remember that time is only a figment of your imagination.
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
The sun rose just like any other morning, but in that moment my sense of time was lost somewhere between the clouds and the horizon. My breath mirrored the stillness of the water yet still carried through the breeze. Shades of pink and orange were delicately painted across the sky and illuminated atop the sand like the work of Van Gogh. I watched as the waves rose and fell, washing away everything in their path. There was still slight remnants of salt water I tasted on my lips as I bared a long-forgotten smile. For a brief second, time ceased to exist and the broken pieces of my life molded back together.
To this day, I am not exactly sure what was so phenomenal about that sunrise, but from then on my outlook on life completely shifted. My concept of time quickly became irrelevant and I soon started to recognize the seemingly insignificant beauties that exist within the present moment. Mankind often uses time to quantify human existence yet fails to recognize its constraint on the human experience. Previously, I had a very practical and literal definition of time, to the point where I would schedule the events in my day minute by minute. My life was so dependant on future plans that I had completely forgotten about the beauty of the now. It was a gradual process as I began to realize the limitations of time, but eventually I started to live my life as if tomorrow didn’t exist. For me, that didn’t necessarily mean checking off every item on my bucket list in one day; it was as simple as an awareness of the overlooked beauty that constantly surrounds us. I often used to ignore the poetic symphony of a songbird, the gentle patter of a rain shower, or even the joyous laughter of a child; all because I was too focused on where I was going rather than where I was. Once I became more self-aware of my surroundings, I gained a deeper understanding of my place in the natural world and my overall happiness drastically improved.
I am assuming that as you are reading this, you are probably sitting at a very uncomfortable desk, your window is most likely closed, and you keep glancing up at the clock counting the hours until you can go home. Am I right? Are you really enjoying everything this present moment has to offer? The answer is most likely no, which is nothing against you, that is just how the majority of society functions. You work from 9-5, rush home, count the days left to the weekend, sleep; then get up and do it all over again. However, I challenge you to take the time to really ask yourself, is this the best life I could be living? I’m not saying that you need to quit your job and go live on an island; I am merely suggesting that you take time out of your day to enjoy the little things. When was the last time you sat on the grass and watched the stars? When was the last time you cooked your favorite meal? When was the last time you got up at watched the sunrise? All these seemingly irrelevant things really do help spark an appreciation for life that a majority of us have forgotten. So, the next time you find yourself saying “Oh, I don’t have time for that,” just remember that time is only a figment of your imagination.
- Reflection -
The first and final drafts of my essay did not resemble each other in the least. My topic stayed the same but I ended up rewriting the essay three different times. At first I took a more standard approach to the topic, just focusing on a specific event and then listing the ways in which it changed me. One line read, “I started to see the smaller beauties that exist all around us,” which was not the vibe that I wanted to give off. After revision and the manipulation of my language usage, the line now reads, “My concept of time quickly became irrelevant and I soon started to recognize the seemingly insignificant beauties that exist within the present moment.” I ended up changing the language of my essay to reflect a more abstract sense of self and meaning of life which gave it a very different feel. I definitely improved my language manipulation skills by the practice of change the vibe of a piece of writing just within the sentence style and structure. For example, moving around certain parts of the sentence to make flow with a transitional phrase. I received feedback that my essay writing style was very literal when the concept of my essay was very abstract and to change the way in which I worded my sentences. After getting that feedback, I was able to further revise my essay to fit the topic of time which is a very abstract focus.
The first and final drafts of my essay did not resemble each other in the least. My topic stayed the same but I ended up rewriting the essay three different times. At first I took a more standard approach to the topic, just focusing on a specific event and then listing the ways in which it changed me. One line read, “I started to see the smaller beauties that exist all around us,” which was not the vibe that I wanted to give off. After revision and the manipulation of my language usage, the line now reads, “My concept of time quickly became irrelevant and I soon started to recognize the seemingly insignificant beauties that exist within the present moment.” I ended up changing the language of my essay to reflect a more abstract sense of self and meaning of life which gave it a very different feel. I definitely improved my language manipulation skills by the practice of change the vibe of a piece of writing just within the sentence style and structure. For example, moving around certain parts of the sentence to make flow with a transitional phrase. I received feedback that my essay writing style was very literal when the concept of my essay was very abstract and to change the way in which I worded my sentences. After getting that feedback, I was able to further revise my essay to fit the topic of time which is a very abstract focus.