Boston University Application: College Admission Essay Sample

When I was thirteen, my grandparents took my cousin and me on a trip to the mountains of North Carolina to celebrate our thirteenth birthdays. My grandparents wanted to give us an opportunity to step outside our comfort zones and try new things; after all, we had reached a new milestone in our lives. The other day I found myself looking through the photo album my grandmother made to record the trip. With every turn of the page, I noticed a common theme in each picture: I was always leading the group. There I was, smiling, the first one climbing up the side of a mountain, and then there I was again, the first one in the raft that was tilting over the 9 foot drop-off. After my grandparents and even the guide fell out of the raft, I was all smiles, holding my fingers in a victory sign. No fear, just exhilaration. Flip the page and I am suddenly leading the group horseback riding, and then there’s a picture of me being the first to jump into the Chattooga River rapids. When I was on the trip, I could not take other people’s word for what was ahead: I had to see it, even if it meant walking up another mountain when I was already exhausted. I always felt I had to scope out the next waterfall, climb the next mountain peak, or follow the next trail. All the while, my cousin and I would act like explorers or spies, carrying around walkie-talkies with secret codes.

Though at first it all seemed like little more than a birthday adventure, this trip has taught me something important about myself: I am adventurous, open-minded, imaginative. My curiosity for the world leads me to take advantage of every opportunity given, on special trips and in everyday life. While I was skeptical of white water rafting at first, I opened my mind to the idea and had an amazing experience. Now, my attraction to new endeavors forces me to keep an open mind, to value knowledge and adventure.

All this is true of my desire to gain academic knowledge as well. I enjoy imagining complex problems and taking risks to find the solutions, both inside and outside the classroom. Just about everyone says that “curiosity killed the cat,” but my curiosity has shaped me into a better-rounded person.