Experiences and Personality: College Admission Essay Sample

Personal Statement Choice #1

Swimming has been the main focus of my life since I was 8 months old, when I first learned how to swim. In 1988, I was part of the Senate Safety Council on whether or not to teach infants how to swim. From learning how to swim at an early age, I came to love the feeling of freedom in the water.

Swimming has been an asset to my life, because it has always kept me on track. As the saying goes, "healthy body, healthy mind." I believe swimming has been the main reason for my academic success. As I have matured through the years, I have noticed that swimming has forced me to plan and organize my time. I never have had the same amount of time to do homework, study, play or procrastinate as much as my friends, because so much time was consumed by swimming.

Despite the lesser amount of time available to me, I am all the better for it. I am very appreciative of the fact that I can get everything done, and still have a seemingly normal social life. Not only have I stayed on top of things academically, but I have also stayed in excellent physical shape, which is truly a great feeling.

Swimming has been very meaningful to me, and even if I don't continue to do it on a competitive basis at UF or later in life, I will always try to swim as long as I can float and hold my breath.

Personal Statement Choice #2

I see myself as a very intellectual person. Without academics, I would achieve very little in life. I am incredibly focused about my studies, and I consider my work habits to be a positive influence on those around me. When presented with a difficult course throughout high school (AP Chemistry especially!), I was the one who usually organized a study group. By helping others, I helped myself. I am sure I will be able to do the same at UF. I have taken the most difficult courses to further prepare myself for college. From my dedication to academics, I have developed a sense of responsibility and maturity which is essential for success. With these positive qualities and work habits, I will assuredly benefit the UF community.

In addition to being diligent about my studies, I am also a very social person, and I realize that spending all my time on academics is not mentally healthy. As a result, my friends and I go and enjoy ourselves; play XBOX, watch movies, swim, go boating, etc. I see the potential for a lot of these same activities at UF. Besides having fun and dare I say goofing off, we also volunteer together (which is meaningful fun), as we did this past January at the Disney Marathon. We all had a really good time helping out, and it was inspiring seeing thousands of people run an incredible race. Spending time with one's friends is a crucial part of living, as education by itself will not get a person through life. By acknowledging this, I know I can be a significant component of the university society.