Suspended in Fetal Position: College Admission Essay Sample

I stare at the seven month old embryo suspended in fetal position in my mother’s ultra-sound image. I am amazed and thus unable to look away. This tiny being is confined to the corners of my mother’s womb, its umbilical cord still attached to its sole provider. I could count the fingers and toes on its hands and feet, even the minuscule fingernails. I could see its beautiful little face; its eyes are closed shut unable to see the world. I could gaze at this creation forever, this pure and innocent little human being who has not yet learned and experienced. This tiny individual who is oblivious to the trials and tribulations that make up what we call "life". I am fully aware that in a matter of weeks, this child will soon become my annoying little brother that I can’t wait to get rid of, but I am unaware of the lasting effect that this image will have on my life.

This is not to say that my whole life has been transformed by the birth of my little brother, but that one image has had a profound effect on the way that I live my life and the way that I view the world. Within the confines of its sea of fluid, without doing anything extravagant, this little baby has given me one of the most powerful lessons of life. By widening the scope of my brain’s mental capabilities, this image has made a lasting imprint on my mind and has forever altered my way of thinking. It has forced me to realize that I have not yet experienced everything that this world has to offer. Like this tiny creature, I am trapped in my own world of impracticality and skepticism. My eyes remain closed to the “real” world because I continue to be sheltered from most of the wickedness that plague the hopeless and unfortunate. This child has allowed me to see that compared to this seemingly endless string of time, I have lived but only a moment and that I must open my eyes and become receptive to the very things that this world has to give.

The phrase, “Live life to the fullest,” now not only has great meaning to me but has become my personal philosophy. I make the most out of every experience that comes my way no matter how challenging it might be. Every challenge becomes mere motivation and I always seek to go above and beyond what is expected of me. This I believe is one of my most admirable qualities and accounts for many of the successes I have had throughout the years. I am like the baby in that image, whose eyes are still closed to many of the things that this world has to offer but is open to every new thing that comes my way.