Tenacious, Dauntless: College Admission Essay Sample

Here, on top of this duvet there exists a sun-soaked, silent universe. I pick up the object in my lap, lazily stretch out my legs and fill my world with the sound of its cracking spine. A gentle shhhhh, smoothing the page beneath my hand. The adventure tucked inside this space unfolds only for me. Yes, everyone else is rendered unaware to the excitement and color and story which explodes into my mind and bursts into the room with the scanning of these first few words. For a few hours wizards can cast spells, two boys are discovering how to love each other, Greek Gods fight to defend their realms, and no one but me will notice. I am submerged; happily enamored with the story until I slam the cover shut.

From literary wall décor to my frequent Boswell Bookstore trips, reading is a clear and quintessential part of who I am. The moment I pull a volume off my shelf and peel back the cover, the adventures and experiences and emotions and memories become part of me. Each book adds to me. It slips beneath the surface of my mind and settles, building on my beliefs, my personality, my desires and my ambitions. The book ends, and life moves on. No one else has noticed, but I have changed. If only in the tiniest of ways, each story has affected me. It has become a new and subtle addition to the fabric of my being.

I have lived victories on the battlefield in this way, endeavored to become a published young author in New York City. I have been on top secret espionage missions and daring heists. I have fallen in love, travelled through time, and fought demons. Now, too, I have decided to chase adventures outside of my bookshelf with unmatched tenacity. I seek to feed my mind with experiences, as many of them as I can possibly amass. So I do. I follow my friend into our Athletic Training room after school a few days a week and learn how to wrap ankles and examine injuries. I expand my knowledge of history and culture by tackling AP Art History, and snatch a perfect score on the AP exam and a newly born passion for studying art. I get involved as the only high school member of our local “Friends of the Library” chapter, and employ my self-taught website design experience to build a new site we can be proud of. I make history as the first Sophomore Captain for my Mock Trial team. I throw myself into Student Council until I am finally elected President of the organization. Senior year brings recognition of my community-minded history of volunteering as I am awarded the DAR Good Citizen Award.

Like the books collected on my shelves, I chase adventure in my life. I chase experiences, knowledge and diversity. I seek to make positive impact. The unobserved space in my brain where the fabric of my personality lies is ever-expanding and changing. I am compelled to add to my bank of explorations by the same drive which attacks my unread novels and hungrily devours their stories. So too, do I approach my life, every day, with strength of purpose. I am reminded there is so much excitement in this world, so many experiences waiting for me to grasp them and it urges me to chase them. To chase studying journalism and creative writing in hopes of capturing my dream position editing for a publishing house, to be ravenous and dauntless in everything I do.