The Foundation of Education: College Admission Essay Sample

When people say that they are inspired by a piece of artwork, they are often referring to the finished piece rather than the process that created what they are viewing. This is definitely not the case when I say that I am inspired by a picture of “The Winona.” Before and during the Great Depression, Sears sold kit houses, which meant people ordered their house from the widely celebrated Sears catalogue. The kits arrived via train with an instructional manual and crates filled with the necessary materials to build the house. For an affordable price, everyone had the chance to live in a well-built home they could call their own. “The Winona” is one of the many floor plans Sears offered. This may seem like a strange piece of architecture to inspire my educational path, but in reality, it completely represents everything I believe. The American public school system provides every student with the materials and tools needed to become a highly educated and successful adult. Whether or not the student takes advantage of those materials is entirely up to them. Many believe that private schools offer a more personal and tailored environment, thus rendering a better education, but what I question is how driven students may be to succeed. To prosper in the competitive environment of a public school, students need to have drive and ambition. While public education offers a plethora of classes and majors, diverse instructors, and myriad extracurricular events, students must exercise with greater independence the diligence and tenacity to pursue their educational goals. That same idea applies to the Sears kit homes: the kit may provide everything, but it is still up to the individual to build a sturdy foundation and nail it all together. People who purchased these kit houses had to put hours and hours of manual labor into them to receive a finished product that they could proudly call a home. In my educational path, I have followed their example and put forth all that I can, so that one day I can view my college degree with pride. Knowing how much I did to earn it will make me feel accomplished, just as the purchasers of the Sears kits used to stand back and view what they had created for themselves out of the simple materials they were provided.