College Essay

College Essay 6: First experiences can be defining. Cite a first experience that you have had and explain its impact on you. (University of Pennsylvania)

          First experiences can be defining. My first experience of working a reliable job has helped to define me and give me an accurate outlook on the true value of a dollar. When I acquired a job and began working at Wrights Farm Market, that experience shaped me and left quite an impact on my outlook towards life and responsibility. 

A first job influences an individual and helps to shape their behavior and attitude entirely. Being a teenager working on a farm, a decent income is nonexistent. An individual starts off making minimum wage and must work tedious amounts of hours in order to generate a small profit. Responsibility is established as a person must wake up early in the morning to be at work to open the farm stand on time. A person can no longer be late without being penalized for doing so. An individual also must educate herself on their obligations as a worker. Working at a farm market, one must restock the stand to ensure that there is an abundance of items for customers to purchase. Some of these required tasks include making the cider donuts in the morning, as well as the coffee, baking pies and cookies if there are not enough already made, and filling the coolers with fruits and vegetables throughout the day to prevent the farm from running low on sellable goods. In addition to all of that, one must clean the stand and perform the proper tasks when closing the farm in the evening. An individual can never be seen doing nothing at the farm market, one must always be engaged in a task, even if the duty is sweeping the floors. A job at a farm stand can be a tremendous first job for a teenager, as it provides them with much responsibility and a basis of the dependencies of adult life; one must work to succeed in life as an adult.

          Working at Wrights, I have been given the opportunity to earn a salary and become responsible for the aspects in my life. I have become less dependent upon my parents for an income and now have the ability to purchase items for myself. Being a sixteen year old girl, I am beginning to have the necessity for money. I must obtain money in order to afford gasoline for my vehicle, as well as the other expenses that driving brings. In addition to those expenses, I would like to be able to afford smaller expenses that are enjoyments for me, such as a nice lunch or a new outfit. Working at the farm has provided me enough money to afford these expenses. Having a job has also provided me with plenty of responsibilities and has led me to identify the priorities that exist in my life. School and work are top priorities in my life and are much more important than going out with friends and enjoying my leisure time. If I was scheduled to work on a certain day that a soccer practice was scheduled, I must work rather than go to soccer. Working a part time job while going to school has made my life hectic and I am constantly busy but I have definitely benefitted from the experience and it has matured me as an individual.

          First experiences can oftentimes leave a major impact on a person’s life and even change them entirely. My first experience of working a job has instilled responsibility within me and given me the knowledge of the value of a dollar. It has matured me as a person and provided me with the basic idea of what adult life will involve. Working my first job was ultimately a defining experience in my life. 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of School Assigned Texts

There are many different views that people have towards school assigned texts. They can be both troublesome for individuals, but they could also be an enjoyment for others. The multiple different opinions that exist towards school assigned texts are what make them good, bad and ugly all at the same time.

School assigned texts do have the possibility of being “good.” The texts that are assigned in school are assigned for a reason; they convey a story that teachers want their students to understand and they are filled literary terms that students are forced to learn. The school assigned texts consist of clear examples of literary devices that are being taught. The texts are chosen by the teacher and therefore, they are for the most part, the exact reading level that the students should be the able to comprehend. School assigned texts aren’t often very interesting and amusing to read, but on occasion, they have the ability to catch a reader and keep them interested throughout the novel. Novels such as Of Mice and Men and The Catcher in the Rye were the novels from this year that were able to attain my attention and keep me interested for much of the text. Others such as Heart of Darkness and Ordinary People were unable to keep my attention and thus are examples of why school assigned texts can be “bad and ugly.”

School assigned texts are often referred to as “bad and ugly.” The texts that are assigned in school are often unable to impress everyone and thus, people find them boring. At times, it is almost impossible for students to continue to read an entire text that they are not interested in. As a result, this would be the time when students refer to spark notes just to finish the book and understand the important ideas that are portrayed in the text. Books that are unable to maintain their reader’s attention and must be read by the students in a certain time limit are often stressful for a student and they are then unable to even continue reading the book at all; they have given up completely on the assigned text. That is why I turn to spark notes at least, because I can no longer continue with the book. I am unable to try any longer with the book to apprehend the details and true meanings and thus, I turn to spark notes to find the main details of the novel and the important literary devices that exist within the book. The books are uninteresting and cannot keep a students attention are the reasons why school assigned texts are known as bad and ugly.

School assigned texts are good, bad and ugly all at the same time. The texts that are difficult to read and are unable to keep one’s attention give the novels the “bad and ugly” name, but the ones that are actually very interesting and do keep a reader’s attention help to restore the “good” of school assigned texts. Bottom line is that a teacher assigns these texts and they are mandatory for the students to read, so no matter how “bad and ugly” they are, pretend that the book is “good” and just read it!

College Essay/Interview Question

College Essay Interview Question 41: Name one book you have read in the past year, describe your reason for considering this book significant and what you gained from reading it. (Lewis and Clark College)

In the past year, I have been forced to read multiple different books due to the lovely AP Lit class and believe it or not, I did find one of the books to be significant. When I read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I found the novel to be interesting and I gained a bit of knowledge from it. The relationship that Lennie and George shared in Of Mice and Men has taught me multiple different ideas of life and, therefore, the book was significant to me and kept me interested throughout.

George and Lennie taught me that a true friendship and a true companionship are able to exist between two people for an entire lifetime. These two characters had participated in a friendship throughout their journeys from farm to farm for the entire length of the novel until the death of one of them occurred. Lennie had a mental disability, and as a result, George took care of the man; Lennie was dependant on George. George and Lennie grew an everlasting friendship and were always present when they needed each other. Their friendship has taught me that deep, everlasting friendships can exist between people and some people even have the ability to always be there for another person, whether it is because of a protection over that person or just because the two people have a very strong, bonded friendship with each other.

George and Lennie have also taught me that the American dream is unattainable. Throughout the entire novel, Lennie and George had a dream in which they wished to one day own a farm that they could maintain themselves and never have to worry about the dangers of messing up and having the owners find out about their mistake. They hoped to reach this goal one day in their lives but their goal was never reached. This has taught me that some goals that people hope to accomplish one day are just impossible to reach and have success with. Due to this realization, I will not ever dedicate my entire life towards something that may not actually happen. I will also not dream of unrealistic thoughts only to be upset when they do not come true. George and Lennie taught me that some dreams are unable to ever be accomplished.

When I read the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I found the story to be very significant and I learned some life lessons from it. George and Lennie’s friendship taught me that people can have everlasting connections with each other and people can be dependant on others. The two characters also informed me that some American dreams are just impossible and will never be accomplished. The novel was an inspiration to my mind with some of the ideas that it portrayed and thus, I found Of Mice and Men to be a very significant novel.