By: Undergraduate Applicant47   

Subject:   Succesful University of Connecticut Applicant1

Include an essay to help the Admissions office gain a more complete impression of you and what you can contribute to the University of Connecticut

As my application shows, I am an above average student in most areas. I have particularly excelled in mathematics, earning good grades throughout high school. When pondering about my future, I thought that I might be able to use math to be successful in business. So after my sophomore year, I decided to take some business courses with the goal of attaining a solid background in the field. High school, however, has not adequately prepared me to enter the world of business. This is the primary reason I am applying to the University of Connecticut: I hope to further expand my education in the field of business.

Outside of school, I have a wide variety of other interests. One of my favorite things to do is to play sports, especially baseball and basketball. Since I was about seven years old, I have played in many baseball and basketball leagues. While I join an intramural baseball league every spring, I play competitive basketball year-round. I play these sports not just to enjoy myself, but also to learn how to be a better leader. My leadership in basketball was formally acknowledged last year, as I received the sportsmanship award. This award meant a lot to me, especially since my team won the league championship that year. Not only did it show that everyone on the team recognized me for my leadership, but also it made me feel good knowing that I had helped lead a team to a championship trophy. This was my third year being on a championship basketball team, and I have also been on championship baseball teams, but winning the sportsmanship award was an added bonus.

Beyond my competitive sports, I have been skiing and playing golf recreationally since I was about eight years old. Every summer I take golf lessons to improve my abilities on the golf course. I also took ski lessons every winter for about five years until I felt I was skilled enough to compete on my own. During my sophomore year in high school, I went out for the high school ski team. I did pretty well during the season, although I might have done better had I taken a few more lessons earlier in my life. Unfortunately, that was my only year skiing for the team. This is because the next winter I started working at a grocery store, where I continue to work today. With limited free time, I had to choose between skiing and basketball. I chose basketball because I enjoy it more, and because its team nature allows me to develop my leadership abilities.

One of my most meaningful activities outside of school was a Jewish youth group called the B'nai Brith Youth Organization, BBYO. This was an opportunity to have fun and socialize with other Jewish youth. Getting together for group activities and taking trips out of state for weekend conventions was fun and educational.

In summary, my high school education and extracurricular activities have prepared me well for college. It is extremely important to me to receive a good education beyond high school. I am looking to learn more about business and how I can succeed in life using these skills. If I am accepted to the University of Connecticut, I plan to work hard to receive the best education I can -- and, of course, to enjoy my time there by joining clubs, organizations, and intramural sport programs.

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 Essay Number: 1108 - Posted on: Mar 31, 1999   Expires on: May 1, 1999 CollegeGate LLC  * CollegeGate LLC *

By: Undergraduate Applicant46   

Subject:   Succesful Williams Applicant1

Sometimes, I think the world around me is crumbling to the ground, but it never does. Like most people, I face the crunches of deadlines and endless demands on my time, but I have never encountered the type of adversity that can crush people, that can drive people crazy, that can drive them to suicide. In this respect, I am lucky. In love with Scripture and the Bible verses I memorized in youth, I find support when I seek it. With a very large family network, I can rely on my loved ones for advice and support, but I realized firsthand that many people lack this help; they never experience the bonds between family members and the touch of God through Scripture.

Frequently, I volunteer at a low-income pre-school in our community. The children who attend are deprived of the most basic things in life, the things I take for granted. Hungry for love and knowledge, these children love to be hugged and talked to, and they very much look forward to my weekly visits. Moreover, they have helped me to understand my obligation to help those less fortunate and to realize how truly blessed I am. When I leave for college, I will miss these children who have taught me unforgettable lessons about love and integrity. I am amazed each time I go there at the power they have over me. I am amazed at how sometimes it takes the innocence of a child to open doors that have been locked for years.

While I never had to deal with their pain and can never know their heartache and longing, I look to them as examples of why I should continue to work hard and to not waste opportunities. However, I need not look outside my family for this inspiration, for my cousin is a symbol of strength in adversity. I need look no farther than Ann Elizabeth when I feel like my world is falling apart and that I have too many commitments and too little time. Through Ann Elizabeth, I see the strength of the Lord and see the courage that I hope I will one day possess. Ann Elizabeth has shaped my life through her example and has made me into someone you would want to participate in your university’s community. Hers is the story of wrong choices, of a life wasted, and of recovery, courage, and change. I am proud to call her my cousin.

Ann lives through pain and heartbreak, but she will live to see triumph because she has what it takes, but she needs all this courage just to stay alive. Born a rich girl, she grew up to be beautiful, destined to live in a house with a white picket fence. A Gainesville socialite and a southern belle, she visited country clubs and gardens at tea time, but she was never happy. She knew nothing of need, nothing of heartache, nothing of life. But she learned and continues to learn more about pain than anyone should ever know. Ann is a beautiful 22 year-old girl with a long slender figure and eyes full of pain. She has a mother, father, and 16 year-old brother sitting at home. They pray for her each night; they pray that she survives another day caged in her Peruvian prison cell.

At age 17,months from her 18th birthday, Ann Elizabeth ran away from home, rocking my family’s structured world. No one knew where she was, but no one thought she could make it. What did this rich girl know about surviving? Finally, my uncle found her. She had moved to Miami and became involved with the wrong crowd. She married a Cuban named Lester who spoke no English, forcing her to learn Spanish, a skill that would save her life. Poor, she looked for employment, and in December, she was offered a job. For the cursed sum of $7,000 dollars, she threw her entire life away; she destroyed herself for nothing. A naïve, stupid girl, she ended her chances at happiness with one decision, and after that, her goal became not to be happy, but to survive a life of hell.

In December of 1995,when most young, newlyweds are putting up Christmas trees, she was smuggling cocaine for her Lester. On her way to the plane back to the US she was stopped and found with 18 pounds of deadly white powder in her suitcase. The 20 year-old princess was caught on her first run; she was no drug dealer; she was just stupid. Even after being caught she didn't know she was in trouble. All she knew was that she had to get home. She had to get back to Miami, but she never made it home.

At the time of her arrest, Ann Elizabeth was almost dead. An 88-pound heroine addict, we thought she was going to die; in fact, we thought she was dead already. In a way, getting caught saved her life, but it saved her for hell. Ironically, the place she had always run away from was now the place she needed to be most, but she just couldn’t get home. Caught, tried, and sentenced, she started life over in a wretched Peruvian jail.

The steel bars that surround Ann Elizabeth are not fit for animals, let alone human beings. Peruvian prisons are not known for their humanity. In a prison built for 250 prisoners, she lives with 900 other women. The all-female prison is completely self-run, and the women must prepare their own meals, clean, and care for themselves and others. When Ann Elizabeth writes letters and her Peruvian guards accept them, she writes of the "adventures" she has had. She describes chickens that run inside the jail, soiling on the same places where the women must sleep. The water is so contaminated that the prisoners must boil it before drinking. Instead of dining on steak, she now dines on rice. With malnutrition plaguing the prison, many of the women have lost their hair and teeth. For $7,000,she ruined her life.

Over the two years and four months she has been imprisoned, my uncle, her father, has visited her only seven times. Through his efforts, the U.S. embassy has attempted to alleviate some of the nutrition problems. Providing the Americans just enough vitamins and minerals to stay alive, my cousin watches as those around her rot and die before her very eyes.

When Ann Elizabeth was first imprisoned, she had the all-too-familiar attitude that it was just another thing that wasn't her fault. She believed herself the victim, but she allowed herself to be victimized. After being in Lima a year, she realized that all her problems had been caused from within. She's finally came to realize that there is indeed a higher force. A force higher than herself, the force of God. After extensively reading and studying her Bible, she now spends her time teaching the women how to read God's Word. She relies on her now God-given hope and courage to get through these difficult times. After going through such tremendous physical pain and mental anguish, she had lost all hope. She had hit rock bottom; death seemed like her only way out. Forced to start her life all over again she began to think of her future. God has given her the strength to make some responsible decisions for the first time. She has grown up. It has taken every ounce of courage in her, but she has made it.

We have all been down a very long road. There have been so many twists and turns along the way, but finally we have found our precious "E" again. It won't be an easy road, it never is, but we will make it. Love heals all wounds, even ones that rip people to shreds, or so we hope. Ann Elizabeth let us into her heart for the very first time, and that took the greatest amount of courage of all.

Through Ann Elizabeth, I have come to realize that people make their own choices in life, and eventually we are held accountable for those choices. Through my love for her and knowledge of what she has had to go through, I make different decisions than other people my age. I value life; and with every choice I make I think of Ann Elizabeth, my family, the children, and most of all my Lord. With their support and guidance, I will prevail. Hopefully, so will she.