Since Common Application released their Fall 2017 prompts recently, I had to come to terms with the fact that I was now a bona fide senior who has to write a 500 word essay on a monumental moment in hopes of being accepted into one of my top colleges. For days, I mulled over the prompts in my mind, writing sentences that transformed into paragraphs that I deleted over and over again from my computer.
The prompt that I had chosen seemed simple and straightforward enough, yet I found myself fumbling for the right words. The truth is, I was scared. I was scared that all my hard work in and outside of school would amount to nothing if I couldn't figure out what to write about or even how to describe a certain experience. I scrambled my mind for strong verbs and colorful adjectives, but each word that I wrote down on a piece of notebook paper or typed out on my computer seemed unnatural, unlike me.
I let the essay prompt marinate in my mind for a little longer. I lied around in my bed listening to Little Joy, hoping inspiration would strike even if it was just one word or a simple phrase. I waited patiently, weeding out topics that I didn't feel passionately about and focusing and narrowing down the ones that I did. The process seemed never ending, and I was merely getting started because I had yet to write down a single word.
Once I felt strongly about two topics, I decided to ask my sister which one I should go with. Naturally, I ignored her advice like I always did and went with my gut. For the first time, I had a clear topic that I felt would highlight the important facets of my character without seeming mechanical. However, the process of writing that essay was probably one of the hardest I've ever had to go through because I knew the weight it held. I was scared of starting on the essay. I was scared of writing a single word down. I had to gather my strength and courage to write that essay - something I've never done before for any of my other classes. I knew the stakes were high, but I summoned my willpower, and I wrote that essay.
I wrote the hardest essay that I will ever write. Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but I'm still proud nonetheless. I can say without uncertainty that it's definitely not the best college essay ever, and I still have to make alterations to it. However, it's genuine and heartfelt. Sometimes, that's all you can hope for.
