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The ripple effect of a broken pencil

This is a college application essay sample. The application essay is formatted in MLA and presents what a college application essay should strive to be. It has a unique and recurring theme, and a memorable introduction. The essay also has vivid imagery and an intriguing hook. The application essay also has specific stories with a clear authentic style. The personal stories showcase vulnerability without soliciting sympathy. The goal is to personalize the story and ensure that it captures the attention of the reader. A college application essay is expected to be unique and individualized.

December 15, 2024

* The sample essays are for browsing purposes only and are not to be submitted as original work to avoid issues with plagiarism.

Surname 1
Student’s Name
Instructors Name
Course
Date
The Ripple Effect of a Broken Pencil
A minuscule thing happened: a pencil cracked into pieces on the dirty, beige carpet of my
middle school in eighth grade. When I picked it up and noted the jagged fracture about
halfway down the length of the pencil, it was as if I was living in that moment. My parents
had just divorced, leaving my family fractured. I was too young to understand what that
meant at the time but I would gradually understand it as I grew up. At 13, I couldn’t fix the
break but I held on to the pencil like my life depended on it. I wanted it to mean something. I
wanted it to tell my story that even broken things could still be used as writing tools.
That year, I joined the creative writing club of my school, writing poetry and short
stories on the Spinner. Writing gave me a voice that I felt I had lost by the time a lot of
change occurred in my life. I wrote a story about a girl who finds herself sailing through a
stormy sea with a cracked compass as her only map. I submitted it and it was published in a
local news literacy magazine. It had been a long time since I had any power over what could
be said about me. Seeing my words in print was therefore enabling and empowering and I
knew that creativity was not just a resource but also a survival strategy.
Throughout my time in high school, this would become a recurring theme. Small
actions would have a broader impact. During my sophomore year, I noticed a troubling trend
in my community: students struggling with science and mathematics were having trouble
finding affordable tutors. As a result, I founded Bright Futures Tutoring, a service meant to
help people rewrite their stories through tutoring. The program was held in a borrowed
classroom on a Saturday schedule. We had over 30 students and many volunteers tutoring
Surname 2
them. At the end of her first semester, one student, Mia, told me she went from failing algebra
to a B. I remembered why I started this to begin with, to ensure that students like her were
never stuck, as I once was.
I focused everything on helping others, and the world of the natural and my own
curiosity bloomed. I spent weeks one summer experimenting with biodegradable materials
hoping to come up with some kind of plastic alternative I could use on a day-to-day basis.
Each one of my failures got me thinking more and more creatively. When I finally created my
work to present at the state science fair, I won first place. It wasn't about a trophy for the
project, it was that perseverance it took to put me there.
For better or worse, I learned a little from all of this breakage, and the one thing that
I’ve learned is that brokenness often precedes growth. A fractured pencil. A struggling
student. A failed experiment. There were learned lessons in these moments, moments where
I was taught to see potential within someone, where others might see limitations. I am
fascinated by your college that it will serve as a continuation of my story with my passions
of education, environmental sustainability and creative problem solving being put into use. I
hope not just to learn but also to create ripples of change, proving that even small actions,
like picking up a pencil, can inspire something much bigger.
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December 15, 2024
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Academic level:

Undergraduate 1-2

Type of paper:

Application essay

Discipline:

Biology

Citation:

MLA

Pages:

2 (589 words)

Spacing:

Double

* The sample essays are for browsing purposes only and are not to be submitted as original work to avoid issues with plagiarism.

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