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A Standout College Essay That Tells a Real Story

This is a college application essay sample formatted in MLA style that demonstrates what a strong application essay should strive to achieve. It features a unique and recurring theme, along with a memorable introduction. The essay uses vivid imagery and an engaging hook to capture the reader’s attention. It includes specific personal stories presented in a clear and authentic voice, showcasing vulnerability without seeking sympathy. Overall, the essay emphasizes the importance of personalization and aims to leave a lasting impression, highlighting that a successful college application essay should be both unique and individual.

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

Instructor’s 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.

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