Sharing Some of my College Essays

      Hello all! As some of you may know, I recently graduated high school and am about to move on to college in the fall. The entire college application process can be quite stressful but I got some of, what I consider to be, my best writing thus far out of it. I would like to share some of it with you all as the essays are mostly about things I am passionate about and, honestly, I am rather proud of them all. For each essay, I will include the prompt above it. I may include a note after some of them to give more detail to it.

Note: PLEASE DO NOT COPY THESE AND/OR USE THEM FOR YOURSELF!

Essay #1. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? 

     "When I get an idea for a new makeup look, my mind goes into overdrive and I physically feel a need to try this new look right away. Whether it is a beauty look or a special effects look filled with gore, applying makeup captivates my mind. It makes my creative side run wild. Makeup is a form of self-expression. It allows the user to create almost any look they desire, be it bold and outgoing or more laid back. Makeup does not have any real “rules”, there are guidelines and some things that may work better than others but overall makeup has no boundaries.

     I am a firm believer that the idea of people, especially women, being beautiful, attractive, and worthy no matter if they choose to wear makeup or not, should be reinforced. However, makeup can help to boost some people’s confidence. All types of makeup are for all types of people.

    Unbeknownst to some, makeup comes in many different forms. One of my favorite forms is special effects makeup. Being able to make illusions on the human body so that it no longer appears to be human. Creating monsters and other mythical creatures or even creatures that are not so mythical fascinates me. The fact that by precisely applying some latex or scar wax and paint, an artist can make someone look like a zombie that just climbed out of its grave enthralls me.

    Unfortunately, no one in my family has much interest in makeup and therefore could not teach me. So I did what anyone my age would do and turned to the internet. I have watched tutorial after tutorial about how to do all kinds of makeup and have then used trial and error to teach myself how to actually do it with what I had. Over the years I have built up a small collection of cosmetics that I hold dearly as one of my prized possessions. While I do not have all of the fancy supplies that professional artists do, with a little more time and thought I can usually come up with creative solutions so that I can still complete the same kind of look as a professional. Makeup is my passion and my happy place. It is something that I am always discovering new things about and thoroughly enjoy."

NOTE: This is the first college essay I wrote. :)

Essay #2. If you could have been the author of any piece of literature, what would you have penned and why?

    "If I could have been the author of any single piece of literature already written, I would choose to have written The Turn of the Screw, which was written by Henry James. It is a half-framed story that consists of a mix of gothic mystery and a ghost story. It is one of my favorite stories. One reason I picked it is because of the real mystery taking place within the story. Are there actually ghosts or is the governess going insane? That is a question that Henry James left up to the reader, and I would love to know what was going through the authors head when The Turn of the Screw was written. Also, being able to explore the characters, especially Miles and Flora, would be an exceptional experience. I find Miles and Flora quite intriguing and would like to know what they thought of the events that take place in the book. The Turn of the Screw is a work of literature that I would love to explore in the way that only the author can."

NOTE: There were sooooo many books that I would have loved to use for this prompt but I ultimately went with Turn of the Screw because it checked all the boxes. a) actually one of my favorite books. b) I already know a lot about it from a literary view. c) is a book that will look good to colleges.

Essay #3. How do you think a college experience can help you to grow as a well-rounded artist/scholar?

    "Through my college experience, I am certain that I will learn things I did not even know I needed to learn. I am homeschooled and, while I have taken outside courses, having the full “classroom” experience is new and exciting to me and I am looking forward to it. Also, I believe that college will give me the resources and space I need to truly express my artistic side. I anticipate growing my artistic skills in many ways, such as working on my character designs. Collaborating with fellow students that are as passionate as I am about artistic endeavors, and working with my peers who are pursuing different majors than I am, on other projects, will help me grow as a person, scholar, and artist.

    I will admit that I am somewhat nervous about having a roommate. Since I grew up sharing a room with my sister, I am not concerned about sharing the space, however, I am anxious about conflicting personalities, but I feel like it will be a positive experience even if my roommate and I are not the best of friends. Meeting people from all around the globe excites me and I am looking forward to collaborating with them. I think that learning about people, whether I am rooming with them or just meeting them, will make me a better artist and scholar because it will broaden my perspective of the world."

NOTE: This prompt really threw me for a loop at first but I am really happy with how it turned out in the end. 

     So those are three of the essays I wrote for colleges. I know this is an odd post but I thought it might help you all get to know me and could give upcoming high school seniors some motivation with their writing. I am not much of a fan of writing and was honestly dreading this part of the process. But in the end, I came out of it with some of the best things I've ever written. So, even if you don't particularly like writing, who knows, you may end up with some essays that make you feel proud of what you accomplished. 

What would you all have written about if you had these prompts?

Love you all, 

~Kate ❤