That’s the high school version of yours truly in the photo above: younger, thinner, and sporting a pair of regrettable four-inch sideburns. But those sideburns weren’t the only unfortunate product of my senior year. Not too long after this photo was taken I began work on my personal statement–my college essay. When I wrote it, I considered it my magnum opus, a triumphant proclamation to the world: “I’m not average!” But in retrospect, it reads like a convoluted and repetitive mess inspired by vague ambitions and a thesaurus (not unlike the sentence I just used to describe it).
Unsatisfied to keep the essay privately tucked away on my hard drive, I’ve decided to let it roam free and unrevised on the Internet with the rest of the world’s embarrassing moments. A bad idea you say? I’ve had worse. With any luck, someone can learn from my mistakes, namely: “don’t try to sound smarter than you actually are.” You’re invited, and encouraged, to leave your thoughts in the comments below and identify what you feel are strengths and weaknesses of the piece (in a constructive manner). As a sidenote, this would probably receive an average rating from a number of our admission counselors at Centre, ironic considering the entire essay is about not being average. But, what do you think?
A Cog in the Machine:
A Refusal to Accept the Ordinary
by Adam Brown
I was a human being. I possessed the ability to breathe and could communicate with organized thoughts that were expressed through a multitude of vibrations in my throat. I could stand upright and walk among the throngs of business drones, drug-dependent junkies, and academic scholars. I observed the world around me and evaluated the consequences of actions taken by others and myself. I was a human being, just like everybody else. This conclusion allowed every member of the human race to view me as cog in the machine: contemporary society.
I can no longer remain submissive with a predetermined life that does not allow room for failure. When I lay in bed at night, navigating my thoughts of who I am growing to be, I want to be lost among my possibilities. I need to let passion guide my potential. Whether I suffer through the duration of obtaining this distant hope, I long to succeed in my life and not everyone else’s. But by doing this, I have to accept that I will face failure along the way.
I have found that through growing up, hidden aspects of my life are revealed. What was once one personality trait can be completely swallowed by another that is some how born from within myself. I was once prideful of my conservatism. Never taking risks, following conventional wisdom, and following the expectations of others, I was descending into a self-created universe of predictability. As I matured further, however, I began discovering that life is not about the perfect acquisition of predetermined goals, but rather remaining open to every possibility as I work towards a focused idea.
I have discovered a love for theatre that I once passed off for a mere interest. I asked myself repeatedly what I would do to climb the ladder of success with such a dream, but I realized that having a dream was not about following a set procedure. The pursuit of a passion is being able to follow where ever that dream leads me. This is the best way to live and learn–open-mindedly. Perhaps I will find a more suitable field of study and my interest in drama will merely have been a prelude to another unearthed passion I have yet to harvest.
What ever the case may be, I feel ready to enrich myself beyond the typical life I had once set before me. I am allowing myself to become anything. I will breath all the air the Earth has to offer and communicate with every imaginable form of language known to man. I will stand impressively tall so as to be seen by the throngs of business drones, drug-dependent junkies, and academic scholars. Observing the world around me, I will be responsible for the consequences of every action I pursue. I will not be like everybody else. I am not taking my place as one more cog in a machine that functions on an average level anymore.
