College Essay
An Essay written for admission to Fort Lewis College:
Henry Isenberg
Coming from urban St. Louis, Missouri, the move to Durango was a change of pace of which I didn't expect I would tolerate for long. The diversity of activities and faces will never escape my mind, and waking up to mountains rather than buildings is a feeling I still don't think I’ll fully recognize. While separating myself from the high-energy sentiment of a city is something I’ll always miss, I have grown a strong connection with Durango that I had previously not thought possible. Being happily proven wrong by the friendly faces and breathtaking views, I’ve decided to start my college career in my new-found home of Durango.
Aside from the town in which it resides, students at Fort Lewis have a passion for not only their future, but the world around them. An internship with “The Durango Telegraph” led me to a group of students at Fort Lewis called “The Aesthetic Activists”, a group of art majors with one mission: use art to spread awareness on climate change, and encourage other students to take action in being more environmentally conscious. This is just one example of the dedication and passion of student sat Fort Lewis. Being accepted and immersed into a community of passion provides a learning experience that transcends traditional education.
My goals and learning experiences as an individual go beyond college, as I would like to eventually return to a city and begin a career in journalism. Writing is something I am very serious and passionate about, and transforming my interests and passions into a career and job is not only an everyday learning experience, but a chance for me to have a love for my career that not everyone has.
Fort Lewis provides a smaller institution, similar to Animas High School, that I have come to connect with in an important way, as well as passionate, motivated students whom I would be excited to form relationships with.
Henry Isenberg
Coming from urban St. Louis, Missouri, the move to Durango was a change of pace of which I didn't expect I would tolerate for long. The diversity of activities and faces will never escape my mind, and waking up to mountains rather than buildings is a feeling I still don't think I’ll fully recognize. While separating myself from the high-energy sentiment of a city is something I’ll always miss, I have grown a strong connection with Durango that I had previously not thought possible. Being happily proven wrong by the friendly faces and breathtaking views, I’ve decided to start my college career in my new-found home of Durango.
Aside from the town in which it resides, students at Fort Lewis have a passion for not only their future, but the world around them. An internship with “The Durango Telegraph” led me to a group of students at Fort Lewis called “The Aesthetic Activists”, a group of art majors with one mission: use art to spread awareness on climate change, and encourage other students to take action in being more environmentally conscious. This is just one example of the dedication and passion of student sat Fort Lewis. Being accepted and immersed into a community of passion provides a learning experience that transcends traditional education.
My goals and learning experiences as an individual go beyond college, as I would like to eventually return to a city and begin a career in journalism. Writing is something I am very serious and passionate about, and transforming my interests and passions into a career and job is not only an everyday learning experience, but a chance for me to have a love for my career that not everyone has.
Fort Lewis provides a smaller institution, similar to Animas High School, that I have come to connect with in an important way, as well as passionate, motivated students whom I would be excited to form relationships with.
Writing Goals
When wring essay about texts that I’ve read for class, I need to cite the text directly, rather than referencing it. For example, in my seminar pre-write for “The Habits of highly cynical people”, I didn't cite the text directly at all, but referenced it instead and connected it to real-world problems. While I still feel the pre-write was strong, I could have improved upon it by citing the text. The sentence “The type of cynicism used the critique Black Lives Matter throws out the points of view of others and only focuses on itself, leaving a close minded outcome, preventing the progression of what the movement has intended.” This sentence could stand aline as it is, but the addition of a quit from the text could back up my argument.
I have a problem finding a balanced blend of personal connection and direct content from the text. Again in may pre-write for the “The Habits of Highly Cynical People” seminar, I speak more to real world connections with he current political race and the cynicism that goes into each of the candidates, but I didn't reference directly from the text.
One of my biggest strengths as a writer is the way I structure my sentences and paragraphs; Communicating my thoughts and opinions in a way that sounds intellectual and remains easy to follow. In my seminar pre-write, I was speaking to the my support for the proposition of tuition free college: “I’m an upcoming college student who would prefer not to be saddled with debt for most of my adult life, but it goes deeper than that. It was about giving everybody, regardless of socioeconomic background, an equal opportunity to make it to the top. Was it attainable? Maybe not, but I, along with countless others including Bernie Sanders himself, looked to the liked of Denmark and Sweden for hope.” This is an example of one sentence that, to me, is easy to read and understand, but also when reading, sounds intelligent.
My greatest challenge while writing is talking and writing about myself in positive ways. My college essay was no exception. It’s easy to fins something to like about others, but bragging about yourself to impress the college admission teams is something I found I struggle with. Instead of only talking about myself, I referenced experiences I've had with Fort Lewis, and how they add to my motivation for attending. After showing what I had written to some peers, the primary critique I received was I should focus on implementing my own goals into the essay, so in response, I added an additional paragraph about how I have goals to be a journalist and move back to a city.
I have a problem finding a balanced blend of personal connection and direct content from the text. Again in may pre-write for the “The Habits of Highly Cynical People” seminar, I speak more to real world connections with he current political race and the cynicism that goes into each of the candidates, but I didn't reference directly from the text.
One of my biggest strengths as a writer is the way I structure my sentences and paragraphs; Communicating my thoughts and opinions in a way that sounds intellectual and remains easy to follow. In my seminar pre-write, I was speaking to the my support for the proposition of tuition free college: “I’m an upcoming college student who would prefer not to be saddled with debt for most of my adult life, but it goes deeper than that. It was about giving everybody, regardless of socioeconomic background, an equal opportunity to make it to the top. Was it attainable? Maybe not, but I, along with countless others including Bernie Sanders himself, looked to the liked of Denmark and Sweden for hope.” This is an example of one sentence that, to me, is easy to read and understand, but also when reading, sounds intelligent.
My greatest challenge while writing is talking and writing about myself in positive ways. My college essay was no exception. It’s easy to fins something to like about others, but bragging about yourself to impress the college admission teams is something I found I struggle with. Instead of only talking about myself, I referenced experiences I've had with Fort Lewis, and how they add to my motivation for attending. After showing what I had written to some peers, the primary critique I received was I should focus on implementing my own goals into the essay, so in response, I added an additional paragraph about how I have goals to be a journalist and move back to a city.