Great Essays!

Yesterday, a recently admitted student and her parents visited the Admissions Office, and they asked to speak to me. It turned out that she was one of the students that I had mentioned in a previous post concerning the strength of her essays (see the Random Thoughts post from January 26, 2011), and they wanted to come by and say hello. They were a wonderful family, and I am glad I had the chance to speak with them about how things were going, her plans at UGA, etc.

We have so many wonderful stories about our applicants, from unique and amazing activities, interesting personal backgrounds, and amazing essays. This student, Jaynie, has given me permission to share any of her essays that I would like, so here is an example of one of her essays. Hopefully this will help future applicants in preparing their essays. We get a large number of essays about volunteer/mission trips, and my suggestion is to make the reader be able to almost feel the experience. I think Jaynie did a great job at this.

Hot, sticky air clung to my skin. Two little pairs of dirt-caked hands mercilessly pulled at my hair, fashioning sloppy braids. After trying unsuccessfully to communicate the pain my young stylists were inflicting, I decided to relish the remaining hours I had with these precious girls instead. During the nine days of my Dominican Republic mission trip, the three of us had bonded and become fast friends. The most effective Spanish teachers I have ever had, these tiny professors ushered me into a new realm of understanding, stretching me beyond my comfort zone. Immersed in a world without English, I was forced to take my 8+ years of classroom Spanish into the real world; my faithful little tutors never left my side.

On our final day, as the bus rolled in to sweep us back to homework and fast food, I promised myself that I would not forget what I had learned there. With one last goodbye hug, I tearfully climbed on board. A couple of days later I found myself walking into my all too familiar Spanish classroom, but this time-for the first time-truly eager to become fluent in the beautiful language of my new friends.

And to Jaynie and her parents, thanks for stopping by, thank you for the kind words, and our office looks forward to you being a part of the Bulldog Nation next year!

Go Dawgs!