Student story: Admissions essay about community impact
About this video
A student explains that his personal essay described the problems in his community, such as a 65% dropout rate, gangs and drugs. Seeing these things motivated him to stay in school, improve himself and his community, and show others from his area that they can go to college.
You'll be able to
- explain how a writer can turn difficult surroundings into motivation in an essay.
- identify the goals this student expressed in his essay.
- explain why linking a problem to personal action makes an essay stronger.
Key words
- Dropout rate
- The share of students who leave school before finishing.
- Community
- The people and neighbourhood around where you live.
- Motivation
- A reason that drives you to act or work hard.
Transcript
- For my personal essay I decided to talk about my community. Talk about the negativity, such as the high school dropout rate. It's at 65%. Talk about the gang life, talk about drugs. Talk about how real men decide to lead the youth into going into crime, going into gangs.
Things like that. Something that I saw with my own eyes. Something I hated. With that image in my eyes seeing neighbors doing this and that. Seeing cops arrest and separate families definitely motivated me to staying in school. To improve myself but also my community bring about positivity into my community.
Be able to show others from my side of the community that people from where I'm from are able to go to college. Be something successful. Be a successful person.
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