Jenny's College Application Essay Question

Jenny is busy these days preparing several college applications which she will be sending out in the not to distant future. I had the privilege of reading one of them the other day and thought I would share it. The prompt for the essay was:

"Tell us about an experience which, at the time, really felt like "the end of the world" -- but had it not happened, you would not be who you are today. Describe the process through which you discovered value in the negative."

I vividly remember this and yes I'm sure Jenny felt like it truly must be the end. I don't remember Jenny ever being as upset as she was on that fateful day.

"One day in early November last year, I drove home after school only to discover my iPod was missing from my car. Frantic, I desperately searched every nook and cranny of my car. Unable to find it, I thought back to earlier that morning. It was pouring when I had arrived at school, and I realized that due to the rain I had ran inside without stopping to lock my car. I knew then that my iPod had been stolen, and that I had to return to school to report it missing. During my desperate search to find my iPod, I had thrown my backpack on the driveway beside of my car and as I backed out of my driveway my backpack ended up underneath my car; underneath the wheels of my car. As I felt the bump of running over my backpack I jumped out of my car to assess the damages. Most of my binders survived, however my brother's PlayStation Portable did not. Now that I had ruined or lost about five hundred dollars in technology, I was very near my breaking point. However I had marching band practice in an hour, so had to prepare a façade of calmness and composure appropriate for drumming. As I arrived at band, I was soon approached by the Percussion Caption Head. Myself being the bass drum section leader, he said he had to have a talk with me. He said that he had to get rid of the first bass drum player due to her being constantly absent or suspended from school. Then he said that I, as second bass drummer, would be playing most if not all of her parts, and I would have to know them prior to our next competition, three days away. It was at this point that I decided that the world was in fact coming to an end. "

"This experience, while devastating and enraging at the time, actually had a positive affect on me and helped shape who I am today. Due to the fact it was my fault my iPod was stolen, I had to get a job to pay for a new one. By getting a job, not only was I able to save up and buy a newer, better iPod; but I also learned how to spend money responsibly, and to always save a good portion of your paycheck. The job I got to pay for my new iPod also helped me meet and befriend two deaf co-workers, which in turn resulted in learning sign language. From receiving all of the first bass drummer’s parts, I became a better drummer. I learned how to quickly memorize parts, and how to play more notes than I already had. Also, my fellow drum line members respected me more as a leader and role model for being able to quickly patch the hole in our tightly knitted section. In early November last year, I had a day that felt like the end of the world. However, it helped to positively shape me into who I am today."