The Pedigree
I'm a Seattle girl through and through. I was born downtown, grew up in Ballard, went to high school on Cap Hill, and when it came time to apply to colleges I was utterly convinced I was going to go somewhere far, far away. It had nothing to do with a faltering of my enduring love for the city, no, I just thought that to have an adventure I needed to get out of my hometown. Lucky for me, I was wrong on that count.
Once I began to receive admissions offers I began really considering my options. My mom dove into the analysis of pros and cons while my dad not-so-subtly hummed the UW fight song. My parents met at the University of Washington in the early 1980's, so the family history is penned in purple and gold. After a long debate, I decided to commit to the UW based on several factors, the first of which was that it was a doggone good deal. The UW is a well-respected institution, both in the Pacific Northwest, nationally, and internationally, and the in-state tuition is a mighty tempting figure, considering the caliber of education offered. The other deciding factor was that I had been accepted into the UW College Honors Program. I had participated in a recruitment weekend for the Honors Program the summer between junior and senior years, and that experience ended up influencing my decision heavily. We stayed the weekend in the dorms, spoke to current honors students, heard from faculty, and attended mini lectures. It was over that weekend that I realized that I could actually see myself as a UW student when before I had discounted the school because I thought it would feel too big or close to home. When I had submitted my application for the UW, I had been unsure about applying for the Honors Program. I had greatly enjoyed my weekend with them, but I didn't think I would be able to get in. Thank goodness, I decided to go for it anyway, writing my essay during a lunch period my senior year.
Looking back on this essay now makes me smile and shake my head. It's not that it's terrible or anything, but what strikes me is that I rarely get the chance to express myself now in the same way as I did in this essay. I read through what I wrote and think about my 17 year old self, and how much I like her: silly, risk-taker, creative. I also think about how far I've come, somehow turning into an educated adult, remembering that 5 years is actually kind of a long time. Many things have changed since I submitted my application, but I am glad for the reminder of where it all started. The prompt (as I remember it) was: "Which literary characters would you invite to coffee and why?"
Once I began to receive admissions offers I began really considering my options. My mom dove into the analysis of pros and cons while my dad not-so-subtly hummed the UW fight song. My parents met at the University of Washington in the early 1980's, so the family history is penned in purple and gold. After a long debate, I decided to commit to the UW based on several factors, the first of which was that it was a doggone good deal. The UW is a well-respected institution, both in the Pacific Northwest, nationally, and internationally, and the in-state tuition is a mighty tempting figure, considering the caliber of education offered. The other deciding factor was that I had been accepted into the UW College Honors Program. I had participated in a recruitment weekend for the Honors Program the summer between junior and senior years, and that experience ended up influencing my decision heavily. We stayed the weekend in the dorms, spoke to current honors students, heard from faculty, and attended mini lectures. It was over that weekend that I realized that I could actually see myself as a UW student when before I had discounted the school because I thought it would feel too big or close to home. When I had submitted my application for the UW, I had been unsure about applying for the Honors Program. I had greatly enjoyed my weekend with them, but I didn't think I would be able to get in. Thank goodness, I decided to go for it anyway, writing my essay during a lunch period my senior year.
Looking back on this essay now makes me smile and shake my head. It's not that it's terrible or anything, but what strikes me is that I rarely get the chance to express myself now in the same way as I did in this essay. I read through what I wrote and think about my 17 year old self, and how much I like her: silly, risk-taker, creative. I also think about how far I've come, somehow turning into an educated adult, remembering that 5 years is actually kind of a long time. Many things have changed since I submitted my application, but I am glad for the reminder of where it all started. The prompt (as I remember it) was: "Which literary characters would you invite to coffee and why?"