Excellence Like The Final Goal of Everything A Person Does - Admission/Application Essay Example

?When put into ambiguous situations, some people rise to the occasion to create an innovative solution to solve problems; others merely try to get through them without losing face. Ambiguous situations are the norm when volunteering at a homeless shelter that hosts 40 to 50 men each night, and being responsible for each of them during that time is no easy task. In addition, it is not easy to see past the superficial duties of the nightwatchman volunteer position into the realm of possibilities, especially when one is trying to decipher requests for more food in broken English or trying to keep everyone under control when the coffee maker is out of order. However, in these sorts of ambiguous sorts of circumstances, I believe, people develop the most. As a volunteer, I consulted with staff on bringing work skill development seminars into the nightly shelter so that the residents could be better prepared to face the workday the next day. In addition, I worked to improve and revise the shelter’s food and supply inventory system. By making the most of even the smallest experience, especially one that will make such a large impact on the lives of others, one moves closer to a state of distinction. The concept that integrates all of my experiences and accomplishments that have prepared me for an undergraduate experience is excellence: excellence in all of the accomplishments I have made, the activities I am involved with, and the endeavors I hope to undertake in the future. Excellence is something that is the final goal of everything a person does, and it is sought for its own sake. It is an accomplishment in its own right in the sense that excellence is the fulfillment of an individual’s own unique potential. One should know he has achieved excellence when he has made the most of every opportunity, not only in terms of effort and trial, but also in terms of accomplishment and achievement. Some come to define themselves, justly or unjustly, as excellent; however, there are always more ways, more situations, and more opportunities to make the world a better place and, in turn, fulfill one’s own potential. For example, I sought out Model United Nations as a way to deepen my understanding both of how international governance works and how people interact with each other in this simulated sort of experience. Moreover, during my time with the Model UN, I recognized that there was also potential to be reached in developing the program itself. To that end, I sought to be a productive member of a team, recognizing that above the simulated differences between people involved, there is a chance for working together toward a single goal. That is why, by working with the program supervisors, I helped develop the Model UN program and to highlight that development on a larger stage by facilitating participation in a national Model UN conference. By reflecting on that kind of experience, one realizes that excellence is not something merely defined by words or philosophy, but by action toward the goal of fulfilling potential. Part of being able to achieve great things is, first of all, having the opportunity to enter the sorts of ambiguous situations previously addressed above. If one remains in a comfort zone for long periods, then there will not be opportunities to challenge oneself, which are necessary conditions for excellence. For that reason, my educational experience has been unique: I studied for a semester at the University of Hartford in Connecticut and for three semesters at New York University in Manhattan. In both of those situations, I believe that I defined myself both academically and in extracurricular activities, whether it was with basketball, volleyball, fishing, swimming, golfing, canoeing, or hiking. Like my extracurricular interests, my academic interests are based on the desire for the ambiguity offered by a diverse range of experiences. I wish to finish my education in California, thousands of miles away from Connecticut and New York, in order to see a whole spectrum. This is the sort of person I am: desirous of a worldly and enlightened experience, accomplished, capable, and excellent in everything I set out to do, including my education. Of course, I do not believe excellence is complete without the genuine need to make others around oneself excellent as well. Aristotle believed that “Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” This means that friends are not merely acquaintances, but two people seeking the same goals and ends; the potential of one is only fulfilled if the potential of the other is too. For my friends, whether it is in the Model UN or at an overnight homeless shelter, it is not the case that my own personal excellence is separable from the personal excellence of others. I would not consider either my improvements to the Model UN program or to the shelter “excellent” if they had not positively influenced the lives and maximized the potentials of people I care about. I feel the same way about the ultimate purpose of a collegiate institution; that is, most of the reason why individuals attend college is to both meet the true friends that Aristotle spoke of, and to achieve excellence together as one soul. The motto ‘Let there be light,’ or Fiat Lux, is an expression of that desire to share enlightenment and brilliance with others. At a fundamental level, I share in that aspiration. As a means toward excellence, both personal and shared, I seek to continue my education at a University that believes in the value of an enlightened mind. I hope that expressing this goal in terms of my approach to everything I do will help in assisting those who evaluate my merits as an excellent human being come to the most informed, enlightened opinion. Excellence is a quality that the University should be seeking in all of its admitted students because, whether an individual acknowledges it or not, excellence is the surest way to a healthy attitude of oneself, one’s community, and reality itself. Moreover, whether a person sets himself apart through hiking, volleyball, academics, volunteering, or chess, the result is the same: we push ourselves and others to reach the greatest versions of ourselves. Read More