College Essay

Rotterdam, New York, my hometown, where gangs roam the streets in loafers and v-neck sweaters. Even though Rotterdam may not be the swankiest of the suburbs, it is, nonetheless, a prime example of suburbia. However, not all children realize that Rotterdam is the suburbs. The majority of teenagers dress and act as if they were from the projects. Guys wear shirts that are longer that some girls’ skirts and girls wear pants that are tighter than my socks. I, for one, am not a person who enjoys wearing loose fitting socks. I am not saying that I disapprove of this style, but I am saying I find it ironic how they act. These people live in their “gangsta” world while outside of the home, but when they go home it is a completely different story. Once inside their place of residence, they are called by their full name, which is something like “Edward Kenneth Crothwell”, because they forgot to lock the doors to their SUV. This goes to show how drastically kids will change in order to keep up with the status quo of cool. I guarantee that if wearing a traffic pylon on your head became cool, everyone would own one within three weeks.

Even though it may seem as if I am hatin’ on my hood, I actually and truthfully have enjoyed my seventeen year tenure here in RotterDAMN, that’s what all the kids call it nowadays. Experiencing life here has given me an interest in human nature and how unusual it can be at times. This interest in people led to my eventual passion for writing and journalism. I feel that writing is the only form of communication where I can portray the full effect of how people act or how a certain situation has unfolded. What I love about writing is its’ freedom and how it allows the writer to take something and run away with it. The type of freedom found in writing cannot be found in anything else. In math there are formulas and rules to follow, science has tables, charts and equations, and history can’t be changed. However, with writing I can create what I want and depict it in any way I want. This freedom truly allows growth as a person.

One thing I am always striving for is self improvement. I am never satisfied with myself, especially in writing, because I know there is much to be learned. Believing that there is not room for growth has never been a part of me. This takes root in the fact that I have a brother who has been the “smartest” ever since I can remember. Seeing his success in school fueled my fire to succeed. Also, not wanting to be labeled an idiot brother added fuel to the fire. I can say with confidence that no one has branded me as an idiot brother, at least not to my knowledge.

Having grown up in the suburbs and having an extremely intelligent brother (or so people think, but I know differently), have created and nurtured my passion for writing and my “it’s never good enough” mentality. Writing is my passion, and as long as I am capable of holding a pen, I shall write. I know that it will take countless years to perfect my writing skills, and even then perfection may never be achieved because writing is always evolving. A higher education will provide me with the tools and criticism I need to grow as a writer and person, and my fastidiousness will allow me to absorb new and useful techniques. Rotterdam, New York and my brother’s “intelligence” (going to Brown doesn’t mean he has common sense) have created a foundation from which I can accept change and then apply what I have learned rather easily.