College Applications- A Tiresome Process

​I recently finished writing my college application essays. Let me tell you: after revising, and revising again, and revising again, and leaving to take a breather and coming back to revise on more time, they are finally good enough to submit! The process is so time consuming and really made my brain fuzzy- and that was just the essays for one application! Not to mention the rest of the application and the others that I filled out! 

Getting out of my own way has proven to be a most difficult challenge. Throughout my life I have thought of myself as a leader. I enjoy taking charge and serving others through the titles given to me in church callings and school positions. I apply for every leadership position I can and expect to get them. 

Inevitably, this attitude leads to some disappointments. Recently, I applied for several high leadership positions in student government and National Honor Society and others were chosen. I was devastated. I felt that I could not serve my classmates well if I didn't have some sort of title to accompany my actions. The lesson of humility and service was a hard one for me to learn at that time.

Gradually, I realized that I didn't need a title to go out and tutor or to head up a community service project. I must be willing to respond to the call of service, whether it be through the grand and widely acclaimed effort, or as is much more likely, through the small myriad  (indeed, a lifetime) of small, yet significant acts of kindness and caring. Selfless service becomes sacred when there is a far greater focus on "self". In the final analysis, I will better serve myself, my family, my church and my world, if giving, serving, caring and loving are my titles. 

Sometimes, we simply must get out of the way of our own potential.

Given the choice, Brigham Young University is the CES school I would most like to attend. Many generations of my family have attended BYU and I have seen the great impact it has made. Grandparents, great grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles have told me so many stories about how wonderful their experiences at the University were- spiritually, academically, and socially. I want to be able to not only have the same experience, but be able to carry on a family tradition.

I also love the idea of being at a campus that is so diverse. With a large community, a wide variety of post-graduate degree programs, and so many majors, BYU provides the exposure to students pursuing a wider variety of subjects. I want to be able to experience Saturday night football games with my fellow classmates and roommates, surrounded by school pride.​