|
|
 UNDERGRADSMain Page2007 RankingsAdmissions Q&AsCareer Q&AsUndergrad ForumReading ListRecruiter Q&AsSchool Report CardsSchool ToursUndergrad 24-7Undergrad VideosNews HeadlinesPREMIUM CONTENT
| |
MBA INSIDER: SAMPLE APPLICATION ESSAYS University of Tennessee: Essay 1 QUESTION: What are the three things that matter most to you and why?
Three things that matter most to me are finding joy in simple things, making positive changes and family.
Finding joy in simple things—being happy and optimistic—is the first thing that matters to me. At the age of eighteen, I read a wonderful book, My Best Day So Far by George Durrant. In it, Mr. Durrant recounts all the simple things and experiences in which he has found joy. He talks about walking his dog and listening to the leaves crunch under his feet and feeling the wind against his face. Like a thirsty child holding his cup high to let the last few drops fall onto his tongue, Mr. Durrant seems to savor those last few drops of joy in each experience. His perception of the subtle details makes ordinary things extraordinary. Since then, I have tried to approach life in a similar fashion. I try to find joy in the simple things day-to-day. Tonight, I held hands with my wife and took a simple walk around the block. I noticed every feature of her hands, her soft skin and the strength in each finger. These simple things make up a majority of my days and if I can find happiness in them, my life will be full of joy. Next in importance is the ability to make positive changes. In so many ways, our world advertises a pessimistic approach to life. I would like to see more emphasis on the positive changes we are all making. For the last couple weeks, I have been helping my neighbor, [deleted] make some terrific changes. He spent the first 22 years of life involved in criminal activities. He had gone to court 39 times, served 2.5 years in jail and had little to show for all that time. He is now crippled with silicosis, is on the brink of being homeless, and cannot seem to stay healthy long enough to hold a steady job. Nevertheless, somewhere in the midst of all those challenges, he has had a change of heart and is trying to make a positive change in life. He is ever so grateful for the few days that he feels well. He is repairing relationships that have been in shambles for years and is finding faith in God and reconciling past wrongs. He is proof that even in the direst of conditions the human spirit can elevate to new heights and make positive change. While finding simple joys and making positive changes are important, family is the one thing that matters most to me. I spend the majority of my free time with family, namely my wife, [deleted] and baby boy, [deleted]. While I have had many surreal moments with them, one such experience stands out above the rest. Three weeks after [deleted] was born, I was giving him a baby blessing in our church. Surrounded by family, seventeen of the men that are most close to me helped hold [deleted]. At that moment all the weight, responsibility, and excitement of being a new father became clear to me. I felt so much love for this little boy and for [deleted]'s sacrifice to have him. For a brief second, I could imagine all the moments leading up to his birth and I could see far into the future when [deleted] would be a grown man. It was a moment of time that I will remember forever. It represents a simple joy in positive change with the family that matters most to me. 
BW MALL
SPONSORED LINKS
Buy a link now!Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds.  Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed. Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video. To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here. Learn more, go to the BusinessWeekOnline home page  | | AUGUST Learn about your online education options |
 Copyright 2003, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of Use | Privacy Policy |
MBA Insider
Printer-Friendly Version
