How Can I Prove This?

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Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:21:57 +0000

Note: Skip to the bold section if you don’t want to read all of this.

I taught myself how to play the piano when I was younger, and have been playing since I was eight.

With college applications coming in the next few months, I really want to portray who I am. Piano has become a big part of my life; it’s been a relaxation device, really. It’s really personal to me, and (I think) I have gotten very good at it. I write my own music and can play rather difficult pieces, though my own music is nothing like that.

Thing is, with all the fuss about college and people doing things for college, I decided to keep one thing, the piano, for myself. I never entered any contests or anything. It’s always just been something that I go home to.

Getting to the point, the piano has become a big part of me. I want to actually go out and maybe perform or take some courses in college once I get there. A friend suggested that I send in a recording of me playing the piano, and I think it’s a great idea.

But, then, a little birdie called Big Sister asked me how I would prove my passion to colleges. She mentioned that since most people have never actually heard me play the piano (besides friends and family) and since I have never entered any competitions, **how could I prove to colleges that I actually play the piano considering I have never performed in any competitions/recitals? **

So, that’s my dilemma. And, now, it is filtering through to other aspects of what I thought I’d put on my application. Some of my most time consuming extracurriculars have taken place through a local mosque that’s great, but how can I prove I actually did the things I write? It isn’t a problem for most things, but at the mosque, for instance, there are no adult workers that really have great English. I don’t feel comfortable asking them for a recommendation because I think the grammar or actual quality of writing would affect how the recommendation is perceived.

Some people said to just put it in my personal statement, but I feel like there is so much that means a lot to me, that my personal statement and other essays will just be a bunch of gibberish. I can’t seem to choose those 3 or 4 topics that define me because there aren’t 3 or 4 things that define me. There’s more, and each thing contributes to the person that I have become. I don’t feel like those things should be ignored, or less valued.

Anyways, any ideas?