Hey guys, I wrote this essay before common app released the new prompts. I ended up writing from the only prompt that common app deleted this year so the essay is unusable. There were still a few areas that I would have liked to change but it is mostly done. I just wanted an opinion on my writing style, ideas, length, etc. Thanks for any help!
Prompt: Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
A spectacular feat of engineering, withstanding the perpetual beating of the ocean, the castle stood tall and proud above the unforgiving waves. The sand castle that is.Ever since I first witnessed the imperishable rolling waves brushing against the infinite stretch of gently cascading dunes lining the Florida panhandle, I would spend my summers at the beach constructing sand castles rather than submerging myself in the mysterious pattern of the ocean waves or relaxing under the soft white rays of the sun.
As I worked on one end, constructing the castle tower by tower, with just one swell, the relentless waves would devour the other. It seemed that for every bucket of sand I spread along the shore, half would disappear into the ocean but I remained adamant in my goal of building a spectacular edifice. Rather than relenting in my endeavor, I formulated and tested new ideas to reduce the destruction. From barrier walls of sand and seashells with seaweed interiors to multi layer moats, I would devise new techniques to preserve my castle. The beach acted as my blank canvas to materialize my innovative imagination.
Of course my creative outlets were not restricted to an annual trip that would last only a few days. As long as I can remember, I have played a musical instrument. In fact, I adopted my first instrument, the piano, when I was in first grade and switched to my second, alto saxophone, in fourth grade. “Music is more than notes on a page.” This universal phrase, echoed by seemingly every musician almost to the point of being cliche, holds completely true. When practicing, learning the correct notes was just the beginning.
I never felt that I had perfected any piece. Sure, I played all of the correct notes but anyone could. Music represented an infinitely large puzzle, constantly growing as I slowly solved it. I would make sure that my crescendos could seamlessly flow from pianissimo to fortissimo before quickly dying back down as marked by a diminuendo. After enduring measures of painfully slow adagio an accelerando would push the tempo to andante then, moderato, allegro and finally presto where accidentals and arpeggios would fly by at speeds too fast to count but even then there was more.
Though I have always enjoyed playing music, it does not bring me the full satisfaction of complete creative freedom. There were certainly many challenges to stimulate my mind but none that could be solved with my unique resourcefulness. I realize that there were no allegorical moats to dig or walls to erect. Those, I could only find in environments like the beach where, fully quenching my thirst for creative thinking, I felt most content.
