<p>Hi everyone! I know I’ve waited until pretty much the last minute to submit for UC, but I’m hoping to have my admissions in by Friday. This is my rough draft for prompt #1 for UC schools, which is “Describe the world you come from for example, your family, community or school and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.”</p>
<p>“Shortly after the start of my freshman year of high school, I experienced what I am sure many other teenagers have also dealt with: a nearly crippling feeling of inadequacy and shyness. Due to my insecurities, I spent most of my time in my bedroom, alone, doing the only thing that took my mind off of my unhappiness at school: watching movies. Movies are, essentially, an escape; you can become anyone, if only for a few hours. When I was feeling particularly poor about myself, I could become Lester Burnham from American Beauty or Wendy Torrance from The Shining, characters who put my trivial adolescent problems into perspective. When I needed a bout of lightheartedness, Saul from Pineapple Express was my best friend.
Over time, my interest began to shift from not only films but to filmmaking as well. In my junior year of high school I took a Film as Literature class. Discussing films and the technicalities behind them was the only time I felt any sort of passion within the walls of my high school. One day in class we watched a documentary about the making of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, which most of my classmates found quite uninteresting, but I was enthralled, despite not loving the actual Indian Jones movies. Witnessing what went on behind the scenes reinforced to me how much I wanted to be a part of the film industry.
Of course at one point I, like many other young girls, had dreamed about being a movie star, lounging on movie sets and attending glamourous premieres, but this dream seemed so unattainable. Now, however, I wanted to be behind the scenes, directing, or producing, or writing; the prospect of really doing all or any of these made my chest swell with excitement. As I researched film programs and schools, I found that while difficult, these dreams were not impossible.
I eventually grew out of my awkward unhappiness that plagued most of my high school career, but my love and passion for films has only grown instead of faded. My dream is to study filmmaking and eventually be a part of the industry in some way.”</p>
<p>I need to add more to my concluding paragraph but I’m not sure what else to say. ANY advice/opinions would be much appreciated, even if it’s to tell me the essay is terrible and I should just start over. Thanks!</p>