<p>Hi, I’m trying to apply to Wesleyan and I need some feedback and editing for the essay below… Thanks!</p>
<p>For all applicants to Wesleyan University (question is optional, but recommended): Wesleyan values engagement and community. Please elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences which is important to you and demonstrates these qualities. (250 words maximum)</p>
<p>In this technologically advanced age, coal is a shadow of its former self. The mighty rock that could once drive steam locomotives is now regarded as outdated, secondary and even worthless. However, to a group of elders who live on a hill in Seoul, Korea, coal is preciously valuable, but nearly inaccessible. Transporting hundreds of “yuntan” or Korean coal is an arduous task that requires sturdy individuals which these people are not. But, each winter, my local church would host a project, the Coal Drop, to help them, and I couldnt bear to imagine a winter without heat, so I volunteered dutifully for the past two years.
Larger and much heavier than an average bucket, a yuntan can only be moved efficiently though a human chain. Each person would pass the heavy burden to another for more than two hours in the cold. As the heavy burden is passed to another, the team would sing popular hits and giggle at the temporary facial hair we rubbed onto each other, making this task bearable, and even fun.
From this activity, I get more than just volunteer hours. When the pile of yuntans is neatly stacked at the foot of their doorsteps, the seniors admire the dull rocks like they are diamonds, seeing the value of something that I cannot. I gained a sense of respect for these people who have so little. The cliché, not all that glitters is gold, rings true for this work experience.</p>