ESSAYS! ESSAYS! ESSAYS!

So I finally decided to take my first step in preparing for my college applications with... the essays :) .......OH MY GOODNESS!!!!! I would have never thought that writing a college entrance essay would be so difficult! I kid you not when I say, " I have written my essay for Juilliard 3 times." That's right... 3 times... Not once! Not twice! BUT THRICE! UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The thing is that I want this essay to be absolutely perfect. I am on a mission (Operation Acceptance). I must do everything in my power to be accepted to *cue dramatic music* The Juilliard school!... and sadly, writing an "amazing essay" is part of the process.

I don't really consider myself to be a good writer. Yes, I enjoy it but I prefer more casual freestyle writing. Something very similar to journal entries.. I guess... but the thing is that this essay needs to be AMAZING, FUNNY, EMOTIONAL, GRAND, AND ABSOLUTELY STUPENDOUS! So basically my "Dear diary" shananigans ain't gonna cut it hun :(

So I sit myself down and try to put my serious face on. It's time to write. (Keep in mind that this was November 2015, on a flight, on my way to Florida to visit the fam). So I take out my cute, little, baby blue colored chromebook. I open up a blank new document and title it "Juilliard Essay".... not very creative but it was pretty self explanatory. I read the essay prompt one more time.

"Please write about why you have chosen to become an actor. Write frankly and openly about your life, your connection to your art, and how you see your art connecting to the world. Share your passion about people or politics or other art forms or anything that speaks to you."

Why I've chosen to become an actor.... I begin thinking.. "The moment I truly decided I wanted to act for the rest of my life was after I had performed my very first play in a professional theatre competition".. I begin typing away like crazy. It was only a 3-4 hour flight. By the time we landed, I had typed about 1 page and a half. I only needed half a page to go! I was really excited and proud of myself for working on my essay so early. SOO excited that immediately after dinner, I went upstairs to the guest bedroom and finished my essay that night. The next couple of days, I saved my evenings to review and edit my essays. I even skyped a good friend of mine to see what they thought and how they believed I could make it better.

By the end of that week, I truly believed my essay was perfect and ready to go. (I have the link below if you'd like to read it)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MyNf5WQniHd_rTVA3POWfFWaEO4fz8ITMwNhcvfcs-4/edit?usp=sharing

So that is how I left it, untouched for an entire year.... It is now September 2016. I am beginning to gather and create my essays, resumes, and etc. for my college entrance applications.

My number one school is Juilliard, so I began to check off everything I have with them.

1) Resume.. Check
2) Letter of recommendation... Check
3) Audition Pieces... Work in Progress
4) Essay...

*This is the part where I remembered I worked on the essay last year*

YAY!!! I am so happy! Yes, my essay for Juilliard is done! I go into my google drive and decide to take a look. It was such a while back that I couldn't remember anything I had written....THE HORROR! I couldn't believe it... This was the most boring essay in the entire world. I ask myself, "what is this?" My essay is supposed to be AMAZING, FUNNY, EMOTIONAL, GRAND, AND ABSOLUTELY STUPENDOUS! I made the decision to rewrite my essay.My first draft was completely unacceptable.

So YA! I move on. I pull out another blank google doc sheet
I title it, "Juilliard Essay Draft 1."

*Which you can read by clicking the link below*

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aneKM8i2ao48JW5ARd_PEVx8NKgbatcaZssCumNa0m8/edit?usp=sharing

I decide to brainstorm. What the heck can I write about??? I literally stare at my computer screen for hours.. and NOTHING! I get frustrated and begin to watch youtube videos. After a while, I realize I am not getting anywhere. So, I decide to search up "Juilliard essay samples" and I stumble across one of the most beautiful essays I've ever read. (http://takelessons.com/blog/juilliard-sample-essay-and-tips)
I feel inspired and I begin writing away..... this is where I went wrong.

Instead of writing from the heart, I tried my best to imitate this woman's essay and modify it according to my story. It was all just a big mess but I thought it was okay.

I finished typing that essay that very night and immediately I send it to my English teacher who was willing to revise and edit it for me.....

I received a very negative critique.  While I wanted my essay to be AMAZING, FUNNY, EMOTIONAL, GRAND, AND ABSOLUTELY STUPENDOUS,... my essay was bland, boring, lacked emotion, and creativity.

My teacher suggested me that instead of telling my life in chronological order, I should start my essay immediately with the moment of when I decided I wanted to act for the rest of my life. Then after that I should speak about my life and how I got to that point. Lastly, finish it off with a bang. Tell the readers what are my future goals and dreams! :)

So here I am, 1 week later working on "Juilliard Essay Draft 2" and I promise you that this time, I am going to get it right!!!!!!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes.. but oh my goodness.... please pray for me. After this essay, I still need 5 more essays to write for the other universities I am applying for!! *CRIES*

....and I still haven't found my audition piece.... oh Lord Jesus, do I have work to do....