Share a Moment that Impacted Your Life. Read these examples of college essays that respond to this essay prompt.
Last updated on November 26, 2024 by College Financial Aid Advice.
University of Pittsburgh
College essay by Michaelanne
Personal Experience Essay - Someone told me that where your mind wanders is where you heart truly lies. And I hope that's true. When my mind wanders, which it does frequently, I think of them. Of their laughter. Of their faces. Of their smiles. Of the good times we had. I try to think of all the good memories we had together; we had plenty. But eventually, my mind wanders to exactly one year ago today, when they were taken.
There are no words that can describe what it's
like watching your little brother and sister be driven off in a car by a man
neither you nor they know. Just driven off, into oblivion, never to be seen by
you nor heard from again. Just gone. To live with a new family. A supposedly
better family. And my family and I, just expected to stand on the blacktop and
watch them leave, like this is an everyday occurrence. Like it's just typical
for your heart and soul to be torn from you body and leave forever.
They called us, 16 hours before taking them, and
informed us of the state mandated move. Two hours after that call I had ten
government workers in my house, packing the kids up. While this was happening
all around us, three case workers were giving my family,
twins included, the "run-down" of events. They were telling us coping
mechanisms for dealing with losing ones you love. The lady in charge told me
that it might be healthy for me to write down every time I think of them. So
that if I ever see them again I can show them just
how often I thought of them.
But I
think about them constantly. Not a day goes by where they haven't been on my
mind and heart at least 50 times. Even a year later, everything reminds me of
them. Joy, sadness, faith, love, grief-- it doesn't matter. Everything, simply
everything, reminds me of something about them.
And I know it confuses people when I call them
"my siblings." No one says it, but I know that everyone thinks,
"they're not REALLY related to you, and especially not anymore."
And it's always awkward when people ask me how many people are in my family. I
always hesitate. Because in actuality? There are four people currently residing
in my home. But my family will always be a family of six, no matter where the
six of us are located or what our last names have been changed to.
So, it's one year later. My heart hurts just as
badly as they day they left. If there is a God, I hope that one day he helps
heal that hole inside of my soul and gives me some peace. But until then, I'll
think about them and pray for them and send them happy thoughts. For as long as
I live, my heart will always be with them and wander towards them.
"And the tears come streaming down your
face. When you lose something you can't replace, when you love someone but it
goes to waste, could it be worse?" -Coldplay, "Fix You"
"Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear
Louder louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
To think I might not see those eyes
Makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long goodbye
I nearly do" - Snow Patrol, "Run"
Example essay for college by Akida from South Carolina.
As a vocalist and an individual who generally loves music, I
must say that the weekend in March 2023, was my quintessential vision of
heaven on earth.
I took a ride to a small chapel in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where I was to
practice with other members of South Carolina’s first All-State Men’s Choir.
However, this wasn’t merely a trip for me. No. This weekend meant more than
that.
The year before, I had auditioned for All-State Chorus and had been accepted to
be a part of the first All-State Men’s Choir. However, without any valid
reason, the notion of having an All-Men’s Choir was eradicated. Poof. Gone.
Needless to say, I was emotionally crushed underneath an anvil of despair and
betrayal. It was at that very moment that I decided I had to be a part of that
Choir next year, and that “No” wasn’t going to be an answer.
Not knowing what to expect or how to feel, I walked through the doors and took
my seat in a chapel with 134 boys who were my musical equals or betters. Before
anxiety or intimidation could set in, the director came into the room; he
slowly lifted his hands without saying a word, signaling that it was time to
warm up. Promptly, the harmonies of 135 basses, baritones and tenors blended
together into an ethereal cornucopia of musical nirvana. I felt my spirit at
one with not only every singer’s in the room but with the music itself. The
director, without the slightest trace of emotion on his face, let his hands
fall by his sides like a ballerina.
His eyes scanned the room with such passion and
intensity that it chilled my soul as his petite figure towered over us while he
nonchalantly leaned against the podium: "There are going to be two groups
of people this weekend: One group is anticipating that you succeed in
establishing a lasting legacy, and the other group is hoping that you walk away
with your tail in between your legs; whichever group walks away happier is up
to you."
A mixture of shock and aspiration was painted on
the faces of everyone inside the chapel. As soon as those last words traveled
through the aisles and rows of the chapel, a wave of camaraderie surged
throughout the building—an immovable camaraderie that I knew would stick with
me while I sang on stage with those 134 boys, and that would stick with me
until the day my heart stops beating.
After I arrived home, I flung myself on my bed and
cried like I hadn’t cried in years, but they weren’t tears of sadness… just
tears of pure elation. I saved all of the music from that weekend’s performance
in the exact order it was sung, and I tucked away the folder in the depths of
my wardrobe. As I closed the oak door, I said to myself, “I think I’ll show
these to my children one day.”
College essay by Necani from Florida
There are certain nights of your life that
define you. For me, that night happened to be, ironically, just another by
invitation only party. This night, however, was different than the others.
Tonight I felt like an outsider looking in on my life from a new and unique
perspective. As I analyzed the behavior of my peers, I noticed people ignoring
each other in hopes of finding someone "important" to talk to. I then
came to a startling realization; I lived in world were people cared more about
their social status than the person standing right in front of them.
As I left this prestigious party and distanced
myself from the elaborate mansion it was held in, I could feel the tears
welling up in my eyes. I was living in a superficial world where everyone was
too busy fighting for status to care about actual individuals. In addition, as
I considered the timeless psychological argument of Nature vs. Nurture, I
became concerned with the possibility that I had learned and incorporated the
patterns of my environment. I began to examine my life. I have always believed that
all people are important and deserve to be treated equally and with love;
however, I found myself starting to drift away from my beliefs and conform to
my environment. This, to me, was unacceptable. Despite the arguments of
countless psychologists, I would not let my environment dictate who I was;
therefore, I decided to become an advocate for fair treatment.
I had always been involved in multiple areas of my
church, but wasn't very active in the youth ministry. Recently, I heard about a
youth event called Axis After Hours, the purpose of which was to make people
from a variety of backgrounds feel welcome at church. I knew that the students
at church struggled with treating everyone with kindness and respect, as my
friends and I did, so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to begin working
towards making everyone feel welcome regardless of their background or status.
What better way to encourage people to do the same than to personally begin
welcoming those who would typically be considered "weird" or "uncool"?
I immediately became involved in the organizing and planning of Axis After
Hours and was soon rewarded for my hard work by being given the opportunity to
manage the event.
As I continued working on overseeing Axis After
Hours, my passion for welcoming and showing love toward everyone was made
evident to my youth pastor. He then asked me if I would like to prepare a
message on the topic and present it on a Sunday. I quickly agreed, eager to
share my thoughts, but I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to give people
the opportunity to join me in making a difference. With the permission of my
youth pastor, I started The Greeting Team; a group of people dedicated to
making every person that walked into our student ministry feel welcome.
The Greeting Team has been a huge success. Around
thirty dedicated students have joined me in the pursuit of developing a place
where everyone feels welcome. As a team, we've faced our share of obstacles,
but through these challenges I have been able to learn a lot about being a
leader. I was ultimately able to successfully mobilize a group of people toward
a common cause. Since the beginning of The Greeting Team, every student who has
walked into youth has come back; a 100% success rate.
Since then, I have further grown as a leader in
the youth ministry and now have more responsibility as I manage and initiate a
variety of events and organizations. Through these opportunities, I have
developed my leadership potential in a multitude of ways. I have learned how to
successfully manage, organize and motivate people. With these skills, I intend
to pursue my passions and conquer any obstacles that stand in my way.
Thank you for sharing your college essays in response to this essay prompt: Share a Moment that Impacted Your Life. See additional examples of college essays at the links below.
100 Examples of Good College Essays
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