Share a Moment that Impacted Your Life

Share a Moment that Impacted Your Life. Read these examples of college essays that respond to this essay prompt.

University of Pittsburgh

One Year Later

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"

The First of Many

Share a Moment that Impacted Your Life

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.”

If You See a Problem Fix It

Share a Moment that Impacted Your Life

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.

Examples of College Essays

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