The Power to Forget

This man believes in forgetting a troubling instance in your life instead of forgiving who was at fault.  This makes so much sense that I'm dissappointed I have never thought of it.  Holding a grudge on somebody is the worst thing somebody can do because it has the potential to bring the worst out of that person.  In some cases, like the one in the story, things can't be forgiven and the only way to move on is to forget it ever happened.

A dogs life

This story is about an average man and his dog.  He believes that its impossible to have pure happiness in life as a human.  Dogs on the other hand have it made.  They can sit around and watch tv all day while somebody scratches their back.  They have no 12 hour work days to deal with or 16 yrs of education to go through to life a complete life. 

I didn't wash my car

This person is writing about what he believes is important in life.  He believes that if you won't regret not doing something, then you shouldn't do it at all.  I understand where he is coming from because thats what I belive.  Call it lazy, but I believe doing pointless tasks is more of a waste of time then sitting down and relaxing and taking the edge of off an already stress filled society.

Being Followed

I cowered in the corner as sweat dripped down my pale, lifeless face.  My heart was racing and it seemed like I had been running forever so this short break was well needed.  I knew I didn't have a lot of time to rest so I made every second count.  I wiped the sweat off of my face, regained my composure, and started off again.  I slowly creeped around the corner, watching from all directions, making sure the path was 100% clear.  I was scared but there's no way I could let the enemy know that; that would be a fatal error.  I moved forward, slowly making progress when suddenly my heart dropped.  Right in front of me was the man I've been running from for all this time.  I froze, my mind was racing and it seemed like time stopped.  At that moment I knew what I had to do.  I pressed the right trigger on my control and killed him.  I went 25-0 and finally got a nuke. Good game.

Stairs/Horse

The walls were closing in on me; the room was getting darker and I could feel my body temperature drop to dangerously low levels. The ceiling looked as if it was falling closer and closer to me every second.  I was slowly running out of space and my fear paralized me.  All types of creepy crawlers came out of every nook and cranny and surrounded me.  All electronics turned on and only had one motive, to get me.  Every one of my fears were coming to life right in front of me and I could do nothing about it.  I was thought I was done for, but then something amazing happend, I woke up.  I turned off my alarm in relief, got dressed, brushed my teeth, put my deoderant on, walked down the stairs and headed off to school.

Water/Cat

I sat and watched the sun set as the wind blew through my lucious hair.  I was looking out into the vast nothingness of the ocean, watching the sun glimmer across the water top while dolphins were jumping out of the water in a majestic fashion.  That made me start to ponder on what goes through an animals mind.  It's a mystery that even the Hardly Boys can not even solve.  How is it possible that two animals can make no noise and no noticable gesture towards eachother but still understand eachother.  For example, when two cats are walking around and for no reason start to fight eachother.  At one moment, they were just walking by, not even looking at eachother, but somehow they still begin to fight.  These are just some of the unexplanable things I think about throughout the day.

Chair

The day was slowly creeping by as I watched every second on the clock above the chair tick.  It seemed like decades passed after each minute went by.  I counted each second in my head, one, two, three, four, five, six and on and on.  The suspense was slowly tearing me into peices; it seemed almost unbearable at the time and I was having trouble cope with the long wait.  Finally the time came, time for Canes.  I overslept in the morning and did not have time for breakfast so Canes was a necesity for survival.  I sat in the leather seat in my moms lexus which after four years of owning it still had that new car smell.  I had nobody to talk to on the drive up because my mom was blabbing on her cell phone, hardly paying any attention to the road let alone me. We finally got there and I rushed into the building and started ordering, but something was wrong.  The food didnt look as good and it smelled different.  Then I noticed, I was at KFC...

College Essays

Wellesley, Influence of mother
It took me eighteen years to realize what an extraordinary influence my mother has been on my life. She's the kind of person who has thoughtful discussions about which artist she would most want to have her portrait painted by (Sargent), the kind of mother who always has time for her four children, and the kind of community leader who has a seat on the board of every major project to assist Washington's impoverished citizens. Growing up with such a strong role model, I developed many of her enthusiasms. I not only came to love the excitement of learning simply for the sake of knowing something new, but I also came to understand the idea of giving back to the community in exchange for a new sense of life, love, and spirit.
My mother's enthusiasm for learning is most apparent in travel. I was nine years old when my family visited Greece. Every night for three weeks before the trip, my older brother Peter and I sat with my mother on her bed reading Greek myths and taking notes on the Greek Gods. Despite the fact that we were traveling with fourteen-month-old twins, we managed to be at each ruin when the site opened at sunrise. I vividly remember standing in an empty ampitheatre pretending to be an ancient tragedian, picking out my favorite sculpture in the Acropolis museum, and inserting our family into modified tales of the battle at Troy. Eight years and half a dozen passport stamps later I have come to value what I have learned on these journeys about global history, politics and culture, as well as my family and myself.
While I treasure the various worlds my mother has opened to me abroad, my life has been equally transformed by what she has shown me just two miles from my house. As a ten year old, I often accompanied my mother to (name deleted), a local soup kitchen and children's center. While she attended meetings, I helped with the Summer Program by chasing children around the building and performing magic tricks. Having finally perfected the "floating paintbrush" trick, I began work as a full time volunteer with the five and six year old children last June. It is here that I met Jane Doe, an exceptionally strong girl with a vigor that is contagious. At the end of the summer, I decided to continue my work at (name deleted) as Jane's tutor. Although the position is often difficult, the personal rewards are beyond articulation. In the seven years since I first walked through the doors of (name deleted), I have learned not only the idea of giving to others, but also of deriving from them a sense of spirit.
Everything that my mother has ever done has been overshadowed by the thought behind it. While the raw experiences I have had at home and abroad have been spectacular, I have learned to truly value them by watching my mother. She has enriched my life with her passion for learning, and changed it with her devotion to humanity. In her endless love of everything and everyone she is touched by, I have seen a hope and life that is truly exceptional. Next year, I will find a new home miles away. However, my mother will always be by my side.
COMMENTS:
This essay describes the prompt really well.  It takes exact events and relates them to the question.

SAMPLE ESSAY 2:
Harvard, Favorite Fictional Character
Of all the characters that I've "met" through books and movies, two stand out as people that I most want to emulate. They are Attacus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird and Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham from Field of Dreams. They appeal to me because they embody what I strive to be. They are influential people in small towns who have a direct positive effect on those around them. I, too, plan to live in a small town after graduating from college, and that positive effect is something I must give in order to be satisfied with my life.
Both Mr. Finch and Dr. Graham are strong supporting characters in wonderful stories. They symbolize good, honesty, and wisdom. When the story of my town is written I want to symbolize those things. The base has been formed for me to live a productive, helpful life. As an Eagle Scout I represent those things that Mr. Finch and Dr. Graham represent. In the child/adolescent world I am Mr. Finch and Dr. Graham, but soon I'll be entering the adult world, a world in which I'm not yet prepared to lead.
I'm quite sure that as teenagers Attacus Finch and Moonlight Graham often wondered what they could do to help others. They probably emulated someone who they had seen live a successful life. They saw someone like my grandfather, 40-year president of our hometown bank, enjoy a lifetime of leading, sharing, and giving. I have seen him spend his Christmas Eves taking gifts of food and joy to indigent families. Often when his bank could not justify a loan to someone in need, my grandfather made the loan from his own pocket. He is a real-life Moonlight Graham, a man who has shown me that characters like Dr. Graham and Mr. Finch do much much more than elicit tears and smiles from readers and movie watchers. Through him and others in my family I feel I have acquired the values and the burning desire to benefit others that will form the foundation for a great life. I also feel that that foundation is not enough. I do not yet have the sophistication, knowledge, and wisdom necessary to succeed as I want to in the adult world. I feel that Harvard, above all others, can guide me toward the life of greatness that will make me the Attacus Finch of my town.
COMMENTS:
This essay is a great example of how to answer this question well. This essay takes his personal traits and relates them to his favorite character.

Ten Abilities

• Smart- Being smart can get you through life really easily.  Getting through the education system easily will help you be succesful in life.
• Hard Worker- Being a hard worker will help you climb up the career ladder.  The harder you work the more opprotunities you will have later in your career.
• Frugal- Being smart with my money and saving more then i spend will help me life comfortable later in life even though the economy is taking a turn for the worst.
• Dedicated-I like to stay working as much as I can on something as soon as i start it.
• Diligent-I can keep working on a project untill it is completely finished.
• Can change hardware in my computer- Since I am trying to major in computer engineering this ability gives me a slight head start.
• Good people person- I am a very social person and can talk people into doing what I want
• Good at video games- This improves my hand eye coordination dramaticly which is a good skill to have.
• Go hard on things that don't matter- This shows that I try my best no matter what it is that I am doing
• Athletic- I can stay in shape and still have fun in intermual sports when I'm older.